Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, professor of psychology at Cape Town University, South Africa, and a former member of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, will describe her experiences in a public lecture at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, in Auerbach Auditorium of St. Mary’s Hall. Her book, “A Human Being Died that Night: A South African Story of Forgiveness,” was chosen as the summer reading for the SMCM 2011 incoming class.
The book received the Christopher Award for “a book that speaks to the human spirit,” and the Alan Paton Award for “a book that demonstrates compassion, illumination of truthfulness, and intellectual and moral integrity.” Gobodo-Madikizela is the recipient of many international awards for her work on human rights and reconciliation, including the Eleanor Roosevelt Medal in 2007.
Her talk is titled: “Engaging the Other: Trauma, Witnessing and the Paradox of Remorse.” The event is sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Faculty, the Core Curriculum, the Center for the Study of Democracy, the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, and African and African Diaspora Studies.