The Arts & Artefacts Collection of Mayibuye Archives include Artefacts such as scalemodels, posters, pictures, art pieces and sculptures regarding the Robben Island Prison history and the apartheid resistance movements.
The objects were mainly donated by former inmates upon their release or they were left to the museum to tell their stories.
Robben Island Prison
Robben Island is located in the western cape of South Africa, approximately 7km offshore. It is a designated World Heritage Site nowadays, the circumstances leading to this status are dreadful.
The Island was used as a prison from the late seventeenth century until 1996 when apartheid ended. During apartheid, many black people were kept on Robben Island as inmates, especially political prisoners and other “undesirables” were isolated, banished and exiled there.
The prison was well known for its harsh and inhumane conditions. After the release of the political prisoners, Robben Island became widely known as a symbol of human strength and spirit.
If you are interested in some of the prison’s most memorable and significant items, you can enter the prison cell below and discover some of its artefacts!
Take a virtual tour through an exemplary prison cell on Robben Island
Our virtual tour offers you a few insights into the life in a prison as well as a prisoners belongings.
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