Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley
This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the public Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.
Welcome to a Conversation With History. I'm Harry Kreisler of the Institute of International Studies. Our guest is Shari Eppel, who is a human rights activist and director of the Matebeland Chapter of the Amani Trust in Zimbabwe.
- Background ... influence of parents
... liberal family in racist society ... comprehending racism ... reading English
literature ... national identity ... mentors ... sources of courage ... commitment
to truth ... education
- Doing Human Rights Work ... political
conflict in Zimbabwe after independence ... atrocities committed by the Mugabe
government ... shock of finding the truth ... scope of the violence ... communicating
the truth: human rights report
- Rehabilitation and Healing among the Victims ...
figuring out the next step ... recovery from trauma ... violence as political
control ... long-term consequences of violence ... need to confront the past
... listening to the community ... importance of ancestral spirits ... exhumation
for community healing ... denial of the dead as a component of terror
- Case Studies ... Israh
and Ben ... repression of emotions leads to community dysfunction ... linking
the healing process to development ... culturally specific healing processes
... case of the perpetrators who came forward
- The Role of DNA in Exhumation and Identification ...
waiting for a change in government ... truth and reconciliation commissions
... no cultural obstacles to DNA identification ... when exhumation perpetuates
denial ... need to heal is paramount
- Lessons Learned ... emotional
support ... writing poetry ... satisfaction of the work
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