Day 7: Robben island to Langa Township- learning about the dompass laws and the costs of those who risked their lives to end the injustices of apartheid

March 28, 2025

Day 7: Robben island to Langa Township- learning about the dompass laws and the costs of those who risked their lives to end the injustices of apartheid

Mholweni!

This morning we woke up bright and early, and after breakfast headed over the Waterfront ‘(at 740am) to board the boat to Robben Island. Robben Island had many uses throughout history, but the main thing we learned was its use in the 1970s-1990s as it was a prison for people who resisted apartheid. After an hour-long boat ride, containing a few belly aches, we landed on the island. The tour began with a bus tour where we saw and visited several different areas of the island that were used for different purposes. We had an incredible tour guide, and all learned so much. The bus then dropped us at the main prison for a riveting tour that was led by a man who was a former prisoner (1977-1981) on Robben Island. Through our tour, he explained a day in the life at the prison, and showed us Nelson Mandela's former cell at the prison. After the tour we headed back on the boat, where we saw many seals and jellyfish, and finally back to the Waterfront. We then walked and had a delicious lunch at Time Out market. The group explored burgers, pasta, sandwiches, and soft serve ice cream. Through this entire portion of the day, we had two IThuba students with us. They shared many experiences from family history, to their current studies, and many silly jokes.

After lunch we loaded back into the bus and ventured to our favorite place in South Africa, Langa! We started out this afternoon’s visit by going to the local museum that contained information and artifacts specific to Langa from the apartheid era. It was interesting to learn more about the injustices that Black South Africans had to face during this era. We then went back to the Township and hung out with the Happy Feet kids again. Although it was a bit awkward at first, we broke the ice with a very popular game - rhythm master. The kids LOVED it! It was so rewarding to see the kids become more and more comfortable around us and be able to share a part of our childhoods with them. We played a good 15 or so rounds before eventually moving on to playing “Down by the banks…” After many intense rounds, the group was eventually narrowed down to 4 kids from Happy Feet, all the Poly kids sadly lost to these “down by the bank's” experts. By the end of our time together, we had broken up into smaller groups and played more games, tossed the handball, had a juggling competition, and learned some new South African and American dances.

After a quick snooze at the hotel, our group jumped back into action and made our way to dinner. We were all reenergized which made our scenic walk even more enjoyable. Ms. Etoka found an authentic South African restaurant where many individuals from our group were able to try foods such as pap and smileys. Needless to say, it was delicious. We even got to follow up our dinner with a quick bite of Ms. Wolf’s carrot cake and Mr. Caragher’s malva. This was probably one of my favorite meals from this trip as we got to experience an authentic taste of South African food while enjoying a live band and each other’s company. We can’t wait to continue our explorations of the beautiful Cape Town.

Enkosi Kakhulu!

Eden and Katie