The Truth & Reconciliation Process in South Africa: At the Nexus of Justice & Peace

The third panel of the day was on post-apartheid nation building in South Africa and posed provocative questions related to the costs of peace, the added-value of transitional justice processes, what the world can learn from the South African experience and how to translate political reconciliation into grass-roots, economic and social reconciliation. The key note speaker for this panel was H.E. Ambassador Ibrahim Rasool, the South African Ambassador to the United States, who was previously premier of the Western Cape. A man with a distinguished career in service to his country, Ambassador Rasool's inspiring words and touching recounts of his own participation in the anti-apartheid movement captured the audience. He emphasized the role of leadership in any civil resistance movement, applauding Nelson Mandela for being the ideal leader of the masses, and his ability to establish a formidable trust between the people and the ANC which ultimately was key in allowing nonviolence to triumph. He also urged peacemakers to keep their vision, and their demands, simple - claiming that over-sophistication of these two foundational components in any conflict can either make the "other side" disengage from the negotiation process or resort to extreme measures. Ambassador Rasool reminded students that peace is the project that never ends and to cherish, learn from and build upon the possibilities and opportunities that lie in imperfections. His most poignant point, however, was that no one - man or God - can undo the past and to expect that, whether explicitly or implicitly, is only a course towards failure.

Ambassador Rasool was joined on the panel by renowned scholar, Dr. Chester Crocker, New York-based South African journalist Ms. Lihle Mtshali, Dr. Scott of Georgetown Public Policy Institute, and law professor Dr. Brian Kritz, who moderated the panel. Pictures below:

Dr. Brian Kritz introduces Ambassador Ibrahim Rasool of South Africa

From left to right: Ms. Mtshali, Dr. Kritz, Ambassador Rasool, Dr. Crocker, and Dr. Scott

Dr. Crocker, an expert on Africa, spoke from his personal experiences of living in South Africa and also offered insightful analysis while Dr. Scott discussed some of the socioeconomic inequalities that threaten to destabilize South Africa

Ms. Mtshali, the youngest member of the panel, spoke about the role of new media in encouraging civic engagement and the changing public discourse about South Africa's future in the young generation as well as the contentious but complementary relationship between the press and the government

Mrs. Ambassador Rasool engages in conversation with Dr. Carrie Menkel-Meadow during the break. Many students, faculty members and panelists could be seen continuing the discussion in the hallways and at the lunch table on wide ranging topics.