I also found out we were a very long ways from Vancouver, even if it looked kinda similar.
We had breakfast and then stopped over at Nobel Square. South Africa claims four Nobel Laureates as its own. As impressive as this is, I think it also says something about how long and how hard people had to struggle in this country to live in a democratic place. Nobel Square is a place to honour South Africa’s four Laureates and here’s the test can you name one other than Nelson Mandela? Ok, you got Desmond Tutu, but the other two? 
Here’s a little history lesson…First South African Nobel Laureate – Albert Luthuli. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1960. He joined the African National Congress in 1945 and played a major role in developing what is now the ruling party in South Africa. He advocated for non-violent resistance to apartheid and was honoured in 1960 for this commitment. He died in 1967. The quote included at the memorial states, “What is important is that we can build a homogeneous South Africa on the basis not of colour but of human value.”
1984 saw Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu receive recognition for his fight against apartheid and his promotion of social justice. Like Luthuli, he advocated for non-violent protest against apartheid rule. He advocated ‘a democratic and just society without racial divisions.’ He continues to be a force in South Africa and regularly confronts the current government where he sees injustice. His quote, “A person is a person through other people.”And finally, in 1993, two more South Africans were added to the list of Nobel Laureates. Former president Nelson Mandela and former president F.W. de Klerk. I am going to start with de Klerk because people often forget the role that he played in ending the legislated racial divisions in South Africa. De Klerk was president for only 4 months when he started the process of dismantling apartheid. He stepped up (whether willingly or not) and unbanned a number of political organizations, including the ANC, repealed many of the existing apartheid laws, released political prisoners and encouraged negotiations with the anti-apartheid political organizations. In 1991 all remaining apartheid laws were repealed and the drafting of a new constitution began leading to the first democratic elections in South Africa in 1994. Alongside Nelson Mandela, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his contribution to the peaceful abolishment of apartheid and for laying the foundation for a new democratic South Africa. “Our new constitution is a powerful symbol of reconciliation, justice and of the ending of centuries of conflict.”
And, obviously, former president Nelson Mandela. After 27 years of political imprisonment, he was released on 11 February 1990 (just so happens that I am writing this on the 22 anniversary of his release). He called for universal suffrage in a united, democratic and non-racial South Africa as the only way to peace and racial harmony. In 1994, Mr. Mandela was elected as president in the first democratic elections in South Africa. “Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will experience the oppression of one by another.”
The monument is a thoughtful place. It makes you think about how far South Africa has come. But there is also some sense that South Africa still has a very long ways to go.
After leaving Nobel Square, Ellie and her parents were off on a bus tour of the city. I was off to Robben Island (after a little detour to get my bangs cut, which has proven to be difficult, but has finally been done and I can see again).
The Robben Island tour doesn’t have the best reputation among travelers. In the past there were serious issues of corruption and now, many feel like the tour is incredibly rushed. I can’t argue with the second point, but I still found it to be a very interesting and at points, moving, experience. When we arrived on Robben Island, we were ushered onto waiting buses.
As we drove through the gates of the prison from the harbour, our guide started covering some of the history of the island, from a former leper colony, where graves mark the resting places of these unfortunate people.
To the prison that has become synonymous with apartheid and political repression. The prison was officially closed in 1996 and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also home to a small town primarily inhabited by the staff who run the tours of the Island. We were also taken past the lime quarry where some of the most famous political prisoners spent hours and hours working; mining lime in order to cover the roads of Robben Island. This left many of these people with permanent damage to their eyes.We also stopped at the house of Robert Sobukwe. Prof. Sobukwe was the first political prisoner of Robben Island. He was originally a member of the ANC, but later went on to form the Pan African Congress when he became disillusioned with the internal politics of the ANC. He was known as a great orator and because of his ability to convince others and bring them along in his fight against apartheid, when sentenced to prison in 1960, a special clause was included in his sentence known as the “Sobukwe Clause” which resulted in his imprisonment consisting entirely of solitary confinement. He lived in a house on Robben Island, separated from all other prisoners. At Sobukwe house, there is a touching story of his 4 children and wife being granted a two week visit to the island where they were able to stay with Mr. Sobukwe in his home and a nearby building. But these ‘luxuries’ were few and far between. In 1969 he was released from the prison, but remained under house arrest in Kimberly until his death in 1978 from lung cancer.
From Sobukwe House, we proceeded to the h.s.p. (apparently there have been issues seeing the rest of the photos here, they have been blocked. Theories have been that it may have had something to do with the preceeding words - oh censorship - therefore I have put them in as initials. You are intelligent people and should be able to figure out what the words are. If not, the first is opposite of low, the second has something to do with protection and the third rhymes with drison. Now we will see if that works).
We were met there by a former political prisoner. He was arrested in 1984 in Lesotho during a meeting of the militant wing of the ANC. He and seven others were taken back across the border to South Africa. Only six of them made it to Robben Island. The other two did not live to see the island. He was imprisoned there for five years. It is a strange moment having the man before you talk about his time imprisoned in the very room you stand in. I think it takes a lot of guts and a lot of forgiveness to be able to do that.
We were toured through the cell where up to 40 men were held. These men were the ‘general prison population’ of the political prisoners. While housing political prisoners, Robben Island was also home to a number of normal, criminal prisoners. But the prison officials quickly learned it was in their best interest to keep the political prisoners from the criminal prisoners as contact often resulted in even more men joining the ranks of the banned political parties. We were told of the division of food portions, with coloureds and Asians receiving very different rations than black prisoners. We learned about the prison number system and how you lost your name when you landed on Robben Island. You became a number. It was a dehumanizing process. And it is amazing how people could come out of that and return to any semblance of a normal life.
And then we made our way to cell block A, where the imprisoned leaders of the anti-apartheid movement were housed – Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, and many others. I think most people at least know a little bit about the prison and its most famous residents.
But in addition to this, cell block A is where Strini Moodley was imprisoned for six years. Strini Moodley was not a man long connected to any individual anti-apartheid organization; he did however have a close relationship with Black Consciousness founder Steve Biko. He was involved in student issues, in media and in the trade union movement. But beyond all of this it was his personal life that made me think of this man – his wife Asha is one of my colleagues at the LRC in Durban. Asha, also a strong activist who I have written about before when we marched in early December, is an amazing woman. She impresses me on a regular basis with her never-ending commitment to making South Africa a better place. We regularly have discussions over the daily newspaper at teatime in the office. We’ve only ever briefly spoken about her husband or her time in prison or when she was banned, but every once in awhile Asha will make a comment about the ‘days before’. It was this personal connection to Asha, and through Asha to her late husband that made me think more while I wandered through cell block A. So many of us know the story of Nelson Mandela; of the long walk to freedom; of the time spent in the courtyard tending his garden, preparing his memoirs. But I feel like because of Asha and because of her husband, I had a slightly different experience than I was expecting. As we were ushered past Nelson Mandela’s cell, I looked around thinking, there are a lot of other single cells in this block. A lot of other leaders and influential men, like Mr. Moodley, that made a difference; that pushed to change life in South Africa; and a lot of other women and families like Asha and her family, committed to the cause, serving time of their own in some cases, and in many cases facing the reality of long periods of separation. All of this for arguing and taking action, saying that people are people and should all be treated equally as people. So, to people like Asha, her husband and all those others who haven’t necessarily been recognized in the way that they should have. You men and women gave me my moment on Robben Island that really made me stop and think.
From Sobukwe House, we proceeded to the h.s.p. (apparently there have been issues seeing the rest of the photos here, they have been blocked. Theories have been that it may have had something to do with the preceeding words - oh censorship - therefore I have put them in as initials. You are intelligent people and should be able to figure out what the words are. If not, the first is opposite of low, the second has something to do with protection and the third rhymes with drison. Now we will see if that works).
We were met there by a former political prisoner. He was arrested in 1984 in Lesotho during a meeting of the militant wing of the ANC. He and seven others were taken back across the border to South Africa. Only six of them made it to Robben Island. The other two did not live to see the island. He was imprisoned there for five years. It is a strange moment having the man before you talk about his time imprisoned in the very room you stand in. I think it takes a lot of guts and a lot of forgiveness to be able to do that.
We were toured through the cell where up to 40 men were held. These men were the ‘general prison population’ of the political prisoners. While housing political prisoners, Robben Island was also home to a number of normal, criminal prisoners. But the prison officials quickly learned it was in their best interest to keep the political prisoners from the criminal prisoners as contact often resulted in even more men joining the ranks of the banned political parties. We were told of the division of food portions, with coloureds and Asians receiving very different rations than black prisoners. We learned about the prison number system and how you lost your name when you landed on Robben Island. You became a number. It was a dehumanizing process. And it is amazing how people could come out of that and return to any semblance of a normal life.
And then we made our way to cell block A, where the imprisoned leaders of the anti-apartheid movement were housed – Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, and many others. I think most people at least know a little bit about the prison and its most famous residents.
But in addition to this, cell block A is where Strini Moodley was imprisoned for six years. Strini Moodley was not a man long connected to any individual anti-apartheid organization; he did however have a close relationship with Black Consciousness founder Steve Biko. He was involved in student issues, in media and in the trade union movement. But beyond all of this it was his personal life that made me think of this man – his wife Asha is one of my colleagues at the LRC in Durban. Asha, also a strong activist who I have written about before when we marched in early December, is an amazing woman. She impresses me on a regular basis with her never-ending commitment to making South Africa a better place. We regularly have discussions over the daily newspaper at teatime in the office. We’ve only ever briefly spoken about her husband or her time in prison or when she was banned, but every once in awhile Asha will make a comment about the ‘days before’. It was this personal connection to Asha, and through Asha to her late husband that made me think more while I wandered through cell block A. So many of us know the story of Nelson Mandela; of the long walk to freedom; of the time spent in the courtyard tending his garden, preparing his memoirs. But I feel like because of Asha and because of her husband, I had a slightly different experience than I was expecting. As we were ushered past Nelson Mandela’s cell, I looked around thinking, there are a lot of other single cells in this block. A lot of other leaders and influential men, like Mr. Moodley, that made a difference; that pushed to change life in South Africa; and a lot of other women and families like Asha and her family, committed to the cause, serving time of their own in some cases, and in many cases facing the reality of long periods of separation. All of this for arguing and taking action, saying that people are people and should all be treated equally as people. So, to people like Asha, her husband and all those others who haven’t necessarily been recognized in the way that they should have. You men and women gave me my moment on Robben Island that really made me stop and think.
1 comment:
Been to Robben Island twice now, I had to go back after meeting someone who had been imprisoned there, that personal connection as you say that changes it. My judge once said Robben Island was the biggest mistake the apartheid government ever made. He went in a 15 year old who had organised protests at school. He was released as a 25 year old with an education and the capacity to lead in a much more profound way. But it was still prison.
Post a Comment