Persuasive Essay About Robben Island

Robben Island is arguably one of South Africa’s most important and famous heritage sites. But what is heritage ? Heritage can be defined as traditions , ways of living life and culture that is passed from generation to generation. We study heritage in order to understand ourselves and our history. Heritage is a source of identity and empowerment for communities. Why , though , is it important to us as Human beings and South Africans , specifically ? I’ll answer that question in this essay.

First let’s look at the historical significance of Robben island. Robben island has lived through over four centuries of history so naturally it is saturated with stories of political prisoners , explorers , sailors seeking refreshment and even mental patients. Bartholomew Dias stumbled upon the island in 1488 when he anchored his ship in table bay. ‘’ Robben’’ means seal in Dutch because you guessed it the island was covered in seals as water supplies. This made it a perfect place for ships to stock up on their supplies of fresh water and meat. The lack of locals , who weren’t exactly throwing welcoming parties for the newcomers , made the island even more convenient. Ships would leave mail to be collected and delivered by vessels returning home, In 1652 Jan van Riebeeck arrived. The Dutch used the island as grazing land and hunting grounds. In 1671 prisoners were sent , or rather exiled , to Robben island. Famously Nelson Mandela lived as a political prisoner but the tradition of housing political prisoners went back centuries. Many people who disagreed with Dutch rule were sent to the island from Dutch colonies. In 1843 the then colonial secretary , John Montagu , made a plan to send paupers , lepers and the mentally ill to the island. By 1931 all patients were sent to the Cape and it was used as a WWII outpost storing weapons. Robben island served many purposes throughout history. Robben island can be likened to a shape shifter changing slowly from a place of refuge for sailors to an asylum and eventually an outpost. One of its most ugly transformations , though , occurred in 1963. The Rivonia trial doomed 12 people , including some prominent ANC members , to the confines of the Robben island maximum security prison. The evidence gathered in this trial helped pave the way for Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment . By this point the island was just a symbol of the Apartheid government's iron fisted grip on South Africa. Political prisoners suffered more than most prisoners in the Island. They were placed in Category D , the lowest grade for prisoners. The food and clothing was sparse , their living conditions were poor. They received unfair punishment for trifling offences. People could visit them only once every 6 months. They were kept in prison for at least their full sentence , if not more. Wardens did everything possible to break them down. In every way they were isolated from the outside world and completely trapped. Since it was converted to a museum in 1997 and heritage site in 1999 tourists flock from different parts of the world to see first hand the living conditions of prisoners. They travel on ferries by choice. They arrive in their Cape Town t - shirts to witness the source of captivity and pain for prisoners from decades ago.

What is the difference between natural and cultural heritage ? Natural heritage includes significant landscapes and biodiversity that form part of a culture or community’s heritage. Cultural heritage encompasses man-made things such as art , dance and traditions or monuments . Cultural heritage comes from different civilizations over time. Robben island is an example of cultural heritage because it’s played such an important role in the history of South Africa. The Cape floral kingdom is an example of natural heritage . It is a world heritage site and contains 3 % of the world’s biodiversity while only making up 0.04% of the world’s land area. Robben island is an example of cultural heritage because it’s played such an important role in the history of South Africa. Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park is a beautiful mountain range in KwaZulu - Natal . It’s the highest peak south of Mt. Kilimanjaro making it a big part of South Africa’s natural heritage. It is also of great cultural significance because it has the highest concentration of rock art in Africa.

Oral history is the use of audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of interviews as historical evidence of important events or people. This helps to understand history through the unique perspective of people who actually lived through it. Many people hold the belief that it’s less credible than written history because interviewees may exaggerate or forget important details. This can be prevented if interviewers do thorough research beforehand of important details. This will also help them to formulate questions. If oral history research is done correctly it can strengthen a written source’s credibility. Robben island is an excellent example of the use of oral history and interpretations. They make use of artefacts and written sources but also the first hand account of former prisoners. N Mbatha is a former prisoner and tour guide on Robben island. His account of life on Robben island helps visitors understand what it was like on the island during the Apartheid era. Many former prisoners were given jobs as tour guides in the late 90’s. When the museum was still new prisoners who had been silenced for years were allowed to speak about their experiences in interviews now shown on the ferry ride from Robben island. Although the interviews don’t get that much attention their value can’t be understated. Former prisoners were given their voice back. They once again had control of their stories.

According to the world heritage committee Robben Island ‘’symbolises the triumph of the human spirit, of freedom, and of democracy over oppression.’’ As I’ve demonstrated throughout this essay, Robben island is rich in history. It can teach us a lot about our past and how we came to this point in time. It is essential that people are educated about heritage and the past in order to have a clearer understanding of who we are and how to not repeat past mistakes. As South Africans we are a very unique and diverse population. The story of how we got here . though , it is rife with pains and turmoil. South Africans should be proud of the work that has gone into developing into a culturally diverse society. Appreciation of that should push us to fight harder and work towards an even better future for all South Africans.