Unpacking the Complexities of Post-Apartheid South African Identity in Nothing but the Truth

Name: Institutional Affiliations: Date: Responding to Nothing but the Truth Nothing but the Truth is a play that reveals some deep and hidden truths encountered by some South Africans before this great nation gained its freedom. It is evident that before South Africa gained its independence, some people were forced to go into exile, some died as they struggled with the colonizer, among other hardships. The play offers clear insight into what it takes to endure hard and painful life, the struggle with personal truth, and the reconciliation process's challenges. Since freedom brings in responsibilities like reconciliation, Zakes Mda views memory and identity as two factors that define one’s ability to come into terms with reality regardless of past hardships. Such abilities allow an individual to focus on the present and yearn to make the future better. In the introduction, Zakes Mda argues that “It is still necessary to talk about the past because the past will always be a powerful presence in the present …. We must never forget, but this does not mean that we must cling to the past, wrap it around us, and live for it. We only look back in the past to have a better understanding of our present. This is one of the greatest lessons of “Nothing but the Truth." Mda believes that memory and identity are closely linked since the past makes a defined story of the present individual. South Africans endured a lot of pain, agony, and hardship before their country gained freedom. However, with the emergence of independence, many thought that life would be better to find themselves in more pains upon recalling all they encountered to gain the so-called freedom. At this juncture, Mda defines the connection between memory and identity, emphasizing the need to use past experience