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 vi
... perpetrators of gross human - rights violations should appear before a court of law , as Nazi war criminals were forced to do at Nuremberg ; that , they insisted , was the only possible path to jus- tice . But there were also those who ...
... perpetrators of gross human - rights violations should appear before a court of law , as Nazi war criminals were forced to do at Nuremberg ; that , they insisted , was the only possible path to jus- tice . But there were also those who ...
Page 6
... perpetrator for amnesty is proof enough that the politicians should be the essence of the Truth Commission's inquest . It is not the police who came up with apartheid , he says , but the politicians . With an instinct for the dramatic ...
... perpetrator for amnesty is proof enough that the politicians should be the essence of the Truth Commission's inquest . It is not the police who came up with apartheid , he says , but the politicians . With an instinct for the dramatic ...
Page 9
... perpetrators , should be the beginning , the focus , and the central point of the legislation , the ANC argues . Victims should have several points of entry into the process . Should losses be catego- rized ? So many rand for an arm ...
... perpetrators , should be the beginning , the focus , and the central point of the legislation , the ANC argues . Victims should have several points of entry into the process . Should losses be catego- rized ? So many rand for an arm ...
Page 15
... perpetrators , but I hope this law will teach us all that we cannot make any distinc- tion among victims . " At last the legislation finds its way to the Department of Justice in a building previously known as the Verwoerd Building . A ...
... perpetrators , but I hope this law will teach us all that we cannot make any distinc- tion among victims . " At last the legislation finds its way to the Department of Justice in a building previously known as the Verwoerd Building . A ...
Page 23
... perpetrators . Van der Merwe says that punishment is an inherent part of the moral and legal codes of this country and perhaps one should regard the transparent and open process of the commission as already a kind of punitive method ...
... perpetrators . Van der Merwe says that punishment is an inherent part of the moral and legal codes of this country and perhaps one should regard the transparent and open process of the commission as already a kind of punitive method ...
Contents
| 3 | |
| 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 |
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 |
NINETEEN A Tragedy of Errors | 293 |
TWENTY Mother Faces the Nation | 318 |
TWENTYONE Beloved Country of Grief and Grace | 341 |
Epilogue | 367 |
Acknowledgments | 387 |
In Transit with the Ghosts | 150 |
TWELVE The Political Tongue at Anchor | 162 |
THIRTEEN Blood Rains in Every Latitude | 175 |
FOURTEEN Letters on the Acoustics of Scars | 191 |
Cast of Characters | 395 |
Index | 403 |
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Common terms and phrases
Afrikaner Alex Boraine amnesty applications Amnesty Committee apartheid Archbishop asked Benzien blood body Boer Boraine Bram called Cape Town chairperson child commissioners crying death Dirk Coetzee door eastern Cape eyes F. W. de Klerk face feel forgiveness front guilt hand happened head heard hearing Hechter honor human rights Johannesburg journalists killed Klerk lawyer leader Lekotse live look Madikizela-Mandela Mamasela Mbeki minister morning mother murder National Party Nelson Mandela never night Nomonde P. W. Botha Parliament past perpetrators person police policemen political politicians president prison radio reconciliation remember Robben Island says Seipei shot Sibaya someone South African stand Stompie story talk tell Thabo Mbeki things told took torture Truth Commission Tutu Umkhonto we Sizwe victims Viljoen Vlakplaas voice walk wife Winnie Winnie Madikizela-Mandela words Xhosa