What does it mean to be a witness? Nadine Gordimer, the South African writer and activist, argued that the act of witnessing exists across three different lines. The people who were part of the events are the first line of witness. The journalists, TV cameras, and analysts are the second line of witness. The third line of witnesses are the storytellers, the novelists, poets, film directors, and songwriters.
For Patrick Cockburn, a benefit of listening to witnesses is that they are aware
