This radio is made entirely from beer bottle caps, a locally brewed beer can, scrap metal, wire and a resurrected radio antenna. It works perfectly and it looks great. This is just one of the many recycled items I picked up from a recent trip to South Africa. South African recycled arts and crafts are usually hand-made by people living in townships who earn their living from selling them. Each piece is unique. So when you buy these items you can be sure you're supporting a local artist, helping the environment, and bringing some color into your own home. Personally I think these souvenirs beat a sculpture of an elephant any day.

Recycled arts and crafts can be found throughout Africa. I grew up playing with these wonderful wire cars (galimotos) that functioned perfectly and were built by ingenious Malawian children. You have to look a little harder to find these gems, but it's worth it. I also like the fact that the motorbike I bought for my son was made from the can of my favorite soft-drink while I was on vacation. So it's art, a toy, and a memento.

I'm off to build a robot out of shampoo bottles....

More about recycled art....

_{Image © Michael Daecher}

Robben Island lies just off the coast of Cape Town in South Africa. Tourist brochures occasionally market it as the "Alcatraz" of Cape Town. It's true, convicts had been held on Robben Island for more than 400 years. But the reason most people visit the island (now a museum) is because over 3000 political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, were incarcerated there between 1961 and 1991. Robben Island is where Nelson Mandela and others began to frame the current South African constitution. The island symbolizes the eventual triumph of good over evil, of democracy over Apartheid. Robben Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is not exactly "Alcatraz".

I recently toured Robben Island and was shown around by an ex-political prisoner who served more than a decade in the maximum security prison. He had played a roll in the anti-Apartheid student demonstrations that rocked Soweto during the mid-1970's. Everyone who purchases a tour of Robben Island is guided by an ex-political prisoner (for at least part of the tour). This means you can ask questions and gain insight into prison life from someone who was actually there. I can't think of anywhere else in the world that you are able to have this kind of experience.

Find out more about Touring Robben Island...

_{Image of Nelson Mandela's Cell -- © Anouk Zijlma}