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Once upon a time ... the apartheid

'Apartheid' means 'separate development': in the old South Africa was to divide the country into regions (black and white - and then for mestizos and Indians), 'developing' regardless of ethnicity.

In reality, then, the most productive agricultural areas, mining areas were white, while the commercial ones were developed 'in between', in the white areas on the border with black ones, to allow access from both ' one than the other part.

buses were divided, the revenue split in the shops, the benches in parks, toilets, beaches of the sea, everything.

Verwoerd In 1975, the President inaugurated a new era with the establishment of the 'homelands' (= semi-independent areas, distributed according to ethnic groups: Batswana - Bapedi - Basotho - Zulu - Xhosa - Ndebele - Sell): each ethnic group had its own 'place' and the map of South Africa became a kind of 'collage' in which there were many spots corresponding to these islands. Eye of the ordinary citizen was as a leopard's back, a whitish background with many irregular black spots. It was decided to give these 'homelands' a name, a president, a government, a parliament, a flag ... to make them 'satellite states' ... the problem was that no foreign state never officially recognized the 'homelands'. The reality was that these presidents and governments were not the 'long arm' of the central government in Pretoria.

The practical consequences of the system were visible: Diversified salaries for whites and blacks (the same job were paid differently depending on the color of the skin), social facilities (hospitals, clinics, administration public, etc.). different way of planning the territory altogether. Then the chance that some of the white area and you seemed to be in Switzerland: villa with garden and swimming pool ... 20-30 - 40 km further: real slum, the first world and third world few miles away. Brits it was the most visible example, a rural town with all the amenities and artistic fountains - two kilometers many tin sheds for a few thousand people without water (except for a number of taps scattered in 'location') without drains (they used buckets that were withdrawn during the night) without light. A Legonyane in black area, 40 km to about by Brits, there was only one well to three thousand people, and people went to dig for water in the dry bed of the stream which flowed only during the rainy season.

To keep all this system had been developed a ruthless propaganda to justify it (even at the religious!), With a security service one of the most efficient in the world and separate education, where schools of ' blacks' were taught a little history and geography little to prevent someone look over ... (it was called 'Bantu Education System').

Apartheid was a complex phenomenon that is difficult to explain in a nutshell. The apartheid breathed ... became a way of thinking 'in black and white' you shut yourself in, whether you were white, whether you were black.

The parliament was divided and there were three rooms: for the whites, the mestizos and Indians residing in the country. No representation for the then national policy (if I remember correctly) 25 million Africans who had only local representatives in the 'homelands'.

... which fortunately ended.

When I arrived in South Africa in 1987, the situation was 'fruit' - would not have gone on for long. There was a lot of people paurafra a revolution and a civil war, as had happened in Rhodesia, who recently became Zimbabwe. The attacks 'terrorism' (as they were defined by the central government) were multiplying, the economic crisis due to the sanctions and the embargo was felt at all levels. The autocracy of South Africa could no longer survive in a world that was becoming globalized. In 1989 the then Interior Minister De Klerk together with the Foreign Minister, Pik Botha, the deposed President PW Botha who had had a paresis and indissero elections and wondered if the whites begin a process of change and democratization of South Africa. The majority said yes to change. The first result was the release of Mandela (February 11, 1990) and recognition of his party, the ANC and other parties which until then had been banned as a terrorist associations. Later in the referendum among whites in March '92, the journey started by De Klerk and Mandela was officially accepted. He then began with the Constitutional Assembly that was to re-write the Constitution .

The Commission Truth and Reconciliation (Truth and Reconciliation Commission - TRC)

President De Klerk, in the transition from old system to the new South Africa, said an amnesty was issued to all officials of the old system that had been stained with crimes against humanity in the name of the old ideology. Civil society said no. Then there was the danger of a repetition of what happened after 1945 in Germany with the Nazi criminals who were scattered all over the world. We wanted to solve the problem within the country. The discussion that followed revealed the desire to establish a committee consisting of representative members of the law and the church that would help in national reconciliation. It was understood that the simple process of legal justice is not enough: we need a spiritual renewal and moral sense. It was necessary, first of all, establish the truth of the facts and begin a process of inner healing of the nation. It was decided that the committee was made up of 17 members and chaired by Nobel prize for peace, the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, Desmond Tutu. Victims and survivors were invited to tell their stories. The criminals to seek amnesty in a process of self-incrimination.

was clearly a step beyond retributive justice: the 'punishment' imposed were never 'right' in this sense: the criminals fared with a 'fool' the public and the victims had the satisfaction of witnessing their suffering. Compensation and refunds were made only to those who were suffering economically because of the crimes of the old system, the poorest, and this creates problems of popularity of the Commission. But the Commissioners are asked: 'How much does a man's life? You can make a tariff? ' How much could cost - for example - the hands of that Anglican minister who received a letter bomb by the security department of the then Ministry of the Interior and lost forever?

about 22.500 cases were opened and closed and this, unexpectedly (it was a miracle!) Led to a deep inner healing of both victims and perpetrators of crimes. It is understood that evil was done and was irreversible and was priceless. We had to go over, turn the page, start a new chapter. Do not forget, but to ensure that the memory is no longer a source of revenge and this is the true reconciliation.

The TRC can be seen in human history as a great story of justice and an example to rebuild a nation from within. The legal philosophers, jurists and historians judge from their point of view. With the people, the TRC has played a key role in national reconciliation and the re-opening the future of South Africa, a nation 'rainbow' formed by several large ethnic groups.

The example of the TRC was then exported to Rwanda, Burundi, Ivory Coast and Israel with various results. But the TRC in my opinion is a clear example

implementation of the famous Gospel saying: 'the truth shall make you free'.

The political justice in South Africa was achieved in 1994 with the first democratic elections and the presidency Mandela. The economic and social justice are still difficult to build. But the transition from the old to the new South Africa is a great model of integration for all humanity.

of p. Stefano Senaldi , Stigmatine, has lived in South Africa 17 years