Political Prisoners Speak by Alyssa Iacono

During apartheid, many people were imprisoned for simply speaking their minds and voicing their disapproval. This week we heard many different people speak about their experiences.  As our group travelled to Robben Island, we were especially lucky to have Lionel Davis with us. As a former inhabitant of the island, he spent 7 years in prison on the island for his political activism against apartheid. As Davis described the experience, he pointed out the fact that while everyone was imprisoned for fighting against apartheid and the restrictions it created, they were unable to escape those same boundaries in jail. Race and one’s classification affected the amount of food one received and also the clothing that one wore. Many prisoners were also subjected to hard labor outside in the limestone quarry with little protection from the elements. I find it interesting that Davis is able to return to the place where he was once held captive and share his story with all of us. I think it is important that he talk about his experience because to make progress and improve race relations within the country, it is important to revisit the past and learn from it.

We also had the chance to hear from Zenzile Khoisan who spoke about his experience being a senior investigator for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Khoisan reinforced the importance of talking about the past to learn and create change in society. Even though the events and violence that occurred were extremely traumatic for many of the victims, by sharing they have been able to inform others of the past in the hopes that it will motivate people to work to improve race relations in the present. Khoisan also raised the issue of forgiveness, and how victims go about forgiving someone for treatment that  was so severe and unjust. For many it may be difficult to find closure because many of the perpetrators received amnesty from the Commission.

The people of South Africa have the ability to grow from the country’s history of unfair treatment and poor race relations, but for relations to be mended, people must let go of the anger and resentment for what has happened in the past. This raises the question of how to forgive and if one can ever really forget something that has affected their life so drastically. In one sense it is important to forgive in order to move forward, but it is also difficult when so many of the people who wronged others got away with little consequence. “Forgive and Forget” is a common phrase, but it this situation I think it is important to remember the past and work towards a new future rather than trying to gloss over the past and act like it never happened. By listening to both Davis and Khoisan, we were able to think about how the political atmosphere has changed since apartheid, and try and consider how people can also find the strength to move on emotionally.