The Classroom

Despite what a few of my friends might think, in between the festive South African nights, I've actually been going to class and learning a fair amount about South African Political and Social history. It has been a unique experience because almost all of my professors lived through apartheid and were involved in the ANC resistance in one way or another. The classes are what I imagine learning Political Science in Jamaica would have been like. There is only so much one can learn from a book, but having the opportunity to speak to people about what it was like living through apartheid and also what they think about the SA that has emerged since 1994 has been an interesting experience. I have even gone as far to set up appointments individually with a few professors to talk politics and the TRC (Truth and Reconciliation Commission)--gotta make the most of the experience.
The TRC is of particular interest to me because of the powerful ideas that are behind it. You can learn about here. The long and short of the TRC is that it was a powerful initiative ordered by Nelson Mandela and chaired by Desmond Tutu to bring out the truth about . It offered persons amnesty for revealing the truth about the crimes and atrocities during the minority government. The idea of restorative justice--action that heals wounds and aims at unification---is very different from the traditional retributive or punitive justice that I have been used to. People's views on the TRC have been mixed so far and I am keen to learn more.
The overall classroom experience has been good. The classes have been 2 hours in length and lecture style. Some of them have been more difficult to stay awake in than others, but I will let you know that I have only dozed off in one and only for like 5 minutes!
The classes have provided more motivation to talk to people when I (eventually) get home. The last couple of times I have been in JA I tried to talk to those persons around me who could tell me about Michael Manley and what it was like to live in Jamaica during the 60s, 70s and 80s. I can read books by various authors, critiques from that time, or even reports about the economic situations but the personal stories about life and effects that people like Bustamante's, Shearer, Manley and Seaga had can only garnered from talking to people.
Peace for now...

Links
TRC - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_and_Reconciliation_Commission_(South_Africa)