For All Voices, for All Victims” by Antjie Krog
In 1996, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) started holding public hearings on the gross human rights violations that occurred during the apartheid era. Both victims and perpetrators shared stories at the TRC about violence, suffering, oppression and torture. Antjie Krog bore witness to these narratives as one of the journalists that reported on the TRC hearings. In her literary work Krog expresses her conflicted feelings towards the past in general and the hearings of the TRC in particular. Her poem “For All Voices, For All Victims” was written in response to these hearings and explores the relationship between reconciliation and national belonging.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was a commission that was assembled in South Africa after the abrogation of Apartheid. People were then allowed to talk about their experiences during Aparthied, as well as given testimonies. Staging public hearings was a sign of democracy and transition, to show that all people will now have the same rights and will be treated equally. The TRC was cultivated through three committees that lead to these interviews with people and their testimonies:
* The Human Rights Violence Committee (human rights abuses that occurred between 1960 and 1994). Their hearings were held all around South Africa. * The Reparation and Rehabilitation Committee (charged with restoring victims’ dignity and formulating proposals to help with rehabilitation). * The Amnesty Committee (they considered applications from people who applied for amnesty in accordance with the provisions of the Act). Their hearings were held all around South Africa.
If the crimes were politically motivated, the Commission would grant amnesty to those who committed abuses during the Apartheids era.
“For All Voices, For All Victims” by Antjie Krog is a poem which is reflected on The Truth and Reconciliation Commission and all the testimonies and experiences of the people that experienced
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was a commission that was assembled in South Africa after the abrogation of Apartheid. People were then allowed to talk about their experiences during Aparthied, as well as given testimonies. Staging public hearings was a sign of democracy and transition, to show that all people will now have the same rights and will be treated equally. The TRC was cultivated through three committees that lead to these interviews with people and their testimonies:
* The Human Rights Violence Committee (human rights abuses that occurred between 1960 and 1994). Their hearings were held all around South Africa. * The Reparation and Rehabilitation Committee (charged with restoring victims’ dignity and formulating proposals to help with rehabilitation). * The Amnesty Committee (they considered applications from people who applied for amnesty in accordance with the provisions of the Act). Their hearings were held all around South Africa.
If the crimes were politically motivated, the Commission would grant amnesty to those who committed abuses during the Apartheids era.
“For All Voices, For All Victims” by Antjie Krog is a poem which is reflected on The Truth and Reconciliation Commission and all the testimonies and experiences of the people that experienced