Saturday 2nd February 2013 +2.00 hrs GMT: Cape Town, South Africa ­ Robben Island - ³We Serve With Pride²

Our guide this morning is a former political prisoner Xhosa.  He served 4 years on Robben Island, but not in the high security section, between 1995 and 1989.  Many of the former inmates now live on the island and act as tour guides. 

Today the prison is a National Museum but despite being cleaned up and the grounds landscaped the high walls, barbed wire and watch towers still give that feeling of menace and ‘give a lie’ to the harsh concentration camp conditions that existed in the prison.  The entry gate (See photo) with its sign “We Serve with Pride” reflects the passion with which Nelson Mandela and others regarded their fate and yet its similarity with the chilling sign at Auschwitz “Arbeit Macht Frei” reflects the harshness with which they were treated in reality, since Nelson Mandela and his compatriots were regarded as terrorists.

The one privilege that prisoners were allowed, given good behaviour, was to be able to study and today many, including our guide, describe the prison as the University of Robben Island since so many of the inmates studied correspondence courses for degrees and diplomas.  On Nelsons Mandela’s cell a notice still indicates that he was allowed to have lights until 11.00pm for study purposes.