January 16th: Robben Island

Jan 16th: Robben Island Blog 

Hello! We are Linnea and Quinn, here to share about our day at Robben Island. 

We drove to the waterfront to catch the ferry to the island! Robben Island may also be known as “seal island,” as Robben is the Dutch name for seals. When the Dutch first took the island over it was covered in seals, and we enjoyed seeing some seals in the water on our way to the island. 

Once we got to the island, we boarded a tour bus to get a glimpse of the whole island and a brief history. In 1931, individuals with mental illness or leprosy were taken from the mainland and sent to live on the island. When these individuals had children, they were taken and given up for adoption on the mainland.

In 1961, Robben Island became a political prison for convicted Black and Coloured South Africans. There are 4 different prisons, varying from minimum to maximum security. There is also a village on the island, which was first used to house prison guards and their families. 

Finally, we drove by the Lime Quarry, which is a site where political prisoners were forced to work 8 hours a day, Monday-Friday, for 13.5 years. They were given no tools or safety equipment. Rather than take bathroom breaks, they would converse in a cave, which later became known as the “University of Knowledge.” You can see a pile of stones in solidarity for these prisoners; the first stone was placed by Nelson Mandela himself. 

We met our tour guide, Terrance Piery, who is an ex-prisoner of Robben Island. He showed us around the maximum security complex, the place where he was imprisoned from 1979-1984. He was convicted of “sabotage” at only age 17. 

 

Terrance openly shared of his life in prison: 

• Immediately upon arrival, Terrance was renamed “68-79” – the 68th prisoner to be registered in 1979. 

• They played on the island, and he joked that he should be an Olympian on the “Robben Island National Team.”  

• They were given two mats to sleep on the cement floor with 60-80 men per cell. 

• Black men made up 99% of the prison’s population, and Coloured men made up 1%, yet the Black men received far worse food provisions. 

• He described himself as a “young, arrogant, rude boy,” and therefore often received beatings and punishments. 

We are very grateful to Terrance for narrating his experiences with us and applaud his strength.

Nelson Mandela was imprisoned here from 1962-1982 (after having spent a few years at Constitution Hill). Below is the cell that he was assigned to. The prisoners were forced to relieve themselves in the buckets, which the guards disposed of. 

This tree represents where Mandela hid his infamous manuscript, Long Walk to Freedom, which he wrote during his imprisonment. The manuscript was later recovered and safely brought to the mainland. Our guide, Terrance, was ecstatic that he met Mandela a total of 3 times while here at Robben Island. 

Today, Robben Island houses 131 permanent residents, mainly ex-political prisoners and guards. The island only employs ex-prisoners to lead tours at the maximum security prisons. 

After the boat ride back from the island, we all got a lovely lunch on the pier at “Quay Four.” The sun is shining in Cape Town! Some of us also went to the Cape Town Aquarium in our afternoon free time. 

Good night from our lovely view on floor 15 of the hotel!

-Quinn and Linnea