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Cape Town Journal
(Lea) A red bucket stood in the middle of the dank, dark cell.
This bucket served as a toilet. Next to it lay a gray, shabby mat. This was the
bed. A man lived in this cell for 18 years. This man was Nelson Mandela
and his crime was a belief that all people, regardless of race, gender or creed,
should be treated equally by the law. His punishment for this belief was a 27
year imprisonment, 18 of which he served in the Robben Island Prison. Robben Island
is a 25 minute boat ride from the shores of Capetown, South Africa.
"I came to this prison a boy and left mature, a man." Themsikos Mzukwa, our Robben Island guide and a former political prisoner, told us as he guided us through the prison. We stopped in Block F, a room with several cots that many political prisoners shared. The more powerful anti-apartheid leaders, such as Nelson Mandela, were housed in Block B's individual cells, not even allowed the luxury of companionship. Themsikos described the conditions of the prisoners. Physical abuse occurred throughout the 1960s. Up until the 1970s, food was distributed based on race. Coloreds (In South Africa, the term colored is used for race where there is a mixture of black and other races) and Asians received more food than blacks. "But the prisoners did not allow this discrimination. Instead they pooled their food and redistributed it," explained Themsikos. Hard labor, such as mining the quarries, occurred throughout the 1980s. The apartheid regime continued imprisoning people fighting for equal rights until apartheid was finally abolished. In 1991 all political prisoners were granted freedom and released.
"Despite all of the hardships, the human spirit prevailed and we lived. We lived by studying from correspondence courses. The more educated taught those with less education. We constantly held discussions about everything - politics, South Africa, the world." Even the prisoners in isolation used their time to learn and teach. Nelson Mandela clandestinely wrote much of his autobiography, A Long Walk to Freedom.
Even more extraordinary than the prisoners' perseverance throughout their imprisonment, was their attitude after release. With apartheid's abolishment, the freed prisoners did not focus on recrimination and emerged to lead their country without bitterness. Nelson Mandela, the first South African president elected in free elections, led South Africa in its first steps to becoming a unified country, with a spirit of reconciliation. The hope he created was evident throughout our travels through South Africa.
As we drove throughout South Africa, this hope was, at first, not readily visible. The affects of apartheid are apparent. Even with apartheid's abolishment, economic apartheid still occurs. On the outskirts of every city, we see the shantytowns with thousands of dilapidated shacks. The majority of the black population live in these because those who grew up during apartheid did not have equal access to education and opportunities, so they are the low paid workers of today. There is 25% unemployment and over 60% of South Africa's children live in poverty. Despite all of this, we still felt the spirit of hope for the future. When we walked through colleges and past schools, we saw students of all colors and backgrounds studying and socializing together. At an annual Arts Festival we discovered a celebration of South Africa's multi-cultures. In newspapers we read about programs aimed at ensuring all South African children receive education. And when we visited sights like Robben Island, which serve to remind people about apartheid's history, we were among black and white South Africans.
As we toured Robben Island, I listened to Themsikos's words and looked at the emotions in his eyes. In each there was pain remaining from his history. But also in his eyes were hope, a hope for South Africa and its next generation.
(Keith)
Cape Town lies on the coast near the southern tip of Africa and is perched
between steep, rocky mountains and the ocean. Although we visited during
the rainy winter, we had a couple of sunny days and were able
to get some good views of the city. The city itself is beautiful and
contains some very nice beaches, botanical gardens, and museums. Cape Town
is probably the most geographically striking city I have ever seen.
One of our fondest memories of Cape Town is the District Six museum. District Six was once the "melting pot" of Cape Town with many ethnically diverse peoples living there. During the apartheid government, it was decided that this culturally rich neighborhood would become "white only". Disgustingly, all the people were forced to move to townships outside of the city. This obviously caused much hardship due to loss of neighbors, commutes to work, and unnecessary upheaval. Through photographs and memorabilia, the District Six Museum commemorates the people and culture that once existed there. Fortunately the new government has attempted to make amends for their predecessors' injustice by returning some of the land to its rightful owners.
Check out our Cape Town photos.