Country Article / Postcards

The Dark Past of Robben Island

Date: 05/29/2006

International Living Postcards-- your daily escape

Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Cape Town, South Africa

Dear International Living Reader,

Robben Island--one of the most significant historical sites in South Africa--lies eight miles from Cape Town. Today a museum, it was originally a leper colony and later a prison, where Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners of the Apartheid regime were incarcerated--some for more than 20 years.

Organized tours take you to the island by boat every two hours. Once there, ex-political prisoners take you around the island by bus. You see the unshaded limestone quarry where prisoners worked for eight hours every day. The dust and glare from the limestone damaged many of the prisoners' eyes, blinding some. Inside the prison, your tour guide gives you background into the daily routine of the inmates. Eighty to 90 prisoners shared small cells, sleeping on mats. Menus, which still hang on the cell walls, give you an idea of the inmates' daily diet. Criminals, who shared the island with the freedom fighters, were treated better, as evidenced by the menus--they got more rations of rice, meat, and bread. They also got more privileges, including visits from loved ones. (The political prisoners were allowed two visits a year, which had to be arranged six months in advance.)

In 1991 the last political prisoner was freed from the island. In 1999 it became a cultural and national heritage site.

You can get the ferry to Robben Island from the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, where you can also buy your ticket. The tour lasts three-and-a-half hours (including the half-hour boat trip each way) and costs $25. This tour is popular--reserve your place a few hours in advance.

Laura Sheridan
For International Living