About 250 academics/practitioners gathered for presentation and discussion on diverse related to reconciliation, forgiveness, healing and restoration. Many of the major conflict regions of the world were represented. Although this was not a religiously based conference (it was sponsored by the University of Cape Town, the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation and the Cape Town Holocaust Centre), there were scholars from Muslim, Jewish and Christian backgrounds represented among others.
The conference was exceptional. I made some great contacts for future interaction and was also heartened to find some other scholars who are living out the gospel in their fields.
Sessions that I attended included:
“The Scars of Memory: Rwanda and Its Painful Healing,” Stephen Smith (who is from the UK and the former director of the UK Holocaust Centre and project director for the creation of the Kigali Memorial Centre in Rwanda.
“Engaged, Compassionate Leadership in Challenging Times,” Roundtable with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and 5 internationally recognized scholars.
“What Can Reasonably be Expected from a Truth Commission? An Examination of East Timorese and Togolese Views.”
“What of Reconciliation?: Symbols, Rites and Ceremonies in Uganda.”
“Research on Reconciliation in Societies of Mass Trauma and Genocide,” with a particular focus on the Balkan regions.
“Reconciliation as Cultural Artifact: An Exploration of the Assumptions, Meanings and Language of Reconciliation Across Cultural Boundaries.”
“Justice and Reconciliation: Lessons from Latin America.” Stephen Pope, Boston College Theologian
“It’s Still There, the Bad Times, Your Heart is Still Crying Inside: A Qualitative Examination of Victims’ Experiences following Public Testimony at South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission,” Ahmed-Riaz Mohamed
“A Model for Sustained Small-Group Reconciliation Dialogue in the Context of the Local Church.”
“The Value of Reflection.” This was a small group session. 10 of us met with two second generation Palestinians (parents lost their homes) who now as adults are dealing with the very difficult situation of being Palestinian in Israel. The stories were quite powerful.
“Negotiating Reparations: Multi-level Strategic Bargaining in Post-Conflict Justice Scenarios.”
“The Silent Narrative of Violence—The Transgenerational Impact of Violence on Children in South Africa Today.”
“Living with My Perpetrators: A Question of Power.”
“Are Any Actions Unforgiveable?”
“Speaking at the Limits of the Human: Witnessing ‘The Greatest Silence. Rape in the Congo.’”
“The Challenge of Living with the Legacy of Rwanda’s Genocide: Post-conflict Literatures and the Ethics of Reception.”
“Justice from the Victim’s Perspective.” Judith Lewis Herman, Harvard Medical School
“Reconciliation Between Groups and Altruism Born of Suffering,” Ervin Staub, survivor of Hungarian Holocaust, scholar on bystanders, reconciliation and forgiveness. Mediator in many countries.
“The Shame of Bystanders.”
“Reconciliation, History and Memory in the Tismaneau Report Condemning Communism in Romania.”
“The Desire for Justice, Psychic Reparation, and the Politics of Memory in Post-Conflict Northern Ireland.”
“Capacity Building for Reconciliation and Coexistence.”
The conference as inspiring, challenging, heart wrenching, emotional and stimulating. I made some new friends in the cause of reconciliation and forgiveness.
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