ABSTRACT
Robben Island as a space for collective political “resignification,” where new visions of society were formulated and practiced, directly challenges John Carlin’s individualistic portrayal of Nelson Mandela as a lone crusader who used rugby and his personality to unify South Africa. Despite South Africa being a signatory to the Geneva Conventions since 1952, the Robben Island prison regime was a repressive and violent one. Restricted by racism, black rugby clubs represented by four regional associations—based in Cape Town, Kimberley, Port Elizabeth, and Johannesburg—established the South African Colored Rugby Football Board in 1897. Black rugby administrators were pioneers in the fight for equal rights in South Africa. The initiative of white rugby associations to use politics to find a way out of their dilemma was informed by the earlier effort between the African National Congress and a group of white South African opinion formers that took place in Dakar, Senegal during July 1987.
