Robben Island

Recently, my study abroad program took us on a trip to Robben Island, where many political prisoners were held during the Apartheid era. It was amazing to realize the extent to which the prisoners were able to rise above their circumstances and unite despite the inhumane conditions at the prison.

Robben Island has a history of housing outcasts. During the colonial era, the island was used as a quarantine for people with leprosy, but the only things on the island that remain from that period in time are a church and a graveyard. Everything else was burned to prevent the spread of the disease.

More recently, Robben Island was used to hold political prisoners during the struggle against Apartheid.

This is Nelson Mandela's prison cell. He was given three blankets to sleep on, but no bed. The bucket in the picture was used for washing clothes, as a toilet, and to carry drinking water back to his cell in. After work, the prisoners were given a limited amount of time to visit before they were locked into their cells, which they would use to play chess, exercise, or talk about political strategies.

The Apartheid government created racial classifications in order to divide the oppressed and create factions. For example, Indians, mixed race and Cape Malay (called coloureds), and blacks were given different privileges to create resentment for those who had more and a sense of superiority over those who were given less. This was not any different at Robben Island. Coloureds were given more food and clothing than blacks, who were not even allowed to wear underwear. Our tour guide, who was a former prisoner on the island, explained to us that they were very conscious of these racial divisions and demonstrated unity by dividing everything they ate and owned equally.

During the day, the prisoners were forced to mine sandstone. The quarry was directly in the sun, and today many of the former prisoners, including Nelson Mandela have damage to their eyes from the glare. At first they were forced to mine the rocks all day, but when the older guards were replaced with younger and more liberal guards, they were able to form an agreement. Instead of mining, the more educated prisoners would teach the prisoners who had not had a formal education while the guards would act as lookouts. In this way, many of the prisoners who arrived at Robben Island illiterate had the equivalent of a college education when they were released.

The sandstone quarry where prisoners worked during the day.