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Constitution Hill

P.O. Box 31005
Braamfontein 2017
Johannesburg, South Africa

Tel: +27-11-381-3129
Fax: +27-11-381-3108

African Sites of Conscience Network

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Dialogues for Democracy

The Challenge
Since the dawn of democracy in 1994, the core values entrenched in the South African Constitution: dignity, equality, freedom, democracy, social justice, reconciliation and rule of law - the issues of Constitution Hill – are the same issues that lie at the heart of contemporary South African society. Constitution Hill demonstrates more than the site’s history as a place of war and incarceration. It tells the story of Johannesburg in transition, of a transitioning South African society, and of global democracy and constitution-making worldwide, illustrating the story of the Constitution and the Court as a culmination of the South African struggle for freedom.

The Dialogue for Democracy Questions

The Program
The lekgotla (gathering/discussion) is the unique format of program strands offered at Constitution Hill. The word lekgotla is a Sotho/Tswana word referring to non-hierarchical dialogues that are conducted in the form of public “gatherings” to decide on matters of group/social importance.

Different types of lekgotlas take place in appropriate venues throughout Constitution Hill. These public debates, lectures, seminars and workshops provide a space to explore and present ideas and issues relating to the history of the site. The lekgotla program affords individuals with the resources and space to define their place in a changing South Africa.

At Constitution Hill, lekgotla topics deal consistently with the injustices of the past as typified by the prisons at Number Four as well as peoples’ every day understanding of their constitutional needs/rights and their experiences of the country’s young constitutional democracy.