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First Visit to Robben Island

In 2012. I had a memorable birthday' I celebrated a birthday with the same double digits. In addition it was a Sunday so I went to church ie Mowbray Baptist Church in Cape Town - in the afternoon I visited Robben Island for the first time. It is this visit that I made that I would like to focus on.  

Robben Island is one of the six places it is said one must visit in the Western Cape. If you have been to Cape Town and not been to Robben Island you need to make sure it is one of the things on your to do list next time you are there. 

Photo Credit: South African History Online

How does one get to  Robben Island? Booking can be made online or at the Nelson Mandela Gateway V and A Waterfront office. It takes 30 minutes by ship to get to Robben Island. Sometimes visits are suspended when there 'is bad weather as the storms on the Atlantic Ocean can be quite fierce.

Once you get to the Island you are met by a tour guide and transferred to a bus which gets you to the prison area where the late Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in imprisonment.

Photo Credit: UNESCO

Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, Cape Town, South Africa. The name is Dutch for "seal island." (Wikipedia). Robben Island was also initially used to house lepers at the time.

The highlights of the Robben Island tour are:
  • The prison cells where freedom fighters who fought against Apartheid were kept. Especially note-worthy is the prison cell number which housed Nelson Mandela.
  • The house where Robert Sobukwe was kept in solitary confinement for 7 years. See photo below. Notice the tight security. He was not allowed to talk to anyone. The house was surrounded by vicious dogs.
  • The open rocky sandy places where prisoners were made to work daily. An endless purposeless task that left many with damaged eyes.
Photo Credit: Robert Olinger  @TravelBlog

According to UNESCO the buildings at Robben Island, particularly those of the late 20th Century such as the maximum security prison for political prisoners, witness the triumph of democracy and freedom over oppression and racism. 

Should providence take you to Cape Town, make a date with Robben Island. You will learn a lot from what you see and hear!

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