LETTER tram the EDITeR
1910-2010, 1990-2010: two anniversaries for one country. This issue is dedicated to South Africa and its fascinating history, from the creation of the South African nation to Nelson Mandela's triumphal election after 27 years in prison.
South Africa stijl has its share of ills to cope with. We aimed to present an image of this country that is as true-to-life and up-to-date as possible, be it through an evocation of Cape Town, or a "Panorama" presenting South Africa today,as weil as an overview of apartheid.
ln addition, wishing to provide an accurate but accessibleimage of a complex situation for pupils who wereborn after the end of apartheid, we have provided materialsthat will fit students' abilities and interests, including excerpts from Beverley Naidoo, playful dialogues about Kruger Park and letters from
South African children.This leads us to our next theme, which is what mankind Gando for the better or the worse. On the one hand, we address citizenship, brotherhood and solidarity: our aim is ta make pupils more aware of volunteering and similar activities, and we provide material about the tradition of volunteering in the US or in Britain, and the part played by the police in the community. On the other hand, we have also attempted to make pupils aware of a current scourge among teenagers and younger children: bullying and how to cope with it. Pupils will theretore be able to work on themes that affect their daily lives. We have also tackled the issue of torture and the closure of Guantanamo envisaged by the Obama administration with a Jimmy Carter interview on New Standpoints Live exposing torture during the Bush administration.
Despite some difficult subjects, South Africa's evolution trom the land of apartheid to the Rainbow Nation gives us reason to hope. And as Claudine Martina reminds us, no matter how difficult things may
appear, our pedagogy is always aimed at building trust and confidence in the younger generation.
Special thanks to Bernard Cros for his con- tributions about the Rainbow Nation.
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