Conference: Dealing with the Past, reaching the Future - Historical memory and and social change in South Africa and Germany since 1989

Between 29 and 31 October 2009 House of World Cultures Berlin in cooperation with Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study are organising an international conference on the topic "Dealing with the Past, reaching the Future - Historical memory and and social change in South Africa and Germany since 1989". Participants are Neville Alexander, Antje Krog, Breyten Breytenbach, Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela a.o.

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The role of historical memory and of cultural remembrance in societies dealing with dramatic transformations and, at times, traumatic pasts are numerous. In this conference, we will look at post-apartheid South Africa and reunified German society, how each country views itself, as well as the differences and similarities in their approach to interrogating and confronting the past.

The Afro-German dialogue looks at the politics of remembrance and current practices in the process of historical remembrance: How do we remember and how do we process these memories? What versions of the past exist and what versions are negotiated by society and the political arena? What role does the question concerning the future form or common vision of a society play in shaping today’s politics of remembrance? Representatives from the academic world, civil society, the media and culture will be discussing the potential for integration and reconciliation within the contemporary cultures of remembrance in South Africa and Germany.

Free Admission

German-english simultaneous translation

In cooperation with the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study

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