I met Verne Harris, Director of the South African History Archives the other day. They are doing amazing work documenting and supporting the struggles for justice in South Africa. They also assist (for free) individuals' and organisations' in submitting their own Promotion of Access to Information Act (2000) requests. South Africa is the only country in the world that allows its citizens access to information from private companies if it required to excercise a right - this is especially relevant to HIV/AIDS information held by the private sector.
I asked Verne what he thought about the idea that dwelling on the past and continually unearthing these horrific stories from apartheid may not be the most constructive approach. He said that Germany's silence over atrocities committed during WWII had negative repercussions on the society - and eventually led to attempts to talk about what happened only decades later.
Makes me realise more than ever that there is never any excuse not to expose and to inform.
