Limestone Quarry at Robben Island

    Robben Island was where the criminals and political prisoners (e.g., Nelson Mandela) were kept. It was really interesting to see that Robben Island used to be a place where people would not wish to be at, but now people from all over the world visits Robben Island to learn about its history. The picture below is the Limestone Quarry. The prisoners were asked to break up stones using hand tools and the stones were carried on their backs. There was really no need for limestones, but they were sent to do this to keep them busy. Many of the prisoners end up suffering from eye problems because of the glare of sunlight. 

Limestone Quarry at Robben Island

    “It’s all in the past now, but we can learn from what happened.” This was what Tabo, our bus tour guide, said after telling what happened in the Limestone Quarry. The prisoners’ experienced brutality and humiliation, but they made sure that they did not lose their dignity. Tabo also mentioned that what drew him from working in the museum was his desire to be able to tell their history to people from all over the world. As he mentioned earlier, everything that he talked about was all behind us now, but their story still needs to be heard. This made me really admire and appreciate the pride that South Africans have towards their history. Overall, this trip at Robben Island was very educational and made me reflect about what I am seeing in today’s Capetown. It also made me have an overwhelming respect to the resilient people who remained true to their identity and held their dignity despite of their struggles.

- Kimberly Vasadre