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Jackson

What I learned about Mandela today was very refreshing. Before this tri, I did not know as much as I would have liked to know about him. The coolest thing I noticed today is that he was able to maintain his values even in the face of adversity. He really had to go through a lot with the 18 years of prison, small, isolated room, working on physical labor, and not getting his garden. It was cool to see that after the last prisoner was released, they decided to turn it into a museum.

 

Robert Sobukwe’s story impressed me. He was able to gain support from people while behind bars. They were so worried about him that they put him as the biggest threat to the country. They had to take extreme measures to slow down his influence. His was different from other imprisonments because they put him in his own facility. They provided him more care than the other inmates, but he still lost his mind from the solidarity. He was evicted because they didn’t want him to look like a hero.

 

Nick

In today’s Parliament tour, I learned a lot about the history and function of the South African government. It was very interesting to hear about the similarities and differences of this government style compared to the U.S. and British governments. The idea of voting for a party instead of an individual was new to me but it is similar to what we do in the U.S. Although we do vote for a single person, we use his political party as a reference for our decision. I think I could become accustomed to this easily.

 

I learned today more of the details of what Mandela did for the people of South Africa. I was already aware of the significance of his actions and that he helped to end Apartheid. I really liked learning more about the details and the specific events that he partook in that helped the people of the nation.

Robert Sobukwe’s imprisonment was different than others because it was solitary confinement. The South African government recognized the powerful influence that Sobukwe had on the people and they wanted to silence it. When he got sick, the South African government did not want him to be a martyr for the people, so they moved him out of Cape Town.

 

Justin

Today’s Parliament tour was long, but at the same time, it was well worth it. But what I was fascinated about in the parliament tour was the fact that they kept the old national assembly that kept non-whites from being represented. The fact that they are not a shame of this past and willing to show it was surprising because it was not sugar-coated but it had a big impact on me. In many cases, I think how Parliament was set up makes sense and some way, in my opinion, represented the people better. They emphasize both the importance of diversity and full representation and how it has several parties; unlike the U.S., how it only has two majority parties. The only thing about the Parliament tour that I disagree with was how they vote on the President because it was solely on the basis of political party, not voting on the person.

 

Nelson Mandela was one of the few people that I learned about when I was studying activists around the world, like Martin Luther King and Gandhi. But today’s tour of Robben Island afforded me the opportunity to learn more about the other people that supported Nelson Mandela. It was awesome to see the cell where he was imprisoned. I just wished that this individual talked more on Nelson’s story. One of the prominent individuals was Robert Sobukwe who was placed in isolation because of the influence he had. It was so amazing how he was able to still create a movement even though he was behind bars, which led to his isolation. It was really disheartening to hear about his story because it did not end in a positive note.

 

Kristin

The Parliament tour was very enlightening. I learned a lot about how their government is run. The most interesting thing that I learned was that the people of South Africa vote not by the leader appointed, but by the party, which is very different than how the U.S. citizens vote. In my opinion, it would be very difficult to vote for someone that you don’t even know. It could lead to inconsistencies and a lack of a fair election through other people’s strong loyalty to political parties and their previous history.\

 

Christo Brand was a very nice guy and he seemed to care a lot about his inmates while he was a warden. It seemed like he had a tough life growing up and when he transitioned into adulthood, he was able to take a situation where he oversaw prisoners and was able to make it as enjoyable as he could for the inmates. He seemed to actively care for them as a people. He could have chosen to keep the power distance great between the two, but instead he related to them and got to know them. This shows that Christo is a very empathetic and kind leader and extremely humble

 

Javier

Nelson Mandela not only pushed me on a new level, but he’s humble and patient even after being in prison for so many years. It would take a lot of mental strength to keep pushing for what he believed in but he cared more about his people than anything, which I felt that was what kept him pushing and fighting for his people’s rights. It makes me want to understand more how this great leader came to be and try to reach a similar level.

Robert Sobukwe was such an influence that he had to isolated from everyone else, which points out right away. This person means business and just having little interaction with others can lead to huge impacts which he did. I don’t know how he did it, but by educating yourself in economics which I guess it’s possible to do when he was in prison, just made him stronger as an educated individual.

 

My impression after meeting with Christo Brand was I was shocked, but it brought me joy that not only when Christo was the security guard from the prison, he was telling Nelson Mandela what he can and can’t do. But still be able to have some form of friendship along the way, which eventually became best friends. I feel Nelson Mandela was able to connect with Christo in a way that everything worked for each other. And also, after Nelson Mandela passed away, Christo is still pushing those same values for what Mandela was representing.

 

Leni

Going through Parliament today was such an amazing experience. We were able to see the places where each and every law in South Africa was made or proposed. This includes the laws during Apartheid. It was crazy to see a place where so much good and so much bad happened, it’s a shame to let a rotten few ruin the many.

 

Before coming to South Africa, I never really knew what exactly Nelson Mandel did for his country. After taking the tour of Robben Island today and looking at Mandela’s cell and living quarters, my perspective of him changed greatly.  Even though his quality of life was not anywhere near great, Mandela made the most out of every day! This has changed my perspective of life to always be positive and treat others with respect.

Robert Sobukwe was imprisoned on Robben Island for being South Africa’s first “political prisoner”. He was so influential that if he was allowed to be with other prisoners, riots would break out! I can’t even imagine how powerful he was if he could make people move mountains just by sharing his ideas. Robert Sobukwe was a very powerful man.

 

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