Prisoner Number 46664: Nelson Mandela

Me & Chantal on the boat ride to Robben Island

My alarm rang at 6:48 am on Saturday, August 18, 2012. *Ugh* Another early morning, but that means another field trip. Yay! Today our trip was to Robben Island. Most people know Robben Island as the prison where Nelson Mandela was locked up, but I knew there was much more to the story and I was ready to hear it. Our transportation arrived to pick us up at 7:30 am, and we proceeded to ride to the waterfront. We had to catch the boat at 9:00 am to get to the island. The boat ride took about 45 minutes. On the way there Chantal and I went up to the “cockpit” to talk to some of the people who are in charge of the boat. They were pretty cool and it was interesting to see how to operate the boat. Uhh the driver was driving the boat with his feet though, I’m pretty sure that’s not exactly how you’re supposed to do it 0_o smh. Anyways it was really tippy up at the top and I started to get lightheaded, so Chantal and I had to go back down to the bottom level where it was more steady. We did not want to get seasick before the tour even started.

Finally we make it to the island! 

When we arrived on Robben Island we loaded into buses and began the first part of the tour. Mpikeleli (MP for short) was our tour guide, and he was really nice! He had a lil swag too (you know I had to check out his outfit). MP showed us around the island via bus and talked about some of the history of the island. It was interesting to know that many prominent people have visited the island, such as Bill Clinton, Hilary Clinton, and Dontranika Horton. Ha!

The second part of the tour was a walking tour of the prison. Our tour guide for this part of the tour was an actual ex-prisoner of Robben Island. He shared a lot of interesting information with us and showed us various parts of the prison.

First stop: Section C
At this time were able to enter some of the solitary cells. The prison cells were small, cold, and not cute at all. I know I would’ve gone crazy if had to stay in a cell by myself for more than 1 hour.  Our tour guide told us that he stayed in solitary confinement for 6 months and it was the worst 6 months of his sentence because of the physical and psychological torture he went through. Yikes! In each prison cell there was a story written by the former prisoner who stayed in that cell. One story I read stuck in my head for the rest of the tour. The prisoner and his brother were both held captive on Robben Island in different sections. He said one day he saw his brother on the island in passing and his brother could tell that he was feeling defeated, so he told him Masiyibambe over and over, which mean “be strong.” This stood out to me because it reminded me about family & how they always have your back no matter what.

 Second stop: Section D
Section D is the area with the communal cells. These cells are big rooms with many bunk beds, and they housed about 42 prisoners. Most of the prisoners in this section were activists and those who were guilty of offenses like sabotage, illegal travel across the South African boundaries, and active membership of Anti-nationalist political groups.

Nelson Mandela's prison cell

Last stop: Section B
This section of the prison housed prisoners who were considered “leaders” and had a lot of influence in the community. The prison workers were afraid that if these prisoners were placed in communal cells they would be able to stir up some type of rebellion or riot, so these prisoners were in tiny solitary cells. At this time we were able to see Nelson Mandela’s old prison cell. It was small and cold just like the other solitary cells, but instead of a bed he just had a little mat on the floor where he slept. Dang.

After the tour was over we went to the gift shop. I was looking to buy some souvenirs for my family but I didn’t see anything that stood out to me. Womp Womp! Anyways when it was time to leave the island and get back to onto the boat, what’dya know? We see Anthony Hamilton on the boat right beside ours! He happened to be visiting the island on the same day as us. I thought that was pretty cool!!!! Now it was time to get back on the boat. I was kinda dreading this part considering how I felt on the way there. The return trip wasn’t so bad though, and it seemed like it took half as long. Yes! When we got back to shore it was about 1pm, and we spent the rest of the day at the waterfront enjoying the beautiful weather! 

Interesting facts about Robben Island:

•          The kennels the prison DOGS stayed in were two times larger than the cells of the prisoners who stayed in solitary confinement
•           Robben Island was specifically for men of color (Black, Indian, Asian, Mulatto). No women, no whites.
•          Men who were classified “coloured” under the apartheid regime received better treatment and better meal plans than those men who were classified as “black”
•          Prisoners did not have an identity while on Robben Island; they were called by their prison number (Nelson Mandela’s prison number is 466-64; he was the 466^th person admitted into the prison during the year 1964)
•  Prisoners were screened upon arrival to determine whether they possessed characteristics of being an influential leader; these screenings were used to determine whether he would stay in a communal cell or a solitary cell