Country of My Skull: Guilt, Sorrow, and the Limits of Forgiveness in the New South AfricaEver since Nelson Mandela dramatically walked out of prison in 1990 after twenty-seven years behind bars, South Africa has been undergoing a radical transformation. In one of the most miraculous events of the century, the oppressive system of apartheid was dismantled. Repressive laws mandating separation of the races were thrown out. The country, which had been carved into a crazy quilt that reserved the most prosperous areas for whites and the most desolate and backward for blacks, was reunited. The dreaded and dangerous security force, which for years had systematically tortured, spied upon, and harassed people of color and their white supporters, was dismantled. But how could this country--one of spectacular beauty and promise--come to terms with its ugly past? How could its people, whom the oppressive white government had pitted against one another, live side by side as friends and neighbors? To begin the healing process, Nelson Mandela created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, headed by the renowned cleric Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Established in 1995, the commission faced the awesome task of hearing the testimony of the victims of apartheid as well as the oppressors. Amnesty was granted to those who offered a full confession of any crimes associated with apartheid. Since the commission began its work, it has been the central player in a drama that has riveted the country. In this book, Antjie Krog, a South African journalist and poet who has covered the work of the commission, recounts the drama, the horrors, the wrenching personal stories of the victims and their families. Through the testimonies of victims of abuse and violence, from the appearance of Winnie Mandela to former South African president P. W. Botha's extraordinary courthouse press conference, this award-winning poet leads us on an amazing journey. Country of My Skull captures the complexity of the Truth Commission's work. The narrative is often traumatic, vivid, and provocative. Krog's powerful prose lures the reader actively and inventively through a mosaic of insights, impressions, and secret themes. This compelling tale is Antjie Krog's profound literary account of the mending of a country that was in colossal need of change. |
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Page 40
Two days later , they took him again - his hands handcuffed behind his back . That was the last time I saw Looksmart Ngudle . " " And the man there sitting next to the ambulance driver - he stood there with my son's intestines in his ...
Two days later , they took him again - his hands handcuffed behind his back . That was the last time I saw Looksmart Ngudle . " " And the man there sitting next to the ambulance driver - he stood there with my son's intestines in his ...
Page 82
-you never work later than four o'clock . You handle the proceedings as if you're in court - but unlike a court , you have a specific time span and you'll never make it at this pace ! " All the journalists are edgy .
-you never work later than four o'clock . You handle the proceedings as if you're in court - but unlike a court , you have a specific time span and you'll never make it at this pace ! " All the journalists are edgy .
Page 288
The withholding of information goes further later on , when his own children keep things from him - because they are educated and he is not , he says . In a desperate attempt to understand the behavior of others , Lekotse imaginatively ...
The withholding of information goes further later on , when his own children keep things from him - because they are educated and he is not , he says . In a desperate attempt to understand the behavior of others , Lekotse imaginatively ...
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - LibraryCin - LibraryThing2.5 stars Shortly after Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa, the Truth and Reconciliation Committee was formed to listen to victims and perpetrators of apartheid. If perpetrators applied ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - patrickgarson - LibraryThingCountry of My Skull is an astonishing book. Krog's attempt to embrace, explicate, and bear witness to South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission is complicated, creative, flawed, distressing ... Read full review
Contents
ONE They Never Wept the Men of My Race | 3 |
TWO None More Parted Than Us | 19 |
THREE Stretched Thinner and Thinner over Pitches of Grief | 37 |
Copyright | |
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Afrikaner already amnesty answer apartheid arms asked become blood body Botha called Cape changed child comes commissioners Committee crying death don't door eyes face fact father feel felt force four front give hand happened head heard hearing human rights it's journalists keep killed kind later lawyer leader leave live look Mamasela Mandela means months morning mother murder never night Parliament Party past person police political president questions reconciliation remember says shot someone sound South African speak stand started Stompie story taken talk tell things thought told took town Truth Commission turned Tutu victims voice wait walk week whole wife wrong
Bibliographic information
| Title | Country of My Skull: Guilt, Sorrow, and the Limits of Forgiveness in the New South Africa |
| Author | Antjie Krog |
| Publisher | Crown, 2000 |
| ISBN | 0812931297, 9780812931297 |
| Length | 432 pages |
| Subjects | › › › History / Africa / South / Republic of South Africa History / Modern / 20th Century / General Political Science / Civil Rights |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |