Forgiveness Revisited

In the aftermath of the death of Nelson Mandela, many speeches and articles have celebrated his generous heart and forgiving spirit. In fact the media has consistently framed Mandela as a kindly, forgiving grandfather as he neared the end of his life. But this snapshot betrays a lack of appreciation for who Mandela was and for what we can learn from him about forgiveness.

It is our notion of forgiveness, particularly within a Christian cultural context, which continues to confound our collective understanding of ethics and social change. Just as many people confused the practice of nonviolence used by Dr. King and many in the civil rights movement with passivity in the face of evil, many people still view forgiveness as the obligation of victims and survivors of harm absent any larger context of responsibility on the part of the victimizers.

We must remember that Mandela led the anti-apartheid movement and organized the armed resistance to the brutal oppression of the South African government. This is why he was sent to prison. He refused offers of conditional release from prison until the apartheid government was ready to abandon apartheid and move toward universal suffrage and democracy. He did not “forgive” anyone or anything while he was a prisoner. Once he was free and elected President, he wanted to guide the nation through its transition without bloodshed. Then as a survivor and as someone who had achieved some measure of power as a leader, Mandela chose to forgo vengeance in order to move on. Forgiveness was a strategy which no doubt required great discipline from him. Vengeance would have been easier but would never accomplish his vision of freedom and democracy. Beginning to experience justice freed Mandela to lead with a generous and forgiving heart.

It is justice that brings forth healing possibilities like forgiveness. In post apartheid South Africa, a key to justice-making was the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The TRC was established as a mechanism whereby people could confess their participation in human rights abuses during apartheid and receive amnesty. The most important dimension of the TRC was the public truth-telling which prevented the truth about apartheid from being buried in the past.

The reviews on the TRC are mixed, some arguing that particularly those responsible for the policies of apartheid should have been held criminally liable. The wisdom of this effort will probably only be measured by the next generation of South Africans, the “born free” generation which works now to build a new society.

The Shakespearian advice to "forgive and forget", too often directed at victims and survivors of violence, was not the path Mandela chose nor should it be the panacea we employ in the aftermath of sexual and domestic violence. The kindly grandfather, Madiba, was a courageous freedom fighter who demanded justice, truth-telling and remembering before forgiveness. This is the lesson in forgiveness that he leaves us.

Forgiveness does not come from a position of powerlessness but from a place of empowerment and a degree of safety; forgiveness is never about forgetting the past, but in remembering the past in order to strengthen our efforts not to repeat it. Justice, imperfect though it may be, makes forgiveness possible. The wound may heal even if the scar remains. In this healing, the body survives and may thrive, in spite of the scars and memories.

Whether for a nation, a neighborhood, or an individual who has suffered trauma at the hands of an aggressor, justice is the key to healing and to a future.

Rev. Dr. Marie M. Fortune
FaithTrust Institute
www.faithtrustinstitute.org 
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P.S. These two articles also challenged the superficial treatment of forgiveness in the discussions of Mandela’s life and legacy:

• "Forgiveness is the Right Kind of Cash" by Catherine Meeks (The Telegraph)
• "Nelson Mandela Demanded Justice Before Forgiving White South Africans" by Peter Beinart (The Daily Beast)

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