Perceptions of psychosocial healing and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa.

Abstract

Like many other societies that have dealt with the question of how to achieve closure of a past of oppression while simultaneously working toward national reconstruction and reconciliation, South Africa turned to the concept of a truth commission. Public testimony constitutes the central mechanism in the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) process. Through the use of social constructionism as a broad framework in which the testimony method may be located, this descriptive study examines various narratives to uncover understandings of healing and the modes of healing invoked by both victims and those facilitating the healing process. Two data sources were used: testimony transcripts from public hearings of the TRC and transcripts from interviews with key players in the process. Thematic analysis revealed that there are multiple understandings of healing but overall, the narratives affirmed the therapeutic value of the testimony method. The central issue under discussion in the article is the connectedness between individual healing and national reconciliation.The South African Government of National Unity (GNU), elected into office in April 1994 after a 4-year period of negotiations, faced the tricky question of how to confront the wrongs of the past while simultaneously building a shared nationhood. Wilson (1995) argued that truth commissions have become one of the main mechanisms by which transitional governments seek to create legitimacy for state institutions still tainted by the legacy of the past. Indeed, it was to the concept of a truth commission that South Africa turned in pursuit of national reconciliation, unity, and peace. This article briefly describes the South African Truth and Requests for reprints should be sent to Cheryl de

Women as political participants: Psychosocial postconflict recovery in Peru.

“…Mental health is the product of being social actors and protagonists in one's own history and having more control over one's own life and surroundings (p. 34). The GTSM approach mirrors that promoted by their peers in South Africa, who also have worked in the context of that country's TRC where mental health workers moved away from a pathology model and toward a wellness model that views healing as a forward-looking, holistic process (de la Rey & Owens, 1998;Lykes, Blanche, & Hamber, 2003).…”

Witnesses in the special court for Sierra Leone: The importance of the witness–lawyer relationship

“…Whilst those who gave statements to the South African TRC have been studied relatively extensively (e.g. Kagee, 2005;Young, 2004;De la Rey and Owens, 1998;Kaminer et al, 2001;Byrne, 2004), the TRC procedures were designed to be as supportive and positive an experience for those who testified as possible. For example, the hearings were community events, witnesses were extensively prepared and supported, they were encouraged to tell the story of the violation in their own words, and were allowed as much time as necessary to relate events without interruption.…”

“…There have been a number of studies of those who gave statements to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in South Africa (e.g. Kagee, 2005;Young, 2004;De la Rey and Owens, 1998;Kaminer et al, 2001;Byrne, 2004). The most extensive study so far of witnesses in international war crimes tribunals has been conducted by Eric Stover (2005), and focuses on the experiences of 87 witnesses who testified at the ICTY.…”

Testifying in the Special Court for Sierra Leone: witness perceptions of safety and emotional welfare

“…In the early days of international criminal justice the focus was much more on the legal aspects of the process, and it is only recently that there has been a shift towards issues such as the role of victims and witnesses in the judicial process. (Agger & Jensen, 1990;De la Rey & Owens, 1998;Herman, 2003;Kaminer et al, 2001;Strejilevich, 2006;Van Dijk, Schoutrop & Spinhoven, 2003).…”