Executive Director of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience at the C²DH

Dr. Ereshnee Naidu-Silverman, Executive Director of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience will be at the C²DH for a week (3-8 May) to participate in various events and discussions about the history and memory of difficult pasts.

More about Dr. Ereshnee Naidu-Silverman

Ereshnee is the Executive Director of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience ICSC. Since joining in 2007, she has led the expansion of ICSC’s regional networks across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), extending its reach to human rights and victims’ organizations from post-conflict contexts. Her leadership in advancing ICSC’s memory and memorialization work led to the creation of the Global Initiative for Justice, Truth and Reconciliation (GIJTR) in 2014, a program she co-founded that pioneered ICSC’s multidisciplinary, trauma-informed, and survivor-centered approach to transitional justice and peacebuilding. Born and raised in South Africa, Ereshnee’s work bridges the worlds of arts, culture, justice, and human rights. With experience across the non-profit and public sectors and in a range of contexts, Ereshnee holds a Bachelor of Arts and two Master of Arts degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand—the first in Dramatic Arts and the second in Forced Migration Studies. She earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

More about the ICSC

“Since 1999, the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC) has ignited a global movement to confront the world’s most entrenched injustices. By harnessingthe profound power of collective memory, ICSC has forged a dynamic network of over 1,200 museums, historic sites, memory initiatives, survivor networks, activists, and civil society organizations spanning 80 countries. Together, we are not just confronting the past; we are actively building more inclusive, just, and peaceful futures.

ICSC works hand in hand with local partners to develop powerful, effective strategies that dismantle cycles of violence and injustice. Drawing on history, memory, lived experience, and expertise, ICSC supports local partners to cultivate shared memory, catalyze transformative community-led justice initiatives, and connect to the global Sites of Conscience movement. Together, we tackle seemingly unsolvable challenges—from the legacies of colonialism and slavery to conflict, gender-based violence, and the urgency of climate insecurity—by building tools to create inclusive narratives and grapple with difficult histories. At the very core of the Sites of Conscience movement is a revolutionary approach to collective memory that changes how history is preserved and shared in museums, historic sites, and across communities. By fiercely championing the right to memory for everyone, ICSC is fundamentally transforming fields like transitional justice and ensuring that every story is heard in pursuit of a more equitable and harmonious world. Through the unstoppable force of the Sites of Conscience movement and the boundless power of collective memory, we can and will forge a brighter future where shared histories illuminate our path toward truly peaceful and just societies.”

• Looking into the Future: Sites of Conscience as Spaces for Truth, Justice and Healing