Country of my Skull

I like to consider myself an avid reader and I rarely feel the need to put down a book for a breather if I am seriously into the topic. However, the other day the book I ordered from Indigo came in and I rushed home to start to read it. (I can't read in moving vehicles, so the bus ride home was out of the question.) Anyhoo, Country of my Skull is a book by Antjie Krog that recounts the many stories that were brought to the general public during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. The TRC was set up in an attempt to bring to the fore the horrible injustices suffered during the Apartheid era and to encourage healing amongst Saffas. It's an interesting and intense read but there's only so much inhumanity and torture a reader can take in one sitting so I have been thusfar reading it in spurts. Krog, an Afrikaan poet from Bleomfontein in the Orange Free State tells the stories with a sort of guilt, a guilt that can be guessed was felt by the majority of liberally minded Afrikaaners who had to come to terms with their violent histories. She is shocked, saddened and emotionally scarred from her work for SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation) on the TRC and struggles with her pride at being a white South African as well as her shame for those who were abused and oppressed while her race prospered. Yes, there's extreme sadness and horror in the stories by the victims but there are also small glimmers of hope for the future. Tiny glimmers may not seem like a lot but Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will South Africa, it seems that people tend to forget that the official policy of Apartheid lasted for 40 years and under that regime many people suffered so there are deep wounds that need to be healed. I imagine there are a lot of ghosts that need to be exorcised and attitudes to be changed in order for people to truly be equal in the land.

An interesting sidebar is that I brought this book into work with me to try and read a few chapters during lunch and many people in the office were intrigued by the title. While Krog never really states why she used the specific title I am assuming it's because at the time of writing the book she felt haunted by her people's past and emotionally raw to the bone. Her beloved country, with it's picturesque landscapes had a ugly inescapable history to it whose foundations were built upon the bones of many victims. Or perhaps it is called Country of my Skull because South Africa is more than where she lives and was born in, it is a place that inhabits the very marrow of her bones and the essence of who she is. It's not superficial, like skin or hair, it's within her. Again, I do not know the real answer and am only making assumptions.

If you are more of a movie person rather than a reader then I make the suggestion that you rent In My Country, which is loosely based on the book and has Juliet Binoche and Samuel L. Jackson in it. I've read some forums that say the Afrikaans in the movie is horrible and that Juliet Binoche has a terrible accent but chances are, if you know me and read this blog, you're working knowledge of Afrikaans is limited so go wild and throw caution to the wind and rent it.