South Africa-Day 5 (Cape Town)

(March 30, 2014)

Today we travelled to Robben Island off the coast of Cape Town.  Robben Island is known for being the prison that housed Nelson Mandela (and many other political prisoners) for many years.  It is about 7 kilometers from the Cape Town Shore.  Bishop Peter Storey took us to catch the ferry.  He didn’t go to the island with us, though, because he said it brings up too many difficult memories for him.  When he was in his twenties and serving a church in Capetown, he became one of the chaplains to Robben Island and ministered to Mandela and the others.  He would preach walking up and down the hallway of the prison since the prisoners were not allowed out of their cells and he was not allowed in.  In time and after much protest he was given permission to conduct services in the courtyard.  He was a chaplain until the apartheid government took away his security clearance.  Peter Storey became one of the most outspoken preachers agains the apartheid government.  For the ride over, he gave us a chapter to read from his forthcoming memoirs.  It was the part about his time as a chaplain on Robben Island.  

As the boat pulled away from the dock I learned that we were riding on one of the very boats that used to haul the prisoners to the isladn.  When you land and get off on Robben Island the first thing you see is a white painted sign that says “Welcome”.  It is an odd sign considering all of the torture and suffering that took place behind those walls.  Our guide through the prison was a man who had been an inmate himself at Robben Island from 1984-89.  He was a political prisoner, charged with being a member of the ANC (African National Congress).  He was tortured and abused in horrible ways.  He showed us his cell and gave us a sense of what day to day life was like.  It was a strange thing standing in front of Mandela’s cell-holding the same bars that he held day in and day out, a bit surreal.  Visiting Robben Island was something that I really wanted to do.  Being there though brought forth a mixture of sadness, anger, and wonder at how somebody going through those gates could ever learn and practice forgiveness.  It is truly amazing.

After lunch we travelled away from Cape Town to Simons Town, a beautiful seaside village on the Indian Ocean.  This is where Peter Storey and his wife live.  I think that it was the first time in my life I have been in two oceans in one day.  We started going out in a boat to the Atlantic Ocean (to Robben Island) and by 4:00 this afternoon I was knee deep in the Indian Ocean.  While we were at the beach, there was a group of South African penguins on nearby rocks.  We made our way over to them to try to get a picture.  When we saw they really were not startled by us, we kept getting closer and closer until we were all able to get a picture sitting right next to a penguin.  They would just look at us with curiosity.  I never imagined I would be able to get that close to a penguin.

To finish the day, we had a great dinner at Peter Storey’s home and made our way back to Cape Town.  For those who may be interested, Peter Story published a wonderful book of sermons titled With God in the Crucible:  Preaching Costly Discipleship.  It is a great read and gives a real sense of his ministry here in South Africa.  It was a hard day and a beautiful day all at the same time.  Tomorrow we worship at Central Methodist Church in downtown Cape Town and then have an afternoon free.  

God’s Peace,

Brett