Country of My Skull: Guilt, Sorrow, and the Limits of Forgiveness in the New South Africa

Throughout Country of My Skull, Krog periodically mentions intrusions by non-South African politicians and journalists, which she always does with a tone of disgust, frustration, and protectiveness towards her home country. She describes foreign journalists at the beginning of the TRC process as only caring about whether any major politicians would be giving testimony, suggesting that they do not care about the testimonies of actual victims and are only looking for a sensational story for their own home press. When more foreign journalists arrive as the process continues, Krog wonders: “Because they are particularly interested in the victims of apartheid? No, because for the first time politicians and political parties are making submissions before the commission” (131).  

As the TRC process wears on, Krog’s distaste for foreign journalists increases. She disdains them for descending on the process when they think it relevant, as opposed to slogging through the entire process from start to finish, as the South African journalists do. Krog feels offended at what she perceives to be a lack of caring about the truth of South Africa, and that the foreign journalists cannot adequately understand or interpret the information they receive because they lack