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Modise Phekouyane, Robben Island Peace Activist

Modise Phekouyane used to be an angry, hateful young man who considered Nelson Mandela a traitor. Today, he embodies forgiveness and reconciliation so that neither he, nor his former oppressors, will remain victims of apartheid.

Modise spent five years imprisoned with Nelson Mandela on Robben Island, South Africa, in the 1990's. His crime was fighting for racial equality as a young, idealistic student. Today, he still spends most days on Robben Island, but for a much nobler cause - to share his powerful message for forgiveness and racial reconciliation.

“I have no regrets for having forgiven the perpetrators of torture on my life, for those who kept me in prison, for if I am [unforgiving], I would still be a victim of apartheid, I would still be a victim of hatred, bitterness and anger,” Modise explains.

  

“I have no regrets for having forgiven the perpetrators of torture on my life, for those who kept me in prison, for if I am [unforgiving], I would still be a victim of apartheid..hatred, bitterness and anger." — Modise Phekouyane

 

As a former inmate of the Robben Island prison, his testimony makes Modise a particularly passionate guide for thousands of visitors each year. I had the privilege of taking Modise's tour while reporting on a peace conference in Cape Town.

“Well, Nelson Mandela…his influence is just so huge it cannot be explained in words. Just his message and his insistence that we didn’t have to regard prison warders – these were our captors – we didn’t have to always regard them as our enemies, but that we were all victims of apartheid, that we needed to engage them, win them on our side, and we know that tomorrow we will need to hold hands, walk and work together for a better South Africa for all of us.”

  

"Nelson Mandela...his influence is just so huge it cannot be explained in words...His insistence that we didn't have to regard prison warders...as our enemies, but that we were all victims of apartheid...that tomorrow we will need to hold hands, walk and work together for a better South Africa for all of us." — Modise Phekouyane

 

This man, who used to call Nelson Mandela a traitor for promoting forgiveness and collaboration with white South Africans, now embodies his own powerful message for peace. If he can forgive his former oppressors who tortured him and killed others, how much more can we embody forgiveness ourselves?

Photo: A visitor experiences the feeling of behind bars in Nelson Mandela's cell, Robben Island. © Carole St. Laurent 2015

 

 

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