On Monday, March 5 2018, Historians without Borders, in cooperation with the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and ACCORD – The African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes hosted a seminar that explored how Historians address the Legacy of Colonialism.
The keynote address highlighted the use and abuse of History in Conflicts and explored ways that can promote the understanding of history and use it for conflict resolution and reconciliations.
“Our international Network of Historians without Borders is grateful to the University of Johannesburg for facilitating our events. We expect our meetings in South Africa will give us new ideas and input for our work on history dialogues, including the challenging task of bringing together views from the North and South in writing colonial history, “said Dr Erkki Tuomioja, President of Historian without Borders, and Former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
Speakers included: Professor Sabelo J Ndlovu-Gatsheni, Head of Archie Mafeje Research Institute (AMRI), University of South Africa (UNISA); Doctor Olivette Otele, Bath Spa University; Nkosana Donald Moyo, Former Zimbabwean Minister of Industry and International Trade, Founder and Executive Chair of Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS); Erkki Tuomioja, Chairman of Historian without Borders; Professor Thaddeus Metz, Research Professor at the Department of Philosophy, University of Johannesburg and Doctor Jan Behrends, Member of the HWB Coordinating Committee.
In a globalized world, it is increasingly important to be aware of both history and various interpretations about it, not to mention their influence on politics and events in the world today. As a response to these challenges, Historians without Borders in Finland (HWB) was founded at the initiative of Erkki Tuomioja, PhD, MP, Former Minister for Foreign Affairs, on 17 June 2015 in Helsinki. The purpose of the organization is to further public discussion about history and to promote the use of historical knowledge for peace-building and conflict-resolution.
