ABSTRACT
Ugochukwu-Smooth Nzewi brings us to another part of Africa’s coastline-Robben Island off South Africa. He, too, addresses the role of the past in creating conflicting attitudes to the site’s recent history. Despite the fact that the island had many uses before and during the colonial years, its current administration promotes a single narrative focusing on the island’s role as a prison holding members of the African National Congress (ANC) during apartheid. This narrative reaches its climax with the party’s victory and the liberation of Nelson Mandela; many of the guides are former ANC prisoners, lending credibility and dynamism to this dominant narrative. Other anti-apartheid groups receive short shrift, as does the island’s history as a site linked to migration.
