Robben Island

Robben Island Review

Made famous by its most illustrious inhabitant, Nelson Mandela, this island, whose name is Dutch for "seals," has a long and sad history. At various times a prison, leper colony, mental institution, and military base, it is finally filling a positive, enlightening, and empowering role in its latest incarnation as a museum. Robert Sobukwe and Walter Sisulu were also imprisoned here for their role in opposing apartheid. For many years the African National Congress secretary-general, Sisulu died in 2003 in his early nineties and was given a hero's burial. Sobukwe, founding president of the Pan Africanist Congress, proved to be such a thorn in the government's side that he was imprisoned in the 1960s under the special Sobukwe Clause, which had to be renewed every year to keep him in jail. John Voster, then the country's minister, said of Sobukwe, "He is a man with magnetic personality, great organizing ability, and a divine sense of mission," and it was these very qualities that made him such a threat. He was treated slightly better than other prisoners but was kept completely isolated from them—an especially terrible punishment for a man with such a strong sense of community. In addition to these more recent prisoners, other fascinating (and reluctant) people have inhabited this at once formidable and beautiful place. One of the first prisoners was Autshumato, known to the early Dutch settlers as Harry the Hottentot. He was one of the main interpreters for Jan van Riebeeck in the mid-17th century and was imprisoned for opposing British colonial rule, as was his niece Krotoa. In 1820 the British thought they could solve some of the problems they were having on the Eastern Cape frontier by banishing Xhosa leader Makhanda to the island. Both Autshumato and Makhanda (also spelled Makana) escaped by rowboat, but Makhanda didn't make it.

Declared a World Heritage site on December 1, 1997, Robben Island has become a symbol of the triumph of the human spirit. In 1997 around 90,000 made the pilgrimage; in 2006 more than 300,000 crossed the water to see where some of the greatest South Africans spent much of their lives. Visiting the island is a sobering experience, which begins at the modern Nelson Mandela Gateway to Robben Island, an impressive embarkation center that doubles as a conference center. Interactive exhibits display historic photos of prison life. Next make the journey across the water, remembering to watch Table Mountain recede in the distance and imagine what it must have been like to have just received a 20-year jail sentence. Boats leave on the hour (every other hour in winter), and the crossing takes 30 minutes.

Tours are organized by the Robben Island Museum. (Other operators advertise Robben Island tours but just take visitors on a boat trip around the island.) As a result of the reconciliation process, most tour guides are former political prisoners. During the 2½-hour tour you walk through the prison and see the cells where Mandela and other leaders were imprisoned. You also tour the lime quarry, where Mandela spent so many years pounding rocks; in summer the reflection off the rock is blinding, and Mandela's eyesight—but thankfully not his insight—was irreparably damaged by the glare. The tour also takes you past Robert Sobukwe's place of confinement and the leper church. In recent years, many of the prison buildings and the houses where the wardens used to live were renovated, and are now home to former prisoners who act as current tour guides. Due to increased demand for tickets during peak season (December-January), make bookings at least three weeks in advance. Take sunglasses and a hat in summer. You are advised to tip your guide only if you feel that the tour has been informative.