The African Film Database is an initiative by Africa in Motion
The African Film Database is an initiative by Africa in Motion
Truth & Reconciliation / 1h39m / Feature / Documentary
South Africa’s transition from oppressive white minority rule to inclusive democracy in 1994 is often spoken about as having been miraculously peaceful. A crucial aspect of this was the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, in which the victims and perpetrators of violence faced each other in a series of hearings in pursuit of healing. Broadcast in all 11 of the South African languages, the interpreters of these stories became the literal voice of truth, verbalising the pain inflicted by the Apartheid regime. In 2003, director Michael Lessac took the oft-overlooked experiences of these narrators as the starting point for a theatrical production, touring the war-torn regions of Northern Ireland, Rwanda, and the former Yugoslavia. Sparking dialogue among people with raw memories of atrocity, the actors find they must once again confront their homeland’s violent past – and their own capacity for healing and forgiveness.
Directed by Michael Lessac
