Addressing the Past in a Conflicted Democracy: The Case of Ghana

Processes of transitional justiceTransitional Justice can be informed by a multitude of goals, including the attainment of democracy. In societies where there is an already existing democratic dispensation, the goal of democracy relates to strengthening democratic values and instilling trust in the government. GhanaGhana exemplifies the latter scenario, as the country had adopted democratic governance nearly 10 years before the establishment of a truth commission. This paper discusses the historical background against which Ghana’s main transitional justiceTransitional Justice mechanism, the National Reconciliation CommissionNational Reconciliation Commission (NRC), was conceived and implemented, and examines the reasons for, and effects of, the decade-long delay in doing so. It then assesses the extent to which Ghana’s NRC has promoted democratic values through its work, and asserts that in conflicted democracies, the attainability of a more resilient democracy depends on whether transitional justiceTransitional Justice mechanisms are designed and operated with adherence to democratic norms and standards.