Elliot Steeves-
Reverend Father Richard Cogill ‘94, will speak in the Heritage Room from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30th. Cogill is also the Director of Contextual Education at the School of Theology in Sewanee located within The University of the South in Tennessee. The talk will be titled Repairers of the Breach: Restorative Justice in a South African Context. Desserts and drinks will also be served at the talk.
Reverend Father Cogill’s talk will follow his attendance at worship in Christ Chapel on Sunday, April 28th at 6:30 p.m., as well as at Chapel Break on the 29th at 10:00 a.m. He will also be available for coffee and a Q&A on the 30th at 10 a.m. in Christ Chapel.
Originally hailing from South Africa, Cogill attended Gustavus and graduated in 1994. He currently teaches in Sewanee, Tennessee, and is additionally ordained in the Episcopalian priesthood. His discussion will center around the struggle of South Africa to overcome apartheid, and the resulting division.
“I am really curious to hear what he has to say about South Africa today,” History Professor Kathleen Keller said. “I teach a history class on South African apartheid, and I wanted to bring a speaker who would understand their struggles today.”
Keller anticipates that Cogill will delve heavily into restorative justice, true to the title of his talk.
“It will mostly be about how South Africa has come out of apartheid,” Keller said. “He will also talk about the Truth and Reconciliation Committee and other methods of restorative justice. I will be interested to hear what he says about whether it worked, and whether there is more to bringing about justice.”
Keller alluded to an ongoing debate about the TRC in South Africa, in charge of bringing about reconciliation in the wake of apartheid’s end in the country. She expects that Cogill will talk about some of the potential differences between reconciliation and justice, and what that means for South Africa.
As the program director of African Studies, Keller also wanted a speaker who could speak to the experience of living in South Africa in the 1990s, under the late apartheid regime. Cogill was that speaker.
“I initially wanted him to just visit my class,” Keller said. “Once people heard about it more, they wanted to attend not just the Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies department, but a lot of the wider campus community as well.”
Cogill will also reunite with some of his favorite professors from his time at Gustavus, including the retiring English professor Philip Bryant. It is sure to be an interesting reflection on how Gustavus compares now to when he was a student.
Overall, the talk will encompass not just politics, but religion and justice as well. Keller emphasized that Cogill is a splendid resource within the Gustavus family.
“He worked with Archbishop Desmond Tutu,” Keller said. “One of the great things that Gustavus does is bring in speakers that go beyond what happens in the classroom. That is what you get in college; you get enrichment, and we want to bring those connections to you.”
Keller finally emphasized that, while she teaches history, Cogill can elaborate on what is happening now in South Africa far better than she can. Gusties are welcome to attend, have a treat, and learn all that they can from him.