Jan 27 2008
Robben Island, South Africa - Place Of Sorrows
Islands are normally associated with unrestricted freedom. If inhabited, islands represent a lazy lifestyle far removed from society’s rules and regulations. Robben Island though, has a history of deep sorrow, drenched in the coldness that the human heart can bestow on others dissimilar to their own kind.
The story of Robben Island started in 1652 when Jan van Riebeeck landed in Cape Town on orders from the Dutch East Indian Company to establish a post where boats could harbour on way to the East. He almost immediately started to use the Island - which is only a few kilometers from the mainland - as a place where troublemakers could be kept away from the growing community.