Forgiveness

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Photos to come...

Yes, we finally made it to Robben Island, although we were a bit apprehensive given that the ferry was quite late in leaving! The ride out to the island took about 45 minutes and gave us a fantastic view of Table Mountain with the clouds sitting right on top - I now see what they mean by the 'Tablecloth'.

Once on the island we were guided onto buses, which proceeded to drive around the island for just over half an hour, showing us features such as the leper cemetery, school, staff housing (Robben Island still has people living there - a population of about 200 people), gun barracks (the island was used as a training and defence station during World War II), a mosque, and the house of Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, a political prisoner who was put in isolation for 9 years. He was not allowed to speak to anyone and his only form of encouragement to other prisoners was to let a handful of soil run through his hands, to symbolise that the soil of Africa was their home and that nothing mattered more than to reclaim it.

One of the final stops was the lime quarry where political prisoners worked. They were told initially that they would work in the lime quarry for 6 months. They worked there for 13 years. There was no use for the lime, no demand for it commercially. It was merely a punishment, that caused blindness and lung disease in some of the prisoners.

During the bus trip the guide gave an emotive speech thanking us for being amassadors for our countries, countries that supported the ANC by placing embargoes against South Africa and he implored us to spread the message of forgiveness that we would hear on Robben Island.

From the bus tour we then went to the maximum security prison, where Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners were held. We were taken on a tour of this prison by an ex-politicial prisoner - a man who was arrested and imprisoned at the age of 16. He spoke of the torture they endured and of the hope that they clung to. This hope was sometimes a tiny thread; he admitted wanting to kill himself as he believed that the struggle was futile. Another man on the tour spoke up and revealed that he too was an ex-prisoner from the 1960s and this was his first visit back to the island. He began to share some of his memories but it became too traumatic and could not continue as he was overcome with emotion. He was not the only one. Many times on the tour, hearing the horrific stories and also the willingness to forgive, I felt quite close to tears.

If you ever get to Cape Town, do not miss going to Robben Island.

As the ferry docked back at the Waterfront, we were met by Casey and Liezl and we went out for our final dinner together. Namibia tomorrow!

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