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#5 Robben Island
As recently as the 1990's, Robben Island was a forbidden and secretive piece of land.
Historically a prison, mental institute, lepracy colony, the island is most famous for being the place where South Africa's first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela, spent the bulk of his 26 years of imprisonment.
This paragraph from the official website sums up Robben Island in South Africa today:
"During the apartheid years Robben Island became internationally known for its institutional brutality. The duty of those who ran the Island and its prison was to isolate opponents of apartheid and to crush their morale. Some freedom fighters spent more than a quarter of a century in prison for their beliefs.
Those imprisoned on the Island succeeded on a psychological and political level in turning a prison 'hell-hole' into a symbol of freedom and personal liberation. Robben Island came to symbolise, not only for South Africa and the African continent, but also for the entire world, the triumph of the human spirit over enormous hardship and adversity."
Tours:
Tours leave from the Clocktower Building at the V&A Waterfront.
The three and a half hour tour includes a return trip across Table Bay, a visit to the Maximum Security Prison where Apartheid-era political prisoners were kept, interaction with an ex-political prisoner and a 45 minute bus tour with a guide providing commentary.
Based on the feedback from friends and colleagues who have taken this tour, I would strongly recommend it. A number of ex-political-prisoners are now employed as tour guides, which means that not every tour is the same, and also means that the individual guide gives his personal insights, experiences and stories.
Tickets:
R150 for adults
R75.00 for children aged 4-17 years.
Children under 4 come free, but must be included in the booking
Official Website
http://www.robben-island.org.za/
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