"After the grueling work of the commission I came away with a deep sense - indeed an exhilarating realization - that, although there is undoubtedly much evil about, we human beings have a wonderful capacity for good."
"No Future Without Forgiveness" is Desmond Tutu's account of the work performed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) put into effect after the end of Apartheid in South Africa, which lasted officially from 1948 to 1994.The TRC provided both the victims and the perpetrators of crimes, which include murder, torture, and unlawful imprisonment during the Apartheid regime a medium to confess their stories and to allow for healing to occur between them. Amnesty would be provided for those guilty of crimes if they were first of all able to establish a connection between their crime and a political motive and secondly they were forthcoming in confessing their crimes and willing to accept some measure of accountability. Although the TRC was not unanimously supported by either the victims or the criminals, nor was it without some downsides and fumbles along the way, Desmond Tutu reveals its necessity for a nation like South Africa to move forward under a banner of reconciliation rather than one of retribution.
Links:
Desmond Tutu Peace Center
Citation Information:
Tutu, D. (1999). No future without forgiveness. New York: Doubleday.
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