Charles Villa-Vicencio and Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela — Truth and Reconciliation

On Being with Krista Tippett

On Being Studios

Sociology, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality, Krista Tippett, Arts, Culture, On Being, Society, Society & Culture, Science, Social Sciences

4.7 • 10.2K Ratings

🗓️ 22 March 2007

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) held public sessions from 1996 to 1998, and concluded its work in 2004. In an attempt to rebuild its society without retribution, the Commission created a new model for grappling with a history of extreme violence. The basic premise of the Commission was that any individual, whatever he or she had done, was eligible for amnesty if they would fully disclose and confess their crimes. Victims were invited to tell their stories and witness confessions. Through the TRC, many families finally came to know when and how their loved ones died. By the end of the hearings, the Commission took statements from more than 20,000 victims of Apartheid and received applications for amnesty from 7,100 perpetrators. We explore the religious implications of truth and reconciliation with two people — one black, one white — who did the work of the Commission in charge of it.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Krista Tippett.
0:06.2	South Africa's process of truth and reconciliation brought a new model of political healing into
0:12.4	the world.
0:13.4	Today, we'll speak with two people who took part in that work.
0:17.4	We'll explore what they learned about religious and moral ideals in the rebuilding of a nation.
0:23.8	What are the limits and surprises of truth, forgiveness, and reconciliation that they
0:28.8	continue to learn from now?
0:31.8	Those perpetrators, and I've met some bad ones, of all kinds of political persuasions,
0:38.4	when you sit down and you talk, they are human beings.
0:43.4	There's introspection, there's a desire to move on, there's a quest to regain humanity.
0:53.0	This is Speaking of Faith, stay with us.
1:00.6	This free podcast of Speaking of Faith is provided by American public media.
1:06.0	Please support this valuable public radio service and contribute today.
1:10.8	Go to the station listings page at speakingoffaith.org to learn more about becoming a member of your
1:16.6	local public radio station.
1:18.8	I'm Krista Tippett.
1:20.6	As South Africa experienced political transformation in the 1990s, it created a new model of grappling
1:28.0	with a history of extreme division and violence.
1:31.8	I'll speak with two individuals this hour, Black and White, a theologian and a psychologist,
1:38.0	who took part in the work of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
1:42.8	We'll explore the ongoing moral and religious lessons of that experience.
1:49.7	From American public media, this is Speaking of Faith, public radio's conversation about
	...

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