Woke up to the wonderful breakfast they serve us everyday (sarcasm). But I was super excited for the day because we were heading to Robben Island—the place where Nelson Mandela spent almost his entire prison sentence.
A woman, Nomhle Canca (it’s pronounced with two clicks: nohm-cla), spoke to us about her grandfather Albert Luthili, the first black African to win the Nobel Peace Prize and was the president of the African National Congress for 30 years. She told us her view of democracy in South Africa and her struggle finding her place in the system.
We soon moved to the busses and headed toward the V&A Waterfront. Upon arrival, we hopped on the boat at the Nelson Mandela Gateway to Robben Island and made our way to the prison island. As soon as we left dock, we saw our first seal swimming around the boat! It was a quick boat ride, and we found ourselves on the island walking the same entrance that so many political prisoners had done only 20 years before.
We were greeted by a short, elderly Indian Man, who was so excited to see the 104 of us. This man was Ahmed Kathrada—Nelson Mandela’s prison mate for 20 years. He was also 1 of the 8 that were convicted alongside Mr. Mandela for conspiracy against the government. It was truly an honor to be in his presence. He had cancelled a dinner and flew in from Johannesburg to give our group a tour!
We walked through the initial archway and immediately into the prison. Mr. Katrhrada first showed us Mr. Mandela’s cell. It was so small; I don’t even know what to properly compare it too. We walked down the hallway they walked every morning for 20+ years to the cafeteria. We then heard Mr. Kathrada speak about his experiences.
It was chilling. He spoke of being in exile, of the trials, of the day-to-day life, of Apartheid, of his release, and of his relationship with Mr. Mandela. He then took questions, and I eagerly asked him the first of many to come.
I asked him, “How did it feel to return to the island for the first time as a free man.” He grew silent and tears were in his eyes. The initial trip back was “terrifying” for him, as I could never imagine the pain of remembering the long years. But he said the main motive that kept them going was knowing that Robben Island was the only political prison where the police were not allowed to torture the prisoners to death.
But mental attacks were a different story. These men, especially Mr. Mandela, never saw their children grow because no one under 16 is allowed on the island. When family members died, like Mr. Mandela’s mother and son, their request to attend the funeral was normally rejected. The mental anguish these men faced is something that should have broken a person, but they kept fighting for what they believed in—equality and freedom.
I really can't explain how amazing of a trip it was and believe it was one of the most moving experiences of my life. Walking the same paths as the political prisoners was an eerie, surreal feeling. The island was actually beautiful, but I could only think of the terrible oppression that occurred everyday there for so long.
We left Robben Island and returned to the mainland. It was a beautiful day and I had just walked the same halls as the most important South African and world human rights activist in history to date.
Friday was also my roommate’s 21st birthday on the 21st! So we just HAD to celebrate. We went get changed and returned to the waterfront to eat at Balducci’s restaurant, where the cocktails were amazing! The hostess overheard us talking about the bar we wanted to go to. She told us she only goes there and only needed to take off her pants after work. We were so confused but had a good laugh because she forgot to mention until after we laughed that she was wearing a dress tucked in!
We then headed to Tiger Tiger nightclub. The age requirement was 21 even though the drinking age is 18. Well I am 21, my roommate was now 21, but the rest were not. But I didn’t have any form of identification on me. The bouncer asked us for our date of births, and the funny thing was that everyone said they were born in ’89 except the smallest girl in our group who said she was born in ’87. It’s pretty clear she isn’t 23 years old, but the bouncer let us in anyways.
This club was amazing! When we arrived, we ordered a round of shots and it just so happens that it was 2 for 1. So we ended up taking 4 shots each of jager and vodka. Yum. The dj even began passing out bottles of champagne to the crowd! This place was crazy, and I can’t wait to go back.
Fun fact: the bars in South Africa don’t have a set time for when they close. So we had arrived at 10pm and decided to finally leave around 3:30am! But when we called the cab that drives us everywhere including the bar we went to, they refused to come pick up us! We were almost panicking and had to call our program director at 3:30am. But don’t worry, we got everything settled and made it back to the hotel alright thanks to the American boys we met at the club.
This was only the beginning of my weekend!
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