Contemporary Africa is a victim of colonial and neo-colonial violence. Africa is also its own worst enemy, with several intrinsically viable states engulfed in a destructive synthesis of military aggression, economic chaos, cultural animosity and religious warfare. This lecture will address the encounter between positive and negative forces and ideologies in African states. It will include consideration of ‘lessons to be learned’ from the South African transition for other situations of conflict in Africa and elsewhere in the world.

Regarded as a global authority in the area of transitional justice, distinguished theologian, and political scientist Charles Villa-Vicencio’s has used his expertise to advise several countries dealing with the challenges of rebuilding their societies after periods of internal strife, including Peru and various African nations.

He divides his time between Washington, D.C., where he is a visiting conflict resolution professor and research fellow at Georgetown University — and Africa, including in his native South Africa.

Villa-Vicencio is also a senior research fellow in the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation based in Cape Town, having founded the Institute in 2000 and served as its executive director for eight years. The institute encourages cooperation between groups in South Africa and beyond that have been divided by social conflicts.

He is the author or editor of 18 books, including his most recent, “Walk with Us and Listen: Political Reconciliation in Africa.”

Pauley Symposium, History Department