We headed to Robben Island, located just off the coast of Cape Town, contains the notorious prison that once held Nelson Mandela. On our tour we learned that the political prisoners who were held here were treated very poorly. Many of the prisoners slept in small cells that held as many as 30 people who slept on the floor with thin mats. It was very difficult for the prisoners to have visitors and all of their letters were censored for political information. Some political prisoners like Mandela, who were regarded as leaders during apartheid, were held in single cells.
Our tour guide was Jama, who held at the prison from 1977-1982. He was arrested as high school student for organizing a protest in Port Elizabeth and then taken to Robben Island. Jama was at the prison in the years that Mandela was held.
The picture at the top left shows how the letters coming into the prison were censored for political information.
The picture on the right is the mats prisoners were given.
The bottom picture shows a large cell that held about 30 people.
Miss Brady in South Africa 
Coming back from NAIS in San Francisco, I met a man who was in prison on Robben Island with Mandela from 1978-82. We started our discussion talking about music, then eventually we came around to Mandela. He was surprised I knew as much as I did about South Africa without having been there. He even showed me the scars where the guards beat him with whips. Needless to say, he was grateful to live in the U.S. despite the fact that he was homeless.
Dani enjoyed your safari posts as did I, but thank you for enlightening us with your latest posts.
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Oh I’m so glad she’s enjoying the animals! They say Cape Town is the San Francisco of Africa. It is astonishing to meet someone who was actually there at the prison. Thanks for sharing!!
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