Robben Island hosts prisoner medals on 31 October
Published on 10/31/2026 at 16:25 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael MĂĽller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSMemory programme and island heritage
- Former political prisoners are due to receive medals at the museum on 31 October 2026.
- The ceremony is linked to the Wall of Remembrance and the museum’s continuing work on prisoner histories.
- The island’s memorial records include 2,717 names, according to South Africa’s Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.
Robben Island is due to host a medal ceremony for former political prisoners on 31 October 2026, linking the Cape Town heritage site with a continuing programme of remembrance. The event centres on people whose names and experiences are being preserved through the museum’s Wall of Remembrance.
Former prisoners are due to receive medals on 31 October
More former political prisoners are expected to receive medals for their contributions at the event on 31 October 2026. The programme was reported as part of Robben Island Museum’s work to preserve and honour the histories of people imprisoned on the island during the struggle against apartheid.
The ceremony follows the Wall of Remembrance project, which records the names and stories of people held on the island. Its focus gives the upcoming programme a direct link to the memorial landscape rather than treating the island only as a former prison site. The 31 October medal event was reported by Mail & Guardian.
Wall of Remembrance expands Robben Island’s story
The Wall of Remembrance was unveiled in September 2025. It draws on the museum’s Memories Project, which began in 1997 to collect and document memories connected with former political prisoners.
The project also uses an Ex-Political Prisoners Database covering people imprisoned on the island between 1961 and 1991. South Africa’s Department of Sport, Arts and Culture says the wall bears 2,717 names, while 336 of 464 living former political prisoners received medals at a related 2025 reunion. That earlier programme also placed six statues on the island, including memorials to Nelson Mandela, Robert Sobukwe and Andimba Toivo ya Toivo. The department’s account of the remembrance programme documents the memorial’s scale and purpose.
That context matters for visitors because the 31 October programme connects the island’s prison buildings with a newer layer of public memory. The wall is intended to preserve both recognised and less widely known histories, including those of people whose names had faded from the historical record.
Visiting Robben Island: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The medal ceremony is scheduled for 31 October 2026 at Robben Island Museum on the island.
- The programme is centred on former political prisoners and the Wall of Remembrance, so it adds a commemorative focus to the museum’s heritage setting.
- Robben Island lies off Cape Town in South Africa and is visited as a museum and former prison site.
Searching for Robben Island on social platforms
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Frequently asked questions about Robben Island
When does the medal ceremony take place at Robben Island?
The ceremony is scheduled for 31 October 2026 and is expected to honour former political prisoners.
What is the Wall of Remembrance at Robben Island?
It is a memorial unveiled in September 2025 that records the names and stories of former political prisoners.
Where is Robben Island and how do you get there?
Robben Island is off Cape Town in South Africa and is operated as a museum and heritage site.
