Leslie Salzman, and Glen Parker on a 10-day journey through South Africa where they met with leading professionals in the field of Conflict Resolution. The group’s goal was to gain a first-hand perspective of how South Africa managed its transition from apartheid to a new democracy and how conflict resolution processes are currently used, particularly in the context of labor relations.
The program began with a meeting with Judge Richard Goldstone, a former justice on the South African Constitutional Court, who was noted for his decisions undermining discriminatory efforts of the Apartheid regime. After apartheid was dismantled, and during the country’s transition to a new democracy, Judge Goldstone laid the groundwork for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The judge noted that in order to achieve reconciliation it was important to have truth to enable the country to move forward with only one history. Students also engaged in a discussion with Glenda Wildschut, who served as a commissioner on the TRC.
Through hearing about specific cases that were heard by the TRC, students got a sense of what the practice of reconciliation meant to individuals, beyond the theory of the people who instituted the TRC. Students were also able to gain a better appreciation for the courage behind forgiveness and the power it has for everyone involved. The group’s visit to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg offered a view into the conditions during that era, as well as a further understanding of what the country was trying to move past.
One reason why students were so moved by the story of apartheid and the TRC was because of the parallels they saw between South Africa and the history of race relations in the United States. A question frequently asked was: what if a similar process was used in the US after the abolition of slavery or at the height of the civil rights movement?
Building on the lessons learned from the TRC, the group met with Dr. Fanie Du Toit, the Executive Director of the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, to learn about how similar processes have been used in other countries in Africa and around the world. Despite any similarities between the US and South Africa, students were able to get a real sense of one of the maxims of dispute resolution design: One size does not fit all. The differences between South Africa and the US were sometimes inspiring and sometimes disconcerting. But the more the group learned, the more they came to accept the differences. Students came to understand that each nation that is confronted with a need to address and move past nation-wide atrocity must, and will, do so in its own unique way.
Barney Jordaan, a leading figure in the field of conflict resolution in labor disputes, met the group for a lecture and lunch. Students also visited the Metal and Engineering Bargaining Council (MEIBC) and the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), the two main bodies overseeing conflict resolution in the mining sector.
Students also had the opportunity to see life in various townships settings. In Langa, a township outside of Cape Town, they received a tour from a local who took the group through the neighborhoods and even into the bedrooms of peoples’ homes. While the Cardozo group received an intimate look at living conditions, they were greeted warmly by residents they met.
One again, Cardozo is offering students the opportunity to study conflict resolution processes abroad in Budapest, Hungary this summer. This two-week, three-credit program offered June 2-14, 2013, at Central European University, focuses on Mediation and Other Methods of Foster Democratic Dialogue. American students learned side-by-side with scholars from Central and Eastern European countries and elsewhere. The course is designed to facilitate the exchange of ideas and cooperative projects among academics, professionals, and students in the East and West who are pursuing the study of conflict and conflict resolution processes. The program is sponsored by Cardozo, together with both the Dispute Resolution Institute of Hamline University School of Law and Central European University. Professors Jim Coben and Lela Love will lead the program.