18 Institute for Justice and Reconciliation
Southern Africa South Africa
their community. This knowledge was recognised internationally when senior project leader, Cecyl Esau, was invited to share his insights and conduct two workshops at a conference of the European Association of History Educators (Euroclio) in Macedonia. The conference formed part of the project ‘History that Connects: How to teach sensitive topics in the countries of the former Yugoslavia’. The methodology was well-received and various online articles reflect the work and excitement of participants at the conference. The most recent implementation of Oral History Project’s work took place in the area of Potchefstroom, in the North West Province of South Africa, focusing on changing street and place names. The Institute embarked on a series of workshops with educators from the region, where the issue of street-naming has become a particular source of community tension. The workshops taught participants to become aware of their own history, how it related to that of their fellow residents and sought ways to develop a sense of an inclusive history. A studentteacher participant noted his experience in the visual literacy workshop as ‘invigorating’, because it allowed him to collaborate with people whose views did not conform to his own. Participants of this workshop came from a diverse racial, class, cultural and gendered background. Furthermore, the representative age balance also allowed for critical engagement, while studentteachers provided invaluable energy and perspective. Feedback indicated that the workshops heightened participants’ levels of awareness about how interrelated the narratives of various community identities are and the importance of oral history as a tool for reconciliation. At the same time, it created a consciousness which often unmasked the roots of the various divides, stereotypes and prejudices that have been brought about by colonialism and apartheid. As a result, it also put the scale of the challenge to undo these social legacies into perspective. The post-training feedback suggested that the workshops managed to make important breakthroughs in terms of challenging preconceived ideas; one participant remarked
that, ‘I was not aware about the impact the names of streets and places have on citizens, but now I know.’ The pre and post tests that assessed the knowledge-base and the change brought about by the workshop resulted in participants scoring between 50 and 80 percent – indicating that participants had a significantly improved grasp of oral history, Potchefstroom’s history and of reconciliation. In addition to the work in Potchefstroom, participants in the IJR’s Community Healing Project were exposed to a series of oral history dialogues in their communities. This assisted in the sharing of hitherto unknown histories between community elders and young people, between homeless people from diverse geographical areas in South Africa and other African countries, as well as between different individual accounts of community history. Besides the direct intervention and impact on South African history narratives, the Oral History Project also worked across national boundaries. A group of post-conflict community peacebuilders from Wicklow, Ireland, together with peers from the Bonteheuwel and Langa communities in Cape Town, shared the challenges of adjusting to civilian life after many years as armed combatants. Personal narratives of life in the armed struggle were shared by former combatants between the two groups. Useful insights were provided by the visitors on the different peace-building initiatives shared by members of their group.
Engaging youth The Institute also used its Memory, Arts and Culture Project to support the creation of inclusive community narratives with young people and their constituencies by launching the Follow the Beat (FTB) and African Identities film initiatives. The use of the FTB Resource Guide and the screenings of African Identities have provided opportunities for dialogue among the audiences and participating communities and have helped to propel the Institute’s aim of bringing together communities across racial and cultural divides.