South Africa

There is so much facing of our pasts to be done.  We know so well how to be polite.  But we know less about being honest.  We lie to ourselves and hide our pain.  We lie to ourselves and hide our fears, our guilt, our remorse, and our anger.  We need to be truthful ... to tell the truth to ourselves.
- from Facing the Past seminar evaluations  
 

The disparity in teacher training and preparation between white and non-white teachers in South Africa is a legacy of apartheid that continues to affect teachers and students. The effects are not limited to the education system. They also influence the economy, the strength of the democracy and the prospects of long-term peaceful coexistence. Appropriate preparation is even more critical when teachers have participated in and been shaped by the history they experienced, and can unwittingly perpetuate old notions of identity in their classrooms.  With training that explicitly addresses their history and the legacy of apartheid, teachers have the potential to create classrooms which are safe spaces for students to explore these issues and think critically about the past.

In order to accomplish our goals in South Africa, Facing History has developed a strong partnership with a non-governmental organization called Shikaya and with the Western Cape Education Department.  The collaboration has yielded a new program, called Facing the Past, which uses Facing History's pedagogy and methods to help educators address apartheid in their classrooms.  Facing History provides the opportunity for teachers to use human behavior and the actions and decisions of individuals as a lens for exploring South Africa's past.