TTHE Oliver Fortuin Foundation recently presented a day trip to the Drakenstein Prison, which included a tour of the house where Nelson Mandela stayed during the months before he was released.
Visiting the different rooms one by one and absorbing the history awakens the memory of being part of this rainbow nation and how it came to be. The memory that stands out most about the house, for me, is the lemon tree our great leader planted next to the house.
In planting this tree the message he wished to put across was ‘look further than the lemon tree’. We as human beings tend only to look at what we can see with the naked eye and to only focus on that, but beyond what we can see lies so much more to be achieved and seen and experienced.
The garden in the back yard, the tour guide explained to us, was Madiba’s favourite place, where he wanted to think and just collect his thoughts looking at the old man with his hands folded looking up at the sky (Simonsberg Mountain).
Better than the scenery and nostalgic feelings were the tales told of how Mr Mandela reached out to his fellow beings regardless of their race and what they might have done to him in the past. It takes a great man to be willing to look past all that has transpired and move toward the goal.
Walking through the gate at the end of the garden, the Freedom Gate was a perfect experience recalling how our former president finally made his way to what he deserved. Indescribable.
As morning turned into afternoon we progressed on to visiting the youth residents of the prison.
Walking those solitary passages with the rest of the members I couldn’t help but think how the inmates feel when they’re headed for confinement for long periods of time.
It must be an awful feeling knowing that you gave up your freedom for a momentary high. How regret must be eating bit by bit, remorse overriding the rest of your emotions.
Looking at another person’s offspring staring at you from behind bars like they’ve never been a part of civilisation is an uneasy sight to digest.
We got the chance to interact with some of the well-behaved young men who are all part of a sport program. They were all very well mannered and their faces lit up when we entered their rooms.
I believe that this program is their saving grace within the prison system. For them it is a place where they can find a new sense of belonging and a new identity. It is a means of making them stronger and more disciplined for when they roam the free world once again.
I think I speak for us all when I say that we left there wiser, more patient and definitely with a better understanding of life.
Tamsyn Jantjies
