Robben Island: The Grass Gets Greener

When I came to this beautiful country, I did not know what to expect.I knew the hardships caused by the apartheid could have caused the people of this country to be bitter and upset, yet they strived for social change. I visited Robben Island and I saw this land mass that is now considered a musuem. The prisoners of Robben Island do not want the place to be seen as a place of struggle, moreover they want it to be seen as a place of triumph over ignorance. I have always heard of the tragedies that took place on this island, but once I stepped foot onto the land, I learned that this is a place was definately a monumental step towards social change and hope for the future. Being able to enter the cells of the prisoners on Robben Island and read their stories and see their valuables, allowed me to have an intimate connection with this island. I no longer saw it as the place where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned and served his sentence. I saw this as a place where spirits where not easily broken, a place where social change was a priority, a place where hereos of many creeds and races were willing to die for.