Saturday 2nd February 2013 +2.00 hrs GMT: Cape Town, South Africa ­ Robben Island ­ The Exercise Yard

Entering the exercise yard was like entering somewhere I had been before – not literally of course but in the pages and photos of Nelson Mandela’s account of his time in the prison – “The Long Road to Freedom”.  The prisoners were not allowed to discuss politics here and in fact the only place they could do so were in the filthy caves at the rear of the quarry where they spent most of the day breaking rock.  Supervised by armed guards, who had orders to shoot to kill if anyone tried to escape, prisoners were allowed to shelter from the heat of the sun and take their pittance of a lunch in the caves that were also the only place they could relieve themselves.  Free from close supervision this is where Nelson Mandela encouraged and strengthened the resolve of the other inmates and made plans for the future.

At the entrance to the quarry is a pile of stones laid by the former inmates at their first reunion on the Island in 1995. At the quarry Nelson Mandela stepped forward and laid the first stone – every former inmate followed placing stone upon stone in total silence as testament to their suffering and eventual victory.