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South African diplomat speaks at UW
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by Michael Gendall
Monday, March 14, 2005
South African Ambassador to the United States Barbara Masekela spoke to University of Wisconsin students and Madison community members as part of a panel addressing the role of constitutions in developing democracies at the UW Law School Friday.
Masekela was joined by U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisc., and UW history professor John Kaminski. The panel of experts primarily discussed the democracies in the United States and South Africa, but also touched on the potential democracies in sub-Saharan Africa, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Prior to the democracy now functioning in South Africa, the country had been governed by the apartheid controlled by South Africa’s minority white population and condemned by much of the international community.
“The apartheid state had completely failed,” Masekela said. “South Africa was completely isolated in the world.”
After the release of Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990, a constitution was drafted in 1993 and eventually signed into law Dec. 10, 1996.
“We are determined to ensure that history is not repeated,” Masekela said.
Masekela added that even with the majority race now in power, no form of racism would continue, particularly on a governmental level.
“South Africa and the United States share a history of terrible racial oppression,” Feingold said.
Citing the current controversy over affirmative action as an indication of lingering racist problems in America, Feingold said the removal of racism in the United States has been “a very gradual process.”
“The greatest failure of the founding generation was slavery,” Kaminski said.
Debate exists among historians, Kaminski added, about whether politicians from the north or south are primarily to blame for the failure to address the slavery issue in the constitution.
“We emphasized what we had in common rather than [how we differed],” Masekela said. “South Africa succeeded in part because we learned from the experiences of others,” particularly regarding questions of equality and minority status.
Feingold pointed to the South African constitution, which he said begins with the phrase, “We, the people of South Africa, recognize the injustices of our past.”
Masekela said the South African government is “very optimistic” about democracy in Africa and beyond.
“We as Africans have come together in the African Union,” Masekela said. “The people of the Congo are very impatient for elections, even though it has been a failed state for years.”
Feingold also criticized recent movements in the United States to amend the constitution in an effort to advance political agendas and ban flag burning or gay marriage.
“They respect their constitution,” Feingold said of South Africans. “We should respect our constitution.”
In one of her final points, Masekela directly addressed Feingold, telling him “it is very important that Africa thinks the United States puts Africa on the agenda.”
Feingold joked that there is nobody he would rather have lobbying him.
“I thought it was a fabulous event,” UW law student Chris Anderson said, adding that he enjoyed the “great commentary from all three” on historical, political and international levels.
