Robben Island

So this weekend we finally went on our trip to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for many years. It was a really fascinating place, with a long history, having been a leper colony in addition to a prison for both criminals and political prisoners. Here are some pics:

Leper Graveyard

The limestone quarry where Nelson Mandela and other prisoners worked. A lot of them had serious damage to their eyes from working out in the sun all day on such a reflective surface. But, it was here that a lot of political planning for the ANC was done!

Table Mountain from afar

Some prisoners were able to receiving three letters a month, but political prisoners could only get one every six months, and the letters were severely censored.

Inside the maximum security prison

Nelson Mandela's cell (not his original things, though)

Overall, a very informative tour. The tour is led by an ex-prisoner of the Island, which is really fascinating. Many ex-prisoners, as well as ex-wardens, currently still live on the island with their families and work for the Robben Island Museum! I found this shocking that ex-prisoner and ex-warden live together harmoniously, but apparently this goes back to the notion of reconciliation and forgiveness that Mandela was big on. Still, it's hard to imagine having to relive the trauma of one's imprisonment every day for a living.
     This narrative of forgiveness is all very nice, but I think it's also a little disingenuous. In my class on Race, Culture and Identity in Africa, we read about how the Robben Island Museum (as any museum does) constructs a very particular discourse around its history, and even though it employs former prisoners to tell their story, they still are instructed to adhere to this discourse, and maybe aren't providing as authentic an account as we'd like to think. As a museum that caters to mostly tourists, it's not surprising that they would want a narrative that is uplifting and about forgiveness. I think that would be more appropriate, however, if actual racial equality had been achieved in South Africa, which it clearly has not. The District Six Museum (which I haven't been to yet), on the other hand, apparently is much more devoted to continuing an ongoing anti-racist cause, even as it discusses the past. Yeah, so those are my thoughts on that. Thanks for listening!