As a result of the new knowledge, Tutu hoped that South Africans of all racial groups would be able to move forward and work together to achieve freedom. Desmond Tutu preached the importance of forgiveness; he granted amnesty and encouraging blacks to forgive their white suppressors. This concept was controversial because many blacks were still traumatized by the violence, and felt it was too soon to forgive. Regardless, Archbishop Desmond Tutu believed that the country could only reconcile if the past was understood, people forgave one another, and citizens created a sense of Ubuntu where everyone was responsible for each-others wellbeing. Today, South Africa still struggles greatly with racial separation and extreme poverty among the black population. However, Desmond Tutu maintains hope, he believes that the violent truths accepted in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission were a crucial step in the country’s journey towards freedom. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission exposed the violence of apartheid, yet Desmond Tutu encouraged forgiveness and worked to reconcile the country through the influence of Ubuntu, the belief that it is in everyone’s best interest to help South Africa heal from the …show more content…
However, the violence which South Africa had experienced was highly tragic. According to the South African Institute of Race Relations, 2,476 South Africans died of political violence in 1994. When he took office in 1994, Mandela feared that those who forget the past would be doomed to repeat it. One of Mandela’s first motions as President was an ambitious attempt to make South Africans come to terms with their history. Mandela said, “unless the crimes of apartheid were addressed, they would live with us like a festering sore.” The people of South Africa, need to fully understand the damages done by apartheid. In order to deal with the past, the true story of the gross violation of human rights had to be revealed. To discover what happened, parliament created a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The purpose of the Commission was to “provide the victims of gross human rights violations with a public platform to express themselves in order to allow them to regain their human dignity.” Violation of human rights includes immoral acts like killing, torture, severe ill treatment, abduction, associated violence. After hearing the trauma that the victims of political violence experienced, the Commission would refer the individual to the Rehabilitation Committee. Tutu acknowledged that