Last Updated on March 14, 2016
If you are interested in prisons this is a “must do” trip when visiting Cape Town. All tours are guided by ex-prisoners, so you know that you are getting a real first-hand account of what being imprisoned there was like.
The ferry ride can be a bit rough on the way over and back from Robben Island, which may make the 30 – 40 minute ride uncomfortable for some.
Robben Island is etched in history as one of the most feared places from the Apartheid era of South Africa. The ex-prisoner that guided us around the prison told us of how hard it was to come back to the prison at first, but how it did start to get easier over time. He is doing his country a great service by sharing his story, and it was visibly appreciated by our tour group. It was interesting (and difficult) to hear first-hand what the people of South Africa were subjected to during the Apartheid era, and having described the savagery of what man did to man.
The tour starts with boarding a bus after getting off of the ferry, and the bus drives you around Robben Island, describing what you see on the way to the prison. It was difficult to imagine what these people really went through, how they must have felt and the hopelessness and conditions they must have endured.
Seeing Nelson Mandela’s cell, the lime pit where he worked, the yard he exercised in and to hear the details of all he went through during all those years in confinement was inspiring. It is hard to imagine how Mandela could overcome all the hate and anger against those who imprisoned him to become the man and icon that he is today. It really makes you want to improve yourself to become a better person as our experiences are nowhere near what he endured each day for years.
Some facts we learned on the tour:
- The first political prisoners arrived on Robben island in the 1960’s. The political prisoners were considered to be much more dangerous than the convicts that were already on the island; and some were even given indefinite sentences.
- Political prisoners were left to work the rocks, murderers and rapists got to sew clothes and do laundry. The glare off the white rock damaged the eyesight of many prisoners, and Mandela was left with a lifetime aversion to flash photography once released.
- Robben Island was a leper colony from 1844 to the early 1900’s.
- Political prisoners could not receive visits from anyone younger than 16 years old. This meant that many prisoners never got to see their children grow up.
The one thing we were not impressed with at Robben Island was the size of the tour group. While our guide did a great job handling it, there were double the amount of people that should have been going through together at once.
Have you ever visited Robben Island or any other prisons? What was your experience during your visit?