The Politics of Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa - Essay Example

History and Memory South Africa as a land of the blacks was formally dominated by Apartheid rule before it finally became free and declared independent in 1994. Before then, individual citizens underwent a series of suffering inflicted by the Apartheid rule. In many ways, their rights were violated in all manners; something that is still in history as it freshly lingers in their minds. After receiving the independence, so many aspects and different opinions have emerged as whether to forget the past, surge on as a new nation or let justice take control, and punish those who desecrated the native’s human rights. To see all these through, South Africa as a nation established Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to handle infamous crimes experienced in the past wicked regime. So many individuals have aired their opinions about the past of South Africa, and they have been trying to consolidate history of the same country making it as recent as possible. A question, therefore, arises as to whether suggestions of the recent history are in support of a vigorous confrontation in the public realm or to be left to be slowly forgotten. To start us off, Stanley (526) observes three main sub-committees of TRC delegated to deal with the infringement of human rights, general pardon and rehabilitation and compensation. However, all of their functions were disregarded because they were not in line with desired types of social transformation. Recent history has exposed several appeals to significances of truth, justice or reconciliation, something that has been confronted by embattled politicians. These individuals as Wilson (16) cannot stand against essentialness in institutionalizing the past contraventions to come out with legitimacy for administration. Moreover, Tutu (32) argues that there are no possibilities of reconciliation with past denial. As Wilson (16) rightfully observes, truth commission ultimately has a symbolic meaning in that it is incapable of prosecuting any individual. Moreover, evidences that they obtain from different individual cannot be of any use in later prosecutions. All these suggest no room for considering actions taken by the TRC for they only hold ineffective claims that they may use to carry out their justice. They have a fundamental role in ensuring that memory is fixed in the members of the nation. In fact, Wilson still talks of the same memories of the past as those that are multiple and fluid at the same time. They are uncertain and vague, a reason why TRC is vital in institutionalizing past occurrences of conflict. In search of effective ways to bring about healing to individuals of the South African nation, much is done to consider public confrontations in terms of storytelling. Talking about this, storytelling has so far been the best way to share the bitter past, Colvin (153). This is making South Africa acquire its new history. It is preferred to works of its history that aim at the creation, analysis and distribution of apartheid memories that cause trauma. It is a clear fact that the old South Africa bears bitter characteristics owing to what individuals experienced in the past. As old as to is so should be the history, even though it is upon the old history that a new one will bear its foundation. To make the above more clear, Colvin (153) depicts past narrations as a privileged way of communicating the bitter past. Sees individuals come out publicly to narrate their painful past apartheid experiences in line with authorized testimonies, freely telling a story that occurred this situation to someone. This resulted into encouraging result in a healing process of the offended South African individuals. It brought peace and contentment as all of them could just accept the past as it was, to think of the present and the future new history of their land. They anticipated for a future in a new South Africa that bears no traumas, as opposed to what all concerned bodies wanted to hear about. As Colvin observed, it is the same trauma that the news media majored in and portray to the public. They were not all alone in this, as even the TRC expected to hear about this trauma in greater depth, as well as researchers who were out in totality to document with a sole aim of exposing it to the public. According to Stanley (530), TRC has earned a considerable level of legitimacy from the people of South Africa. This is because it has been acknowledging people’s stories to challenge sensitivity of history in trying to undo power. However, the commission has also faced a lot of critics and scrutiny simply because its undertaking is within the general public gauze. It has failed to satisfy individual expectation of the South African land, even, if it has provided a great opportunity for varied expression, while conceding peoples past experiences that bred bitterness and sorrow within them. This is because TRC faces a lot of difficulty in acquiring information from individuals. As much as they have set a free forum where individuals are expected to narrate their stories, their immense challenge is that not all individual victims of the apartheid reign have come up to air theirs (Stanly 531). Recent history of South Africa has always shown how bitter the future will be owing to the confusing aspects of truth, justice and reconciliatory acts. Stanly herself has observed unfairness that has arisen in the current justice system of South Africa. This is clearly seen in the manner in which South African demand for justice has advance immeasurably. In viewing criminal justice requirements for modern-criminals who get involved in violence creation, victims of human right violation in the apartheid reign obtain no judicial support at all Stanley 533). This is, therefore, a contradiction on the manner in which the present and the past violence is identified and understood. In his own research, Wilson (27) observed that there are issues opposing views set up within the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He further explains that there is a considerable amount of silence in understanding justice in the South African society as compared to opinions about forgiveness. Moreover, these views have only intensified on the pervasiveness of concepts initiating vengeance among the local populace of the South African land. A suggestion that becomes common owing to this is that a likelihood of legal action consequently should be left open to make citizenship in this land additional significant. In trying to realize still how the past of South Africa is currently handled, we are conscious of amnesty plans that rose in negotiation that took place. In fact, this resulted into more of legal limitations including moral responsibility focused on lawbreakers as compared to amnesty. Intensifying on public debates spread all over with a goal of letting individuals share their experiences is a significant way of advancing the new history of South Africa. This would result in obtaining other measures of how the government should grant amnesty from criminal persecution as Wilson plainly observes. LaCapra (43) also observes recent conference standing for trauma in the South African country, as he believes that TRC stood for recovery from trauma. The recent history in so many ways focuses on the experience that individual citizens of South Africa underwent. They look at strategies of reinforcing criminal trials in view of human rights violations as well as strengthening the rule of law. In addition, the history looks for solutions in every possible way that it can address the criminalization in a wider understanding (Wilson 27). Colvin (155), on the other hand, addresses an issue that was so common in the recalling stories of the resenting memories. He observes how these traumatic memories were expressed in all spheres of the South African lives, ranging from the news media, writings achieved academically, and more so, in the interviews carried out by the TRC. The history in conclusion bears a lot of meaning to the victims of the Apartheid reign. So far, they their suffering is intensified through improvements in life qualities and specific conditions that take place in the current society. To that effect, they can never regard the past as a period of suffering and the present as a moment to enjoy full freedom. Traumatic historical memories earn a lot of focus to all individuals who seek to know the past occurrences. However much they are confronted through stories, the victims will never be relieved off their bad experiences (Colvin 166). This ultimately suggests that all about history of South African Apartheid experiences should be left alone to be slowly forgotten. Works Cited Wilson, Richard. The Politics of Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa: Legitimizing the Post- Apartheid State. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Print. Desmond, Tutu. No Future without Forgiveness. New York; Doubleday Publishing, 2000. Print. Stanly, Elizabeth. “Evaluating the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.” The Journal of Modern African Studies 39.3 (2001): 525-546. Print. LaCapra, Dominick. Writing History, Writing Trauma. Baltimore US: JHU Press, 2001. Stanly, Elizabeth. “Evaluating the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.” The Journal of Modern African Studies 39.3 (2001): 525-546. Print. Read More