Cape Town Daily Photo

Gateway to the island


The inscription above the archway marking the entrance to Robben Island has a sad ring of irony to it; it's hard to believe that anyone could have been proud to be involved in the events that played out here during the apartheid years. Tourists to the island enter under this archway in buses, but new prisoners would have been on foot, and chained together. Black prisoners were not given any underwear or shoes and socks, and wore short pants all year round. It's still incredible to me that human beings are capable of treating one another with such indignity and cruelty. More tomorrow...