Episode 8: Nelson Mandela Gateway - Robben Island

You’re now standing in front of the departure point ‘Nelson Mandela Gateway’ for Robben Island when it was a prison. For nearly 400 years the island served as a place of banishment. Indigenous African leaders, Muslim leaders from the East Indies, Dutch and British settler soldiers and civilians, women, and anti-apartheid activists, including South Africa’s first democratic President, Nelson Mandela were all imprisoned on Robben Island.
Today, however, Robben Island also tells us about victory over Apartheid and other human rights abuses.
Since 1997 Robben Island has been a museum. When you want to visit the museum, you can participate on the tour that starts here at the Nelson Mandela Gateway. On the island, tours are all guided by former political prisoners of the island. Offering you a truly unique insight into the island’s history and personal accounts of prison life. The tour includes a visit to the maximum security prison, with the most poignant stop reserved for Mr. Mandela’s former cell, prepared exactly as it was when he was imprisoned here.
If you don’t plan to visit the island, you can visit the free museum here, with it focus on the struggle of equality.
This is also were the tour ends. I hope you enjoyed the tour and you now know more about Cape Town’s finest. Enjoy your stay.


Photo 1: by Michael Coghlan from Adelaide, Australia - Robben Island Village Uploaded by Underlying_lk licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo 2: by Rüdiger Wölk licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 de