Bryan, Dale and I visited Robben Island on Tuesday. Robben Island (‘island of the seals’, although there are none around today), is the site of the prison where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 years. Mandela arrived on Robben Island in the winter of 1964, and would spend 18 of his 27 years in prison there. Our tour ended with a view of his small cell, the floor as his bed, and bucket for a toilet. We also stopped by the limestone quarry where he did hard labor. After Mandela’s release, the centuries-long use of Robben Island as a place of banishment, was finally ended.
