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Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Flowers are placed alongside a photo of Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town bells toll to honor Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s life

Obituary

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who worked against South Africa’s apartheid regime, has died at the age of 90. He chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that documented atrocities and sought to promote national reconciliation.

Attendees perform a round dance during a press conference and prayer vigil at the former Muscowequan Indian Residential School, one of the last residential schools to close its doors in Canada in 1997 and the last fully intact residential school still sta

What the US can learn from Canada’s commission on Indigenous residential schools

Conflict & Justice
A member of South Africa's opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), wears a red shirt and chants outside the US embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, on June 8, 2020. 

What South Africa can teach the US about racial justice and reconciliation

Justice
Truth and Reconciliation

South Africa’s imperfect progress, 20 years after the Truth & Reconciliation Commission

Culture
Joe Stewart and Patricia Bayonne-Johnson, both descendants of people sold as slaves by Georgetown University, visit the school on September 1, 2016 in Washington, D.C.

Lessons from South Africa as Georgetown attempts reparations for slavery

Justice

Brazil’s government establishes ‘Truth Commission,’ but expectations are low

Global Politics

Brazil was ruled by an abusive military dictatorship decades ago, like many other South American countries. But alone among its neighbors, Brazil has resisted efforts to confront and deal with that past. A new Truth Commission has been established to investigate, but no concrete actions are expected.

Liberia reacts to President’s Nobel Peace Prize

Two Liberian women shared this year’s Nobel Peace Prize with a woman from Yemen. The news provoked celebrations and pride in many parts of Liberia, though not everyone is happy.

The World

Brazil’s Truth Commission Under Fire from Military and Torture Victims

Conflict & Justice

Brazil is among the latest countries in Latin America to create a truth commission to investigate abuses during the country’s military dictatorship. But as John Otis reports, there’s little confidence in Brazil that the truth commission will do much good.

Chile’s Transition to Democracy: Lessons for the Arab Spring

Global Politics

Ricardo Lagos, former president of Chile, played a key role in leading Chile out of military dictatorship, and into a functioning democracy.

Reaction From Liberia on Nobel Prize

Global Politics

Not everyone is happy in Liberia about Sirleaf winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

Latest Episode

Truth & reconciliation in South Africa, revisited