DukeEngage | Duke Center for Civic Engagement

    On Saturday, we traveled to Robben Island to visit the infamous prison where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 years. Of all the sights that we saw on the island, including Mandela’s prison cell, I found the lime quarry most impressive. It was here that prisoners performed grueling forced labor and suffered severe retinal deterioration due to the scorching sunlight. But more importantly, the shallow cave at the back of the quarry became the site of secret, brief political meetings, which would eventually shape the process of transition from the apartheid regime to a multiracial government. The enormity of what took place amidst such resolve-breaking conditions helped me to better understand just how resilient Mandela and the others remained throughout their imprisonment.
   

     Another striking aspect of my Robben Island experience was my difficulty grasping just how recently its prison was in full operational use. Often, visits to historical landmarks include interactions with paid actors pretending to live during that period and sharing their “experiences” (the “Pilgrims” at Plymouth Plantation come to mind). But on Robben Island, our tour guide was an actual political PRISONER finally released in 1992. He is a survivor of apartheid oppression, and his stories are real experiences that he generously chooses to share with tour groups. Constantly, I have to remind myself that the horrors of apartheid existed during my lifetime. Its survivors walk among us now. I am thankful that I am beginning to understand the freshness of these wounds. 

 

    Saturday, we visited Peter Storey, a former Methodist Bishop, at his breathtaking home in Simonstown. What is so remarkable about Peter is that during the apartheid years, he led one of the few multiracial churches in what is known as District 6. To hear him speak about the absolute faith of his parishioners and their refusal to question the presence of God, even amidst the horrible discrimination and violence under apartheid, helped me to understand why Peter truly believes that “love is always greater than evil.” As Peter described it, their faith, hope, and sense of togetherness allowed members of the community to survive with real resilience.
   

    Later in the day, we visited Cape Point, the southwestern-most tip of Africa. Never in my life have I so felt the enormity and majesty of nature. Looking across the expanse of rocky ledge overhanging a ferocious ocean was perhaps what can only be described as a sort of spiritual experience. In that moment, I felt as though I was at nature’s mercy.
    

    And in that way, the events of my day fit together into a larger picture of what it means to be human. We, like trees and plants, are resilient beings. But this was a day when I felt that something much larger was at work in this world. I am fortunate to have been so wonderfully reminded of this balance, that we ourselves can have incredible internal strength in challenging times but that we must also remember humbly our place in the world.