Mandela always has been my big example of never giving up to believe that peace and love will conquer evil. I recently went to South Africa for three weeks, to Cape Town and surroundings. I  had been to Cape Town before, but I never felt the urgency to visit Robben Island. This time it felt different. Mandela died on 5th of December 2013 and I got another chance to visit Cape Town. I wanted to publish an article about Mandela and that was the reason to visit Robben Island, to feel the atmosphere and energy Mandela must have felt for 27 years. A guide led us to the ‘cave’ where political prisoners worked 7 days a week and where very interesting political discussions were held. The guide also led us to the cell of Mandela and other cells of ex-prisoners where stories of them were published. One of those stories touched me deeply: One of the prisoners wrote how his grandfather told him about black Africans coming from the Devil and that they were no Christians, and that was the reason why white people treated them like that. This guide, an ex-prisoner, also told us how food was divided. First the white, then the indians and coloured and lastly the black Africans. I asked this ex-prisoner if it was not difficult for him to to be confronted each time with his past on Robben Island. He answered: in the beginning it did but as time past it became a healing process, because of telling the stories over and over again. Mandela had his own vegetable garden where he hid his documents for the book he wanted to write ‘The long way to Freedom’. The documents disappeared and till today nobody knows where the documents are. By the way, no prisoner succeeded to escape. One had to swim at least 20 miles, the water is very cold and you have to cross the territory of the sharks. When you were lucky and made it, they waited for you and the isolation cell would be your next destination. I am sure that Mandela, being a prisoner on Robben Island, lead himself to a spiritual path and could listen to his soul. In this way he is an example for many of us. In the fifties it was Mandela who called his people to use weapons. It was a shock for me to read this. Mandela did not see another way out to get peace. He in the end was only a human being who came to earth with a task like all of us and at the same time he had much to learn. He was vain but his experiences on Robben Island humbled him and he got insights in his mistakes. He developed himself by meeting interesting inmates on Robben Island. Mandela was very much inspired by Gandhi and like he said ‘By meditating I could raise myself above evil; Robben Island has been my teachings’. Mandela had been a channel who could not be himself often. He has been controlled his whole life. Mandela grew up as a member of the Thembu Royal family and studied law. Already at that time he was restrained by the black and the white society. During his time on Robben Island he was controlled in a different way and when he was a ‘free’ man he was told what to say and what not to say by his own people. The less Mandela said, the more impact he had on people. Like no one else, Mandela understood, that only the vibration of love can lead to harmony and peace.