Country of My SkullEver 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. 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. 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. |
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Page 41
... Remember the bedroom scene ? Now at last this boy finds himself in a situation with his big gun , the killer phallus , and he has all the power - " I am going to kill you , " he says , " because I have all the power and all the law ...
... Remember the bedroom scene ? Now at last this boy finds himself in a situation with his big gun , the killer phallus , and he has all the power - " I am going to kill you , " he says , " because I have all the power and all the law ...
Page 94
... remember electrocuting them , but he remembers other things : JUDGE BERNARD NGOEPE : Are you able to remember that on a certain day in 1987 on a farm near Pienaarsrivier , you electrocuted three people ? HECHTER : I can ... the ...
... remember electrocuting them , but he remembers other things : JUDGE BERNARD NGOEPE : Are you able to remember that on a certain day in 1987 on a farm near Pienaarsrivier , you electrocuted three people ? HECHTER : I can ... the ...
Page 232
... remember the registration number of the car , but he can't remember his own ID number ? Why is his statement to the police in English , when he now says he only speaks Xhosa ? How could an illit- erate person who left school in Standard ...
... remember the registration number of the car , but he can't remember his own ID number ? Why is his statement to the police in English , when he now says he only speaks Xhosa ? How could an illit- erate person who left school in Standard ...
Contents
They Never Wept the Men of My Race | 1 |
None More Parted than Us | 14 |
First Hearings | 22 |
Copyright | |
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