One method of doing so would be when there has been a critical engagement with a variety of stories associated with a place at various periods in its lifetime. It s the stories and associations, which bring a map alive . Asking the correct questions also provides the key to unlocking some of its secrets. Maps can also define people, their lifestyles and cultural practices. For example the mapping of Africa.
Maps can also act as tools for reconstruction and challenging authority.
A case sited by one of the authors on landscape theory, provides the example of the aborigines in Australia using the names appropriated by colonists who ironically denied the existence of aborigines, to claim back their land serves as an illustration of this. Robben Island is no different. Street names and its infrastructure, comparisons between maps over the various epochs of occupation tell their own stories. Interesting, telling stories of life, difference, victories and losses, which are well worth further exploration. The story to be unfolded through the exploration of the maps of Robben Island will surely uncover some interesting parallels of those on the mainland.