点评:Getting to the island was horrific. When you have the Indian and Atlantic oceans colliding, it makes for very, very choppy water. On the 45 minute ferry ride those sensitive to motion sickness sat stoically while the colour drained from their faces. The crew were handing out barf bags like party favours and they were put to good use by many.
Robben Island has had a variety of incarnations over the years including being a leper colony and military base, but most famously, a prison for political prisoners — including Nelson Mandela. It is now a tourist attraction and tours are hosted by former political prisoners who bring a realism based upon their own personal experiences. The cell pictured is Nelson Mandela’s where he spent 18 of his 27 years in various prisons. It had no running water or toilet. He, like others, did not have the luxury of a door or glass window in his cell; they were installed much later. In addition to other inhumane treatments, prisoners were constantly exposed to the often extreme weather fluctuations. There are too many examples of the unimaginable ways people can mistreat others, so suffice it to say that just when you think human depravity can’t possibly get any worse you hear the details that prove it most definitely can. Despite this, there is resiliency in the human spirit that cannot ultimately be repressed.
翻译:抵达罗本岛的过程令人恐惧。印度洋和大西洋交汇,海面波涛汹涌。在45分钟的渡轮旅程中,那些容易晕船的人只能默默地坐着,脸色苍白。船员们像派对小礼物一样分发呕吐袋,许多人都充分利用了它们。
多年来,罗本岛经历了各种变迁,包括麻风病人隔离区和军事基地,但最著名的是它曾是关押政治犯的监狱——其中包括纳尔逊·曼德拉。现在,它已成为一个旅游景点,由前政治犯带领游客,他们根据自己的亲身经历,为游客带来真实的体验。图中的牢房是纳尔逊·曼德拉的牢房,他27年的人生中有18年是在不同的监狱里度过的。牢房里没有自来水,也没有厕所。和其他人一样,他的牢房里也没有门或玻璃窗;这些都是后来才安装的。除了其他不人道的待遇外,囚犯们还经常遭受极端天气变化的影响。人们虐待他人的例子数不胜数,令人难以想象。正当你认为人类的堕落不可能再恶化时,你听到的细节足以证明它绝对会恶化。尽管如此,人类精神中仍有一种韧性,最终无法被压抑。