SEMINAR GERMAN HISTORY
by Lukhanyo Velelo

It was a great lesson to me to learn about the German history, a history full of sadness and pain. However, it is also full of hope and prosperity. Here was a country that was involved in significant ways in two of the greatest wars in human recorded history, in the past century, not in rubble or war-stricken but thriving and one of the regional and global influences in our lifetime. So, the lessons in the history seminars that I took are three from this prosperous country. 
Firstly, I learnt about how we need each other as countries. Germany needed the allies to help and rebuild the country after the two wars. Also, there was a greater acknowledgment of the need for peace which ushered in a new set of global institutions like the World Bank, the United Nations and European Union. Nowadays, the vision of these institutions is often blurred by forgetfulness and the blindness of our minds to the successes they have achieved. Instead, some of us focus on the shortcomings of these institutions. 

Yes, I admit there many reforms that these institutions need but they are needed, as history shows. These history lessons forced me to reflect and to come to appreciate that peace enjoyed in both South Africa and Germany, with all the challenges the two countries face, is a result of women and men who invested in it. It is not by coincidence but by design.
Secondly, I learnt that human rights are a central part of the development process. When humanity, not a particular group of people, is put in the heart of policy, success ensues. This was not only evident in the success of Germany but also in the gains that South Africa has made since independence from white minority rule. The subject of human rights was perhaps the greatest take away for me because of my academic interests, i.e. Development Studies.

Thirdly and finally, I learnt that to heal broken people and to re-educate the population after horrific events, justice, frank conversations and deliberate re-education are needed. In German history, high-level officials in the Nazi regime were prosecuted and those who were not in the powerful positions or who were forced to do atrocious crimes were given amnesty but not allowed back to public service, permanently or for a specified time. This ensured that the newly built or reconstructed institutions were not under the influence of the Nazis. 

While perhaps this was one of the shortcomings of my country.  I learnt that frank and honest acknowledgment of the past consistently has helped to heal the Jewish community in Germany who lost so much and to re-educate the entire German population. So, education has a role to play in this in the changing of minds and societies. 

Admittedly, our country had the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. However, this was partial job with no justice delivered against high-level apartheid officials, with little frank conversations had in a short time and not consistently, and education was not radically changed to reflect the Human Rights programme that the country was adopting. 
These are lessons that I will take with me, back home, and share with as many people as possible. I found the history of Germany illuminating and empowering. As, a result, I have more hope that South Africa too will soon be a prosperous country.