Cape Town: Robben Island

I've been dreading writing this post.  Because how do you say anything that does Robben Island justice?  How do I talk about seeing the rock quarry where Nelson Mandela toiled?  The views of Cape Town, so close, yet unreachable.  How before 1971, the prisoners slept on the floor with one blanket per person.  How the fierce Cape winds whipped through the open, barred windows.

How do you put that in perspective?  How do I tell you about how casually our tour guide, a former prisoner (all the guides, are in fact, former prisoners) talked about being tortured and electrocuted?

And then there was this:

Right in the middle of our tour, one of Nelson Mandela's wardens, Christo Brand, stepped into our bus and spoke to us.  If you've read Mandela's autobiography, "Long Walk to Freedom," you'll have read about Christo smuggling in one of Mandela's grandchildren in to see him.

It was unplanned and only for a few minutes, but it was pretty incredible.  Here is a man, whom by all rights, Mandela should hate.  But Christo is still in communication with him and describes a man, that even while imprisoned, would encourage his wardens to study, to improve themselves.  There is a pretty great interview of Christo here (by "Frontline" of course, go PBS!)

So yeah, what the hell do I say?  I think for me, the best way to put it is this:  I felt heart-sick to be there.  To know the injustice and racism and cruelty that human beings can impose on one another.  And I felt very proud to be human; to be part of a race (the human one, that is) that can suffer cruelties and forgive. 

I think I'll leave you with what I wrote on Facebook the day we went.  I think that sums it up best:

Went to Robben Island today and saw cell number 7, where Nelson Mandela served 18 of his 27 years in prison.  Much too powerful to sum up in a Facebook status post.  All I'll say is that the South Africa that I've come to know and love was born in that prison cell.  Born of a man who understood that there is no place for revenge when it comes to healing.  May South Africa's current government re-affirm the path that Madiba set out.  May we all.