Pauline Dempers

Overview

Pauline Dempers born Aranos, Hardap, Namibia April 28, 1968. Namibian human rights leader; anti-Apartheid protester; arrested as a spy and tortured by SWAPO in Angola exile 1986; national coordinator Breaking the Wall of Silence 1996 exposing SWAPO abuses and finding reconciliation.

Quotations

“I also want us to listen to each other to find a solution. This should be the foundation on which we build: honoring the ones who could not make it back home, acknowledging that this was a real situation that we have to deal with. We must put a human face on this history, and say never again will we get there. Then build in strategies and policies that prevent that with the help of both the ones who have lost and the ones who have caused the pain.” (quote and photo Jenna Barnett, “Tell Them Our Names”, pp. 55-6, Kroc WomenPeacemakers Narrative)