Europeans have watches, but Africans have time.

We woke up to a bright and beautiful day today, which was great, because we had planned to go to Robben Island in the morning, which involves another boat ride, so I was hoping for flat sea- which we almost got:  still a bit rougher than I like, but no roller coasters this time.

Robben Island is the island prison where Nelson Mandela, and all of the black and colored people (which in South Africa referred to people from India, other Asiatic people, as well as mixed people) were incarcerated – both criminals and political prisoners where incarcerated there.  It is a very humbling experience.  We had a great guide, who managed to be informative, somber when appropriate and very funny too – which is a very tough balanced to keep, and which he managed very well.  He is the one who gave me the title for this blog: “Europeans have watches, but Africans have time”, which I think is a wonderful line (he used it when describing the canons that one can still see on the island, facing the sea:  they were built during world war II, because they feared a German invasion, however, while the war ended in 1945, the canons’ installation finished in 1947…….).

Anyway, Robben Island is in fact very pretty:  great views of Cape Town, lots of penguins (we know by now how I feel about these!) and beautiful shoreline.   

 But its long history as a penal colony, particularly during apartheid is what makes it the remarkable place it is:  Most of the guides were in fact prisoners there- one of ours for 10 years for high treason (which basically meant fighting against apartheid).  The conditions where awful, as shown on this menu board (note in particular that Apartheid’s rules went so far as distinguishing between the amount of food black –i.e. Bantus- and colored people got).

The prison is now a museum, whose board includes both ex-prisoners and ex-wardens.  And that is the most remarkable fact in all this:  that so much suffering ended without a revolution, without a massacre, with very little fighting (at least at the end).  It is a true testament to Mandela’s leadership that he succeeded in leading this mostly peaceful transition – after spending 27 years in jail, under awful conditions.

In the afternoon, we took the cable car to the top of Table Mountain (a little over 3000 feet above sea level – straight up!).  

 It has awesome views- which pictures cannot really do justice to:  First it was a bit hazy, so it’s hard to get a really good picture, but mostly because what is awe inspiring is the full panorama, and that’s very hard to show in a picture.  Can’t say that I am a huge fan of cable cars though – they always make me a bit uneasy – and this one, on top of going straight up, also rotates while it goes up (so that you can see all sides) – it’s a bit disconcerting.

Joe and I here at the top, with the new soccer stadium all the way down by the sea (note the state of my hair, it' gives you an idea of how windy it is up there.....)

We toured the city, including the old segregated quarters, and the technical university that was built literally around Desmond Tutu’s old church, because he refused to move it (go Desmond!).

Ended the day with a wonderful African meal, which involved a lot of small dishes – too numerous to name- besides, I just don't know what most of them were...., all delicious.

Tomorrow is a lazy day:  we plan on getting up late, do some shopping, hang out at the harbor, pack …

I leave you with this quotation from nelson Mandela, upon being sentenced for high treason, which carried a possibility of being sentenced to death:

“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”