BOOK REVIEWS
Confronting Apartheid, by
Namibia, South Africa
John Dugard
and more recently in
South Africa achieved notoriety
occupied Palestine,
for its apartheid policies and
which enforces a sys-
practices both in the country and
tem that closely mirrors
in Namibia. Today Israel stands
apartheid in South
accused of applying apartheid
Africa.
in the Palestinian territories it has
He shows how law was
occupied since 1967. Confronting
used by progressive
Apartheid examines the regimes
lawyers in Namibia and
of these three societies from the
South Africa to strike at
perspective of the author’s experi-
the heart of apartheid.
ences as a human rights lawyer
The entrenchment of
in South Africa and Namibia and
a system of discrimina-
as a United Nations’ (UN) human
tion and oppression in
rights envoy in occupied Pales-
occupied Palestine is
tine.
carefully examined in
Looking back over a long and
the context of apart-
distinguished career, John
heid, but he ends on a
Dugard describes the work he
note of hope that the
undertook in defence of human
international community, act-
will ensure that a just solution is
rights by opposing the system of
ing through civil society and the
found to this seemingly intracta-
apartheid in South West Africa/
institutions of international law,
ble problem.
This Is How It Is, by The Life
published before. They wrote
Righting Collective
these stories primarily to bear wit-
This Is How It Is is a collection of
ness to their lives and the trou-
real life experiences – 52 stories,
bled times in which we live.
prose and poetry, that tell of a man who is anxious about an
invites us to become curious and
HIV test; a child with an alarming
reflective rather than fearful and
nose for gossip and a girl who
defensive. It encourages us to
is saved by the enemy in a war
climb down from the ladder of
zone, among others.
hierarchy and competition and to
Some of the writers featured in
82
As readers, this anthology
join the circle of relationship and
This Is How It Is are grieving the
humanity by becoming vulner-
loss of a child or struggling with
able enough to share and listen
addiction, abuse, bullying or
to our own and each other’s half-
betrayal. Most have never been
hidden stories.
Public Sector Manager • February 2019