Abstract:
National reconciliation has increasingly become an integral part of
post-conflict recovery processes in Africa. What national reconciliation
means, how it differs from interpersonal reconciliation and to what extent
governments can facilitate reconciliation at all remains under
debate. This article examines government institutions intended to
facilitate national reconciliation processes in South Africa, Rwanda
and Burundi. Rather than normatively prescribing what governments
should be doing, this article seeks to examine what governments are
doing as a starting point to understanding what national reconciliation
is.
