South African and Kenyan delegates joined together to discuss the documentary work of truth commissions
April 8, 2009 – On Saturday April 4 the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s Centre of Memory and Dialogue co-convened, with the Goethe Institute, the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation and the South African History Archive (SAHA), a workshop entitled “Truth, Reconciliation and Transparency in South Africa and Kenya – Lessons Learned”. The workshop was facilitated by former Foundation staffer Shadrack Katuu.
The workshop brought together individuals from South Africa who had worked on South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) with Kenyans playing a role in the formation of Kenya’s Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission. On the South African side were the Foundation’s Sello Hatang and Verne Harris, SAHA’s Piers Pigou and the National Archivist, Graham Dominy. The Kenyan delegation included government officials and representatives of civil society.
Head of the Foundation’s Memory Programme, Verne Harris
The focus of deliberation was the documentary and archiving work of the TRC, with the Kenyan delegation interrogating such work in relation to the environments and circumstances informing Kenya’s endeavour.
Earlier in the week the Kenyan delegation had participated in the joint Nelson Mandela Foundation/SAHA dialogue forum “Reconciliation and the Work of Memory in Post-apartheid South Africa”.