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The Perpetrator's Narrative and Myth a Study of Country of My Skull and Ubu and the Truth Commission

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The Perpetrator's Narrative and Myth a Study of Country of My Skull and Ubu and the Truth Commission The Perpetrator's Narrative and Myth A study of Country of My Skull and Ubu and the Truth Commission Lisa Susan Malherbe Thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (English) at the University of Stellenbosch Supervisor: Dr. E.P.B. Bees December 2002 Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za STATEMENT 1, the undersigned, hereby declare that the work contained in this thesis is my own original work and that 1 have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it at any university for a degree . Signature Date 2 Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za ABSTRACT The reconstruction of history from individual narratives heard by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) urged society to reconsider the meaning of history as a construction based on personal memory. In fact, the TRC's attempt to unveil the past in order to encourage social reconciliation raised many questions of this nature. As a result, the socio-political issues associated with the hearings inspired a movement in literature that addressed these issues specifically. This thesis investigates the depiction of perpetrators in Country of My Skull and Ubu and the Truth Commission as examples of Truth and Reconciliation literature. Apart from functioning as important sources of commentary on the socio-political debate surrounding the TRC, these texts explore a range of questions concerning the relationship between memory, history and narrative. I wish to argue that the perpetrators portrayed in the texts are deluded by myths concerning power and masculinity. Comforting self-deceptions underlie their reconstructions of history, complicating the notion of truth and effecting the construction of history in the wider TRe context. The perpetrator's narrative, as a significant component of the testimony of the IRC hearings reveals a manipulation of the truth which results in perpetrators evading responsibility for their actions. This occurrence has implications for victims as well as they try to reconcile their personal versions of the truth with alternative versions. I conclude that the conflict between the narratives of the victim and the perpetrator is often a confrontation of cultures that exposes the myths underlying the perpetrator's manipulation of the truth. 3 Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za OPSOMMING Die Waarheids en Versoenings Kommissie (WVK) het hulle beroep op 'n hersamestelling van die geskiedenis wat gebaseer was op individuele vertellings van die verlede. Dit het beteken dat die geskiedenis gebaseer is op persoonlike geheue. In die samelewing het die behoefte ontstaan om die definisie van 'geskiedenis' te heroorweeg. Die WVK se poging om die verlede bloot te lê het verskeie soortgelyke sosiale vraagstukke laat ontstaan. Die sosio-politieke kwessies waarmee die WVK verhore geassosieer word het 'n beweging in die letterkunde geïnspireer wat spesifiek hierdie kwessies aanspreek. Hierdie tesis ondersoek die uitbeelding van geweldplegers in twee Waarheids en Versoenings-tekste, Country of My Skull en Ubu and the Truth Commission. Behalwe dat hierdie tekste belangrike bronne is van kommentaar op die sosio-politieke debat rondom die WVK, speel hulle ook 'n rol as tekste wat 'n verskeidenheid vrae oorweeg in verband met die verhouding tussen geheue, geskiedenis en vertellings. Ek stel voor dat die geweldplegers in die twee tekste mislei word deur mites wat magstrukture en manlikheid onderskryf. Die geweldplegers se hersamestellings van hul persoonlike geskiedenis word gebaseer op self-bedrog, wat dan die begrip 'waarheid' kompliseer en die konstruksie van geskiedenis in die wyer WVK-konteks beïnvloed. Die geweldplegers se vertellings vorm 'n noemenswaardige komponent van die getuienis van die WVK-verhore. Die vertellings ontbloot egter 'n manipulering van die waarheid wat die geweldplegers in staat stelom aanspreeklikheid vir hulle aksies te ontduik. Ook slagoffers word hierdeur beïnvloed in hul pogings om hulle weergawes van die waarheid met alternatiewe weergawes te versoen. My gevolgtrekking is dat die konflik tussen die vertellings van die slagoffer en die geweldpleger dikwels 'n konfrontasie tussen kulture behels wat dan die mites blootlê onderliggend aan die pleger se manipulering van die waarheid. 4 Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za ACKNO\VLEDGMENTS I thank the following people, without whose support I would not have been able to finish this: My parents, Willem and Hildegarde for their infinite love, patience and encouragement, Hester, Ruan, Dawie and Esmé for their love and interest, Edwin Hees for his valuable advice and guidance, The Hof Ena crowd for perpetual entertainment, The sisterhood here and abroad. All my efforts would have been meaningless had I not been blessed with insight and strength by God who controls all things. Words are inadequate to express my gratitude for His love, mercy and guidance. 5 Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za CONTENTS Page Introduction 7 Chapter 1: The TRC Debate And Literature: The Revelation and Complication of Memory Il Chapter 2: Myths Of Manhood And Might: Analysing the Perpetrator 23 Chapter 3: Cultural Tensions: Perpetrator and Victim Face to Face 39 Conclusion 47 Bibliography 49 6 Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za Introduction If the grand public project of apartheid, and the grand public response of resistance, collectivized identity and devalued individual experience, then surely "truth and reconciliation" is primarily a matter of relocating individual and private experiences within the rubric of an epic liberation struggle ... There are, after all, histories other than public ones that need to be reclaimed (Gevisser Truth & Consequences 14). Gevisser's argument outlines the crux of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)'s project to uncover the past by providing the opportunity for individuals to present their private experiences of human rights abuses in public hearings all over the country. The Commission engaged simultaneously in the reclamation of history, and specifically the history that includes the narratives of countless individuals who were ignored in the past. Gevisser emphasizes in his article the role of art and specifically literature in this 'relocation' of private experience. The acknowledgement of the experience of individuals is especially significant for victims of apartheid and this fact seems to be Gevisser's focus. However, not only the narratives of victims featured in Truth Commission hearings, but also those of perpetrators seeking amnesty. Victims and perpetrators alike were given the opportunity of constructing their individual histories publicly by reliving personal memory. Memory, even at its most reliable, will always be fiction because of the way the 'real' is altered by subjective manipulation and interpretation. The construction of history in the TRC hearings, which were based on personal memory, raises questions about fact and fiction, truth and myth, and the nature of memory, among other matters. Alongside the proceedings of the TRC hearings was an ongoing social debate about these particular issues. The significance of Krog's Country of My Skull (first published in 1998) and the production of Ubu and the Truth Commission (first performed 1997) within this context is that both texts can be described as contributions to the debate. The essence of Truth and Reconciliation literature lies precisely in its close association with the political and social context in which it originated. Zakes Mda argues that art and life in South African society always have a close connection, because artists respond "to the prevailing political and social conditions" (Mda Theatre & Reconciliation 38). As confirmation of this view, we note that the 7 Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za TRC's establishment in 1995 triggered a surge in artistic expression that addressed an entirely new and unique socio-political context. Truth and Reconciliation literature is an illustration of the involvement of literature in the taut political problems of the time. This literature functions as an expression of the questions society struggled with during the hearings, but also as a way of reflecting on the process of rebuilding the nation that the Truth Commission started. The TRC was different from similar inquiries in other countries with a history of oppression, I in that its aim was to uncover the truth as frankly as possible by creating the possibility for individuals to testify about their personal experience of human rights abuses. Also, perpetrators were given the opportunity to apply for amnesty instead of being put on trial. What resulted was a marathon three-year inquiry receiving over 20 000 statements from individuals who recounted their tragic memories of torture and suffering.' Public hearings were held from 1996 and for two years the public was dumbfounded as the extent of the reign of terror unfolded. Simultaneously, the process challenged society to reflect earnestly on the nature of history and memory in this context. In this thesis I will investigate the depiction of perpetrators in Country of My Skull and Ubu and the Truth Commission as they substantiate their versions of the truth by myths concerning power and masculinity. I start by outlining the social debate concerning 'truth' and 'reconciliation' that accompanied the TRC's project, the implications of the debate for the rewriting of history and the place of literature in the debate. Chapter
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