The weight of a name: A lesson from Robben Island

During our stay in South Africa, we had the opportunity to experience a great variety of places and meet people with different expertise and backgrounds. When asked to write a short blog post about one of our experiences, I found it difficult to choose just one from all that we encountered. However, the one I finally chose is an experience that left a lasting impression on me and one that I believe will stay with me for a long time.

During the first few days of the trip, we visited Robben Island, which is located about 12 kilometers from Cape Town. Robben Island is best known as the place where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 of his 27 years of imprisonment during apartheid. However, the island has served as a prison since the 17th century and has also been used as a leper colony and a military base. We had the opportunity to visit both the island and the prison. During our visit, we could feel the weight of history – the fear and horror of what had happened there. There was a noticeable change in our group, which is usually very talkative and light-hearted.

One of the big prison cells on Robben Island. Picture by Moa Karlsson.

The part that affected me the most was our tour of the prison. Not only because we saw the place where Mandela and thousands of other anti-apartheid activists were imprisoned and mistreated, but because of our tour guide, who left the strongest impression on me. He was not just a knowledgeable guide; he had a personal connection to Robben Island and its history. Our guide, Mooni, had himself been a prisoner on the island for five years during apartheid. After he revealed this, every word he spoke carried more weight. It was no longer just a story from the history books; it was his own lived experience.

Mooni told us about a hunger strike organized by the prisoners to demand better living conditions. Many of his friends did not survive the seven-day ordeal. Hearing this firsthand made everything seem more real and deeply personal. Mooni also spent much time of our tour telling us about his name. At first, I did not understand why his name was significant to our tour. Later he told us that in prison they were given a number as their name. To be ”just a number” for five whole years is something that is so absurd for someone who has not experienced it. After that, I understood why he told us about his name for about seven minutes. It was very important for him to present his name in the place where he had only been a number for so long.

A sign on Robben Island, saying ”freedom”. Picture by Moa Karlsson.

I was in awe of this man who had endured so much and yet returned day after day to share his story with visitors. When asked why he continued to work there, Mooni simply replied that he had no choice but to support his family. His answer gave me a new perspective and made me reflect on the harsh realities of life. Meeting Mooni was both moving and eye-opening. I truly believe this is an experience I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Moa Karlsson

The theological course Abraham Goes Global is a cooperation between Åbo Akademi University and Stellenbosch University (South Africa) funded by the Finnish National Agency for Education and The Polin Institute 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. The aims are to widen the perception of theology to cross boundaries of religion at both universities, to exchange expertise on contextualised forms of religion, and to deepen the students’ and teachers’ understanding of interreligious and intercultural dynamics in religions. This blog text is the third of eight blog texts to present reflections of the Finnish students visiting South Africa in January-February 2025.