I recently attended a conference held in BERKLEY by the anthropology dept on the effects of Reconciliation and the Legacy of Nelson Mandela.
HEARING the day long panel was a transformative experience. ..between the testimony of real South African people’s experience of Apartheid , either perpetrators or victims …the results of theTRUTH and Reconcilliation Commission( after becoming a part of the new South African constitution) couldnt have been completly envisioned ! Panelists ; Justice Albie Sachs-humanrights activist lawyer Linda Biel-advocate restorative justice and reconciliation Ntobeko Peni-militant student from Cape Town Manfred Jacobs-friend of Nelson Mandela DAVI KOPENAWA YANOMAMI shaman-Indigenous Peoples Advocate Dr Ventura Perez-AP of Bioarchaeology U of MASS AMHERST and tribal anthropologist Nancy Scheper-Hughes Prof Anthropology UC Berkeley Organizer of this profound event …visionary and children’s advocate for peaceful communities, were riveting from the start. The panel discussed the powerful individual and collective healing effects of restorative justice and amnesty …a by product of the truth commissions whose objective is to Hear peoples stories “ ” .
Mandela insisted on this process of amnesty through reconciliation in which Reconciliation Justice becomes a powerful tool to free humans from guilt and fear and purposefully written into the South African constitution. MANDELA understood that violence towards “the other”cannot be born without anger and fear present. The effects of reconcilliation are life-changing…The people are so Moved/Healed by the power of confessing”truths ” that in SouthAfrica …the culture of violence is loosing its grip on the people .AMEN and PAX to All peacemakers involved in defeating Apartheid and birthing a new democratic social contract based on justice and compassion . The second half of panel focused on Restorative justice in the case of the Repatriation of the remains of Indigenous Indians of the America’s, the Yaqui s specifically ..addressing the wounds of cultural genocides perpetrated by Patriarchal European s gobbling up the America’s for the church by enslaving, robbing, de humanizing indigenous peoples of their culture and right to life .Unfortunately for them…early racists used forensics of Yaqui skulls to support misguided theories of manifest destiny .The physical anthropology was used as “proof” to support other theories of the savage behavior of Indigenous Peoples
A small victory was achieved by the discovery of Yaqui Indian remains by forensic anthropologist Dr Ventura Perez who identifed the Yaqui remains stashed by the US GOVT.
The remains were finally allowed , after a prolonged international paper work fight ..as to who the remains belonged , to be returned to thier ancestors for proper burial.These restorative justice
actions go a long way toward healing Us …Forward to Justice!
The other panelist was a Yanomami Shaman Davi Kopenawa ….a beautiful man …eloquent and passionate about preserving the rainforest home he lives in. HIS world of spirits whom are a daily part of the culture of the Yanomami forest people s life ..Davi wanted to know “what we were learning in this university? ” Then added that he “wished us to listen to the natural world around us…and to get out of the cities and watch the sky;because its changing.” HE EMPHASIZED that” his rainforests are the LUNGS ofthe World”….I won’t insult your intelligence further by explaining that…
I promise to write more about Davi Kopenawa and his book “the FALLING SKY, words of a Yanomami Shaman” The conference to honor Nelson Rolihlaha Mandela on the 20 th anniversary of his election in 1994 and whom was most well known for bringing together all South Africans into a new social contract based on justice and compassion l and my first visit , was for me inspiring and transformative …if you are … not part of the solution you need to be because everyone can Learn Love and Live together in exquisite diversity on our Planet we all share ,and Reconciliation through Restorative Justice is the Way. We as a Nation can heal our issues(race.class.poverty.education.) that still divide us …if we honestly pursue reconciliation through the restorative justice of Truth Commissions . Nelson Mandelas’ political lifes work shows that the effects of peace through the non violent act of listening inspires the Quiet Power of Love to truly conquer Fear. PAX
