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| On the Ferry to Robben Island |
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| Nelson Mandela's Jail Cell |
Kathleen writes about Robben Island:
“Today we went to Robben Island, the prison which held the former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, for over eighteen years (in total he was in prison for 27 years.) After a bus tour of the island and a brief history, we toured the inside of the prison with a guide who was a political prisoner for seven years. He shared his personal experiences and stories of the others there. The prisoners were treated horribly and forced to work in the limestone quarry for ten hours a day in the summer and eight hours a day in the winter, where the harsh conditions caused many chronic illnesses to the prisoners, Mandela included. Many of the ideas of the post-apartheid era were formed on that island and it was an amazing feeling to be in the same spot as those great thinkers who formed them not so long ago.”
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| Ex-prisoner who is now a guide on Robben Island |
We all left with profound and complex emotions. In short, we just can’t imagine how it was possible for South Africa to heal after so much amazing and horrifying abuse. The guides at the prison were so very proud of the healing that has happened, the forgiveness, and the dramatic amount of reconciliation that continues today after only a few years of peace.
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