Today we went to Robben Island, the Alcatraz-like prison where the apartheid government jailed dozens of political prisoners. Kids as young as thirteen and men as old as seventy were locked up on Robben Island just for attending a protest. Once there, they were beaten, forced to do hard labor, and often kept in solitary confinement. The found of the radical Pan-African conference was kept in a cell by himself and not allowed to speak or be spoken to for four years. When the Red Cross finally was allowed in, his vocal cords were nonfunctional and he was dying of lung cancer.

We saw the cell where Nelson Mandela was kept in solitary confinement for eighteen years, where he began writing what would become Long Walk to Freedom. (He was imprisoned for an additional eight years under different circumstances.)

One of the things that made Robben Island so different was that many prisoners were educated by others. Many began by teaching others to read and write, and some went on to earn multiple degrees. There was also the element of political organization and education within the prison. They guards didn't allow politcal discussions to occur, so they took place in the "bathroom" (a low-ceilinged cave) of the quarry where they worked. Many of the greatest leaders of the African National Congress (ANC - Mandela's party) came out of Robben Island.

Our guide, a former inmate himself, stressed that forgiveness was essential, not revenge. Many of the people who currently work on Robben Island live there also (there's even a small school), and our guide told us that two former prison guards are now among his best friends. Incredible.