Hard Labor
This is the limestone quarry where political prisoners did their hard labor for 8 hours every weekday. Because they had to look so intently at their hands while using sharp pick-axes, the prisoners breathed in quite a bit of limestone dust, and their eyesight became damaged due to the intensity of the sun that reflected off the limestone.
But, this was the place where great ideas were shared among the prisoners. Many of those who were strident about violent protest, for example, may have been changed by the conversation they shared together at the quarry. While on the island, the political prisoners no longer held tightly to the party or group they belonged to--be it ANC or PAC, or whether they were black, or colored, for example.
A few years ago, some of the former prisoners who had once done hard labor here, built a cairn (pile) of stones at the entrance to the quarry. This is a symbol of hope; after all, out of this quarry and the horrific offense that happened on the island, came hope for a new beginning.
