Robben Island

So Robben Island is one of the must see tourist attractions in Cape Town which means that 1) it is expensive to go on and 2) it is filled with tourists. But I knew that I had to be one of those tourists in order to get my full experience of the city. I couldn’t return home and say that I hadn’t done it. So anyways, my American flat mate had been talking with CIEE about going and somehow she worked it out that if she got at least 10 people together they would fit the bill for the entire trip. Well it wasn’t so hard to find 10 willing people to go and so last weekend all 20 of us traveled to the Cape Town Waterfront to embark to Robben Island.

For those who at this point are like…what is Robben Island? I will give a little history. The name itself comes from the Afrikaans version of the word and means “seal island” (though we didn’t see any seals when we were there ironically). This island has always been used in order to isolate people from the mainland. At the beginning of the 18^th century, the island was used to contain political prisoners during colonial wars with natives. By 1845, the island morphed its role into containing a leper colony to keep them isolated from the mainland. However it is most notable for housing the largest population of black and colored political prisoners in the Apartheid, namely Nelson Mandella.

The whole thing sort of reminded me of going to Alcatraz in San Francisco but a little less daunting. At least we didn’t have to hear the walking tour with the former criminal testimonies and the deep echoey footsteps. Those who have been there know what I mean.

It was a beautiful day. We left through Nelson Mandella Gateway on the waterfront. We boarded a little catamaran called the Shikuleikele. I have no idea how to pronounce it so don’t ask. It was about a 20 min ride with little turbulence. When we got to the other end of the line, everyone disembarked and headed for the guided bus tour of the island. Our tour guide was an ex-political prisoner from the 1960’s. Apparently, there was an old prison and a new prison. The old prison was a very nasty place and the inmates from the old prison actually constructed the new prison. Our guide spoke a little about this but not in great detail. We also saw a limestone quarry, which is where the political prisoners spent most of their day. The limestone that they collected really wasn’t used for anything but to kill time. Though working in the quarry was not so great. The sun would reflect off the rock and every prisoner that worked in that quarry had eye damage because of the rays. What is interesting though, is that they prisoners had a cave for a toilet but they would actually congregate in the toilet area and talk about politics. The tour guides comment on the stupidity of bringing all the political prisoners to one place. It would have been better to isolate them so they weren’t able to collaborate and undermine the government while still in jail.

At the end of the bus ride, we stopped at the new prison where another ex-political prisoner told us about life inside the jail. Then he showed us Nelson Mandella’s cell and were on our way a mere 2 hours later.

It was an interesting tour but I was a little frustrated coming out of it. I realized then how much my perspective was shaped by living in Cape Town rather than by merely traveling through as most people on the tour were. The guides tried to tell us how much better South Africa was today and that they had no problems in the modern world. They were ready for the World Cup…etc. It was very frustrating because every day we are confronted with the vast inequality that still lives in and among Cape Town let alone South Africa. They have come a long ways from the days of Apartheid and I recognize that, but it was frustrating to listen to what I considered propaganda for much of the tour. I tried to take some tidbits out of the tour that I found interesting and let the other bounce off but that sort of tourism is a bit frustrating. It also makes me wonder how people from South Africa and Cape Town respond to the tour if they go at all. Most tourist destinations are not meant for the residents and most residents don’t go to them. But if they did, I wonder what they would think of the ideas that were being pumped at the tourists. It is an interesting thought.

In all, I was really happy to go. I didn’t have to pay for it, which was nice. Also, I found out a little about myself how much I feel like I have learned about this place. I think that it will also make me view how I look at any new place and try to find something deeper than what is given to me. It is one check off my list of things to do and places to see on the “before I come home to-do list” that is ever shrinking!