Robben Island, Townships

We spent the past couple of days checking out the sites in the city of Cape Town (and lamenting my poor education in global history.)

One of the iconic landmarks in Cape Town is Table Mountain – used by sailors since the time of the European explorers in the 1400s to note their progress from Spain, Portugal, Great Britain, and Holland to India and its spices, tea, and fabrics.  Today it is  must-see for tourists:

More recently the onset of apartheid and then its dismantling have dominated the economic and political environmental conversations in SA.  We spent a lot of time discussing the ins and outs with our guide and comparing their situation with our own slavery situation and our continuing racial tensions and inequities.

This year would have been Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday, but even without that special marker, South Africa still remembers him contribution to the changes as not perfect, but courageous and providing leadership when it was needed.

We visited Robben Island today, where Mandela and other political prisoners were held as recently as 1991.  Our guide for part of the tour was a former political prisoner for seven years who described firsthand the daily routine and humiliations he endured.

Nelson Mandela was held for 18 years in this 8×7 foot cell, sleeping on a mat on the floor:

We also saw one of the Townships near Cape Town.  Our closest equivalent would be slums, although these were originally government-sponsored segregated areas, even to the degree that some were for Asians, others for colored people, some for blacks, etc.

All in all, it was sobering to think how humans treat other humans, and to consider how similar conditions in the US have been and continue to be in some cases.

On a more positive note, a number of South Africans that we have spoken with have an upbeat attitude about their education system, prospects for their future, and believe that conditions are vastly better and will continue to improve.

We are impressed with their work ethic and cheerful nature – it is so refreshing!

Tomorrow we leave South Africa and fly to Botswana – back to safari mode.  While were are in the Okavango region, we won’t have any Internet access (it gives me chills just to type that, arrrrrrrgghh!)  

On Tuesday we will emerge from Botswana and go to Victoria Falls before heading to Kenya.  We will not be able to post any updates before Tuesday – hope we can have some good photos to share by then.

Lions and leopards, that’s what we want to see!

Until Tuesday,

S.