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. |
From inside the book
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Page 8
I remember how Hendrik clutched my mother's arm when she was paging to the bookmark in the children's Bible. “Please, please don't read the bit about that guy who wants to cut his child's throat in the veld.
I remember how Hendrik clutched my mother's arm when she was paging to the bookmark in the children's Bible. “Please, please don't read the bit about that guy who wants to cut his child's throat in the veld.
Page 14
Everybody has a story to tell—fr0m members of Parliament whose houses were firebombed, to friends' children whose fingers were put in a coffee grinder, to criminals already walking the streets while rightwingers languish in jail.
Everybody has a story to tell—fr0m members of Parliament whose houses were firebombed, to friends' children whose fingers were put in a coffee grinder, to criminals already walking the streets while rightwingers languish in jail.
Page 29
Three children splash around in a half-empty fountain. Several families are obviously living in the outbuildings on the extensive property. We journalists are taken to the dining room. A gigantic, elaborate table with carved chairs.
Three children splash around in a half-empty fountain. Several families are obviously living in the outbuildings on the extensive property. We journalists are taken to the dining room. A gigantic, elaborate table with carved chairs.
Page 38
She was standing on the doorstep and she screamed: 'My child, my little Nomzamo, is still in the house!' . . . I stared at her . . . my most beautiful friend . . . her hair flaming and her chest like a furnace . . . she died a day later ...
She was standing on the doorstep and she screamed: 'My child, my little Nomzamo, is still in the house!' . . . I stared at her . . . my most beautiful friend . . . her hair flaming and her chest like a furnace . . . she died a day later ...
Page 40
... the mortuary . . . a thick black stream of blood was running from under the door . . . blocking the outside drain . . . inside, the stench was unbearable. . . bodies were stacked upon each other . . . the blood from my child's body ...
... the mortuary . . . a thick black stream of blood was running from under the door . . . blocking the outside drain . . . inside, the stench was unbearable. . . bodies were stacked upon each other . . . the blood from my child's body ...
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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
| 19 | |
| 37 | |
FOUR The Narrative of Betrayal Has to Be Reinvented Every Time | 67 |
FIVE The Sound of the Second Narrative | 74 |
Let Us Hear It in Another Language | 100 |
NINE The Political Page Curls over Itself | 131 |
The Lesser of Two Evils | 142 |
In Transit with the Ghosts | 150 |
FIFTEEN It Gets to All of Usfrom Tutu to Mamasela | 201 |
SEVENTEEN Then Burst the Mighty Heart | 251 |
EIGHTEEN The Shepherd and the Landscape of My Bones 259 | 257 |
NINETEEN A Tragedy of Errors | 293 |
TWENTY Mother Faces the Nation | 318 |
TWENTYONE Beloved Country of Grief and Grace | 341 |
Epilogue | 367 |
Acknowledgments | 387 |
TWELVE The Political Tongue at Anchor | 162 |
THIRTEEN Blood Rains in Every Latitude 175 | 174 |
FOURTEEN Letters on the Acoustics of Scars | 191 |
Cast of Characters | 395 |
Index | 403 |
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Common terms and phrases
Afrikaner already amnesty answer apartheid arms asked become blood body Botha called Cape changed child comes commissioners Committee court crying death door eyes face fact father feel felt find first force four front give hand happened head heard hearing honor journalists keep killed kind later lawyer leader leave live look Mamasela Mandela means months morning mother move 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 woman 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, 2007 |
| ISBN | 0307420507, 9780307420503 |
| 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 |