Memorials seek to preserve memories of people or events. In the context of transitional
justice, they serve to honour those who died during conflict or other atrocities, to examine
the past, to address contemporary issues, and to show respect to victims. They can help
create records to prevent denial and help societies move forward. Memorials may include
commemoration in the form of, for instance, architectural memorials, museums and
commemorative events. One example includes the monuments, annual prayer ceremony
and mass grave in northern Uganda created in response to the war conducted by and
against the Lord’s Resistance Army there.
Memorialisation can arouse controversy and present certain risks. In unstable political
situations, memorials may increase the desire for revenge and catalyse further violence.
They are highly politicised processes that represent the will of those in power. They are thus
difficult to shape, and international relief workers, peacekeepers and non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) risk being drawn into disputes about the creation or maintenance of
memorial sites. Yet, they also have the potential to redress historical grievances and enable
societies to progress (see Modules 1 & 2).
REFERENCES
Literature
Carver, R. (1993). Zimbabwe: Drawing a line through the past. Journal of African Law, Vol 37, No.1,
69-81
Dassin, J. (1986). Introduction to the English Language Edition. In Torture in Brazil: A report
[English Translation of Brasil: Nunca Mais] New York: Vintage Books, xii
Guatemala Catholic Church (1998). Guatemala: Nunca Mas (Guatemala: Never Again). Report of
the Recovery of History Memory Project (REMHI)
Hayner, P.B. (1994). Fifteen Truth Commissions – 1974 to 1994: A comparative study. Human
Rights Quarterly, 16 (4), 597-655
Further reading
Govier, T., & Verwoerd, W. (2002). Trust and the problem of national reconciliation. Philosophy of
the Social Sciences, 32(2), 178–205.
Lederach, J. P. (2002). Building peace: Sustainable reconciliation in divided societies. Washington
DC: United States Institute of Peace Press.
Murphy, C. (2010). Political reconciliation and international criminal trials. In L. May & Z. Hoskins
(eds.), International criminal law and philosophy. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Patterson, D., & Roth, J. K. (Eds.). (2006). After words: Post holocaust struggles with forgiveness,
reconciliation, justice. Seattle: University of Washington Press.
Philpott, D. (Ed). (2007). The politics of past evil: Religion, reconciliation and the dilemmas of
transitional justice. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press.
Websites
Institute for Justice and Reconciliation: www.ijr.org.za
International Centre for Transitional Justice: www.ictj.org
Module 6: Community healing through reconciliation and transitional justice
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