The lighter side of life on Robben Island

Twenty years on from the closure of the Robben Island prison, former Islanders reminisce about their shared past. ‘The lighter side of Life on Robben Island’ is a collection of anecdotal conversations that reveal the lighter side of life on the iconic struggle symbol that was, is and always will be, Robben Island prison. The narratives offer a peek into a different side of prison life; how political prisoners coped with the drill of a monotonous existence and how, with the march of time, their experiences have become a subject of comic relief among themselves. Their stories range from their sporting activities to music, fashion, politicking and inevitably, their love lives, both real and imagined, of men locked up on one of the most notorious prison islands in the world.