ROBBEN ISLAND: MUCH, MUCH MORE THAN A MEMORY (A MOST IMPORTANT LESSON IN MAN'S INHUMANITY TO MAN)
The Robben Island experience begins at the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the Clock Tower, near the Victoria/Albert Waterfront, Cape Town. For me, and many others, it began years ago after having learned about the maximum security prison on the island and the circumstances that brought the most famous prisoner there.
I had a brief discussion with a teacher-colleague here about the torturous manner in which political prisoners were treated there. Actually, it wasn't much of a "discussion" because she politely told me that what would one expect from a prison...meaning that prisons are meant to make people suffer. I politely walked away from her with the cold realization that she would never be able to understand my point of view pertaining to prisons, human suffering, the concept of "rehabilitation", or having feelings for those who were made to live under such inhumane conditions.
Any visitor to the island is obligated to tour the prison's maximum security section. The obligation extends to "B Section". That part of the sprawling prison complex includes Nelson Mandela's tiny concrete cell. The former South African president spent 18 of his 27 years of incarceration on Robben Island--most of it lodged in that cell. The bars on the cell are as thick as any man's arms. It was meant to totally isolate many leaders from different groups in the movement for eventual democracy in South Africa.
Mandela's cell had a couple of thin blankets in a corner; a small metal bucket was standing in the opposite corner. The bucket had a matching metal lid, tarnished copper in color. There wasn't anything else in the small room. No toilet (you guessed it...the bucket served that purpose). No sink, therefore no water. No bed. Nothing to write on or sit on. It was depressingly bleak and somber to even imagine staying in that "room" for a few hours, let alone years and years.
We were delighted to learn that part of the island/prison tour included interaction with an ex-political prisoner. The fellow that explained things to our group was extremely interesting--I noted that his eyes seemed to smile as he told the sordid truth of the physical conditions of B Section, maximum security. And it wasn't even the harsh physical conditions as much as the psychological ramifications of being so isolated and having to contend with the mind games of the prison guards.
Everything was designated to prisoners according to racial category. The "Bantu" designation, meaning black African, meant that you were given less food than the "coloured" or "Asiatic" prisoner. The black prisoners were given short-sleeved shirts and short pants in the winter--and usually no socks/shoes. Imagine trying to sleep on those concrete floors with winds howling around outside, making the floors a breezeway for bodies trying to seek warmth.
The drive away from the maximum security part of the prison took us to the limestone quarry, which was particularily interesting. There, Mandela and his political coherts were made to work daily, cutting away at the limestone with crude work instruments. Limestone dust filled the air. We were told that many prisoners succumbed to the dust, which could bring, after years of exposure, TB and related lung diseases. Limestone reflects sunlight like no other material, having a tendency to damage eyesight after years of exposure. Try taking a photograph of Nelson Mandela today: you'll be told not to use any sort of flash because his eyes are very sensitive to light.
Limestone also absorbs heat to a greater degree than other mineral. We were told that the temperature in the pit working area was usually ten degrees hotter than anywhere on the island. Lose your eyesight; lungs contaminated; and then your body is fried from the heat. It's a wonder that Madiba is now at the grand old age of eighty-eight. It is nothing short of a miracle that he has made peace with the prison guards and the administrators of the hell-hole called Robben Island's maximum security prison.
What was most amazing to me was the fact that Nelson Mandela spent 18 years on that isolated former leper colony island and never looked back. No rancor, no bitterness, no anger toward the apartheid monsters who put him and his comrades there. I now better understand how this living icon was chosen for a Nobel Peace Prize (not that I ever questioned the Nobel Committee's judgement before).
In June of 1961, I had just graduated from St. Anastasia High School in Fort Pierce, Florida. I knew nothing about Nelson Mandela's fight for freedom and democracy in South Africa. Mandela had been espousing peaceful means in dealing with the hated authorities before that time. Things changed dramatically after that date. He was known to say these prophetic words:
"At the beginning of June 1961, after a long and anxious assessment of the South African situation, I and some colleagues came to the conclusion that as violence in this country was inevitable, it would be wrong and unrealistic for African leaders to continue preaching peace and non-violence at a time when the government met our peaceful demands with force. It was only when all else failed, when all channels of peaceful protest had been barred to us, that the decision was made to embark on violent forms of political struggle, and to form Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation)...the government had left us no other choice."
After two different trials, following being arrested by the apartheid authorities, Mandela and seven of his co-accused were sentenced to life imprisonment. He and the others were given hard labour in the harsh conditions of Robben Island. As stated before, he spent eighteen years out of his total of 27 years of imprisonment on the island.
Simply put, Nelson Mandela is a hero of mine. His sacrifices earned him his icon status, but more importantly they gave South Africa a democracy that is a shining light for the rest of the world. Yes, South Africa has rampant crime, but the value of a democratic state far outweighs the negative aspect of crime. And that's coming from someone who has been victimized twice (so far), by criminals as a Fulbright teacher here (hint, hint: guess what I'll be writing about in one of my future blog postings).
I had a brief discussion with a teacher-colleague here about the torturous manner in which political prisoners were treated there. Actually, it wasn't much of a "discussion" because she politely told me that what would one expect from a prison...meaning that prisons are meant to make people suffer. I politely walked away from her with the cold realization that she would never be able to understand my point of view pertaining to prisons, human suffering, the concept of "rehabilitation", or having feelings for those who were made to live under such inhumane conditions.
Any visitor to the island is obligated to tour the prison's maximum security section. The obligation extends to "B Section". That part of the sprawling prison complex includes Nelson Mandela's tiny concrete cell. The former South African president spent 18 of his 27 years of incarceration on Robben Island--most of it lodged in that cell. The bars on the cell are as thick as any man's arms. It was meant to totally isolate many leaders from different groups in the movement for eventual democracy in South Africa.
Mandela's cell had a couple of thin blankets in a corner; a small metal bucket was standing in the opposite corner. The bucket had a matching metal lid, tarnished copper in color. There wasn't anything else in the small room. No toilet (you guessed it...the bucket served that purpose). No sink, therefore no water. No bed. Nothing to write on or sit on. It was depressingly bleak and somber to even imagine staying in that "room" for a few hours, let alone years and years.
We were delighted to learn that part of the island/prison tour included interaction with an ex-political prisoner. The fellow that explained things to our group was extremely interesting--I noted that his eyes seemed to smile as he told the sordid truth of the physical conditions of B Section, maximum security. And it wasn't even the harsh physical conditions as much as the psychological ramifications of being so isolated and having to contend with the mind games of the prison guards.
Everything was designated to prisoners according to racial category. The "Bantu" designation, meaning black African, meant that you were given less food than the "coloured" or "Asiatic" prisoner. The black prisoners were given short-sleeved shirts and short pants in the winter--and usually no socks/shoes. Imagine trying to sleep on those concrete floors with winds howling around outside, making the floors a breezeway for bodies trying to seek warmth.
The drive away from the maximum security part of the prison took us to the limestone quarry, which was particularily interesting. There, Mandela and his political coherts were made to work daily, cutting away at the limestone with crude work instruments. Limestone dust filled the air. We were told that many prisoners succumbed to the dust, which could bring, after years of exposure, TB and related lung diseases. Limestone reflects sunlight like no other material, having a tendency to damage eyesight after years of exposure. Try taking a photograph of Nelson Mandela today: you'll be told not to use any sort of flash because his eyes are very sensitive to light.
Limestone also absorbs heat to a greater degree than other mineral. We were told that the temperature in the pit working area was usually ten degrees hotter than anywhere on the island. Lose your eyesight; lungs contaminated; and then your body is fried from the heat. It's a wonder that Madiba is now at the grand old age of eighty-eight. It is nothing short of a miracle that he has made peace with the prison guards and the administrators of the hell-hole called Robben Island's maximum security prison.
What was most amazing to me was the fact that Nelson Mandela spent 18 years on that isolated former leper colony island and never looked back. No rancor, no bitterness, no anger toward the apartheid monsters who put him and his comrades there. I now better understand how this living icon was chosen for a Nobel Peace Prize (not that I ever questioned the Nobel Committee's judgement before).
In June of 1961, I had just graduated from St. Anastasia High School in Fort Pierce, Florida. I knew nothing about Nelson Mandela's fight for freedom and democracy in South Africa. Mandela had been espousing peaceful means in dealing with the hated authorities before that time. Things changed dramatically after that date. He was known to say these prophetic words:
"At the beginning of June 1961, after a long and anxious assessment of the South African situation, I and some colleagues came to the conclusion that as violence in this country was inevitable, it would be wrong and unrealistic for African leaders to continue preaching peace and non-violence at a time when the government met our peaceful demands with force. It was only when all else failed, when all channels of peaceful protest had been barred to us, that the decision was made to embark on violent forms of political struggle, and to form Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation)...the government had left us no other choice."
After two different trials, following being arrested by the apartheid authorities, Mandela and seven of his co-accused were sentenced to life imprisonment. He and the others were given hard labour in the harsh conditions of Robben Island. As stated before, he spent eighteen years out of his total of 27 years of imprisonment on the island.
Simply put, Nelson Mandela is a hero of mine. His sacrifices earned him his icon status, but more importantly they gave South Africa a democracy that is a shining light for the rest of the world. Yes, South Africa has rampant crime, but the value of a democratic state far outweighs the negative aspect of crime. And that's coming from someone who has been victimized twice (so far), by criminals as a Fulbright teacher here (hint, hint: guess what I'll be writing about in one of my future blog postings).
posted by JOBURG JOURNAL at 2:49 AM
<< Home