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 iv
... Mother Faces the Nation 318 TWENTY-ONE Beloved Country of Grief and Grace 341 Epilogue 367 Acknowledgments 387 Glossary 389 Cast of Characters 395 Index 403 Introduction When black South Africans by the millions turned out iv CONTENTS.
... Mother Faces the Nation 318 TWENTY-ONE Beloved Country of Grief and Grace 341 Epilogue 367 Acknowledgments 387 Glossary 389 Cast of Characters 395 Index 403 Introduction When black South Africans by the millions turned out iv CONTENTS.
Page v
When black South Africans by the millions turned out to vote for the first time in their lives in April 1994, the world saw them standing patiently from before dawn, in lines so long they often seemed endless.
When black South Africans by the millions turned out to vote for the first time in their lives in April 1994, the world saw them standing patiently from before dawn, in lines so long they often seemed endless.
Page 8
Ma says they have turned toward the road, but she can't see you . . . Where are you?” Silence. My parents sit humped up—in the gray moonlight their faces seem carved to pieces. Sumien: “Pa, where are you? Can you hear me?
Ma says they have turned toward the road, but she can't see you . . . Where are you?” Silence. My parents sit humped up—in the gray moonlight their faces seem carved to pieces. Sumien: “Pa, where are you? Can you hear me?
Page 13
Many a time, the civil servants turned up at the meeting with red eyes and wrinkled clothes, having worked through the night to prepare a new discussion document. All told, the committee spent 127 hours and 30 minutes on the Truth ...
Many a time, the civil servants turned up at the meeting with red eyes and wrinkled clothes, having worked through the night to prepare a new discussion document. All told, the committee spent 127 hours and 30 minutes on the Truth ...
Page 18
Later, when I left for Johannesburg, I looked back to wave and I saw them standing in front of the sandstone house of my youth. And as we drove out, my father locked the gate and turned the dogs loose. CHAPrea Two None More Parted Than ...
Later, when I left for Johannesburg, I looked back to wave and I saw them standing in front of the sandstone house of my youth. And as we drove out, my father locked the gate and turned the dogs loose. CHAPrea Two None More Parted Than ...
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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 |