Located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, Robben Island was used as a prison, a hospital for socially unacceptable groups, and a military base between the 17th and 20th centuries.

In the 20th century the maximum security prison facilities of Robben Island held for over twenty years within their walls Nelson Mandela and some of his comrades who were most vocal in the fight against apartheid.

Though the original intention was to detain and quiet anti-apartheid political activists here, the results were the total opposite. Robben Island turned out to be the central and pivotal point that propelled the struggle for democracy and representation onto the international stage.

Today this island is a reminder of the refreshing power of forgiveness. For many, it is a destination of political pilgrimage. Robben Island is, according to UNESCO, a witness to the triumph of democracy and freedom from oppression and racism. The institution has, since 1999, enlisted the entire 6 square kilometers of the island as a world heritage site.

Just how far back does the history of Robben Island go? Robben Island was discovered in 1488 by Bartolomeu Dias as he docked on the Table Bay.  The island was utilized by Portuguese sailors in the 15th century. For many years later, the Dutch and British used the island as a prison and outpost. It was in 1591 that the Khoikhoi tribe used the island as a refuges from the trickeries and disagreements they were faced with on the mainland.

At the time the explorers arrived from Europe, hunters and herders of the San and Khoikhoi communities lived in southern Africa. They had been living here for several centuries. It is their search for lush grazing pastures for their livestock that led the two communities to travel south towards Cape Town. Their presence here was beneficial to the explorers as it provided them with trading opportunities. Unfortunately some of the explorers were not interested in trade. Instead, they used their guns to extort from the native communities whatever they needed. Letters could be dropped off and pick up on the island as it was also turned into a post office.