Sue Williamson
Can't Forget, Can't Remember
1999
Interactive CD-ROM
2004-13-1, museum purchase

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established in South Africa to investigate victims' accounts of apartheid atrocities and post-apartheid politics. This work draws on the only moments in the proceedings when the victim and the accused were in direct confrontation. As the viewer moves the cursor over the English words projected on the screen, voices, recorded from hearing transcripts, are cued. The spoken and written texts reflecting the perpetrator's amnesia and detachment about his actions are contrasted with the personal, emotional details of the victim's questions and testimony.