Cape Town South Africa – Robben Island (Seal Island) is located 11 km off the coast from Mouille Point, which is close to the shores of Table Bay. The island gained notoriety as a political prison, where those who fell foul of past South African Governments were incarcerated. The most famous prisoner held on the island was Nelson Mandela, president of South Africa from 1994 until 1999.
The infamous island has however also been a prison for other prominent South African leaders. The Xhosa Prophet Makhanda, who in the early 19th century lead his followers in a "holy" war against the British colonists, was imprisoned there in 1819, until his death from drowning when his boat capsized while he was trying to escape.
The sad history of the place has included time as a lunatic asylum, a leper colony and as a dumping place for the chronically sick and other unwanted members of society.
Today Robben Island is an identical different place with a more pleasant image. In 1999 it was declared a World Heritage Site as well as being a South African National Monument and Museum. The island supports a small population who live in the tiny village, centrepiece of which is the Church of the Good Shepherd. Since 1997 it has been a museum. The museum is a dynamic institution, which acts as a focal point of South African heritage. It runs educational programs for schools, youth and adults, facilitates tourism development, conducts ongoing research related to the Island and fulfils an archiving function.
Other attractions on the island are the prison buildings, now open to a limited number of visitors, and the lighthouse, built in 1864, and still in daily operation.
For nearly 400 years, Robben Island, was a place of banishment, exile, isolation and imprimination. It was here that rulers sent those they regarded as political troublemakers, social outcasts and the undesired of society.
Today, however, Robben Island also tells us about victory over Apartheid and other human rights abuses: 'the indestructibility of the spirit of resistance against colonialism, injustice and oppression'. Overcoming opposition from the prison authorities, prisoners on the Island after the 1960s were able to organize sporting events, political debts and educational programs, and to assert their right to be valued as human beings, with dignity and equality. They were able to help the country establish the foundations of our modern democracy. The image we have of the Island today is as a place of oppression, as well as a place of triumph.
Come for a visit.
