Women, healing and community

I will break open the story and tell you what is there. Then, like the others that have fallen out onto the sand, I will finish with it, and the wind will take it away.

 

Marjorie Shostak, Nisa: The Life and Words of a Kung Woman

Shostak’s commentary is reflective of not only the transience of narrative, but also of the impermanence of memory. She creates the illusion of a wasteland – a place that is arid but gains fertility by cracking open the truth, exposing it, considering it, sharing it and in doing so, setting it free.  It is through narrative, sharing and collective witnessing, that experiences can seemingly blow away with the wind allowing us to begin fresh.

Women in post-conflict tend to be marginalized by their communities. During and after the war, they tend to be the primary income earner and caregiver to what family remains.  In many cases, women have suffered rape, mutilation and watched as their families are destroyed, their properties burned and they either fear, or experience, forced migrations. The ground has been literally taken out from under them and after the war ends, they search for ways to rebuild both their physical environment and a communal experience. 

After peace agreements have been signed, there is the progression of reconciliation and attempts to begin restorative relationships and communities. In Kenya the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission has ended and the community is awaiting its recommendations. As part of the sustainable rebuilding and healing of community, projects that bring people together and offer reunion, contribute to reigniting shared values and working together. Research has shown that women are integrally involved in this process playing crucial roles in the expansion of sustainable economic, political and social development It is further believed that women are peace promoters and through nurturing acts, they can facilitate change, and shift preconceptions, prejudices and patterns.

From the earliest times, we humans have built shelters to protect ourselves from the elements of climate as well as our surrounding environments - providing sanctuary from dangerous animals for example. Over time, in many parts of the world, shelters have become more permanent allowing us to make our mark on the environment asserting a claim to a particular area.  In its most negative aspect, our love of the land, and our desire to own it, has caused conflict and war - pitting one against another. In it’s most fruitful state we plow and seed the land to make it fertile and harvest what we’ve grown to feed others and ourselves. The cyclical rhythms of nature are echoed in the ontology, social constructs and epistemology of humans, and are dependant upon where we live in the world; the global south or the more affluent global north.

According to J.E. Cirlot mystics have associated the house with the feminine aspect of the universe and is equated with being the repository of wisdom and of nurturing. The house as home, arouses strong associations with the human body – the outside being the appearance of the physical self, the roof associated with the head (mind) and the base with the feet (sense of permanence). The kitchen has been said to be the heart of the home, where fires burn, food is cooked, and people come together to share in communal repast. In whatever form a home provides shelter and is perceived to be a safe place.

In war, or under military oppression, people have had their home taken from them. Whether they have been forced to migrate to refugee camps, to another area or they have returned to their village to find their houses destroyed or that the house has been inhabited by their abusers; increasing their sense of personal violation. One of the initial acts of women once they have arrived somewhere is to nest – this involves creating a space which feels safe to them, where they can cook and set about recreating a sense of normalcy in their and their families lives.

The concept of dialogue is important as the exchange of experiences can strengthen local ‘capacities for peace’ in order to construct relational spaces. Social support is critical to rebuilding and transforming the community, and to bringing sustainable peace. In addition, ritual is vital as it gives meaning to and can help define and shape identity. Ritual can facilitate “communication through the physical actions and symbols that create changes in the ways ritual participants see the world” providing access to participating in a process that leads to sustainable peace through community healing.

  

So the question is how do we help? Can we create or co-create projects that will offer some solace, capacity building and opportunities to build self-esteem, confidence and interpersonal relationships, for those who have witnessed death, battle, inhumane treatment, and have survived in a difficult physical environment?

We must consider the different ontologies obviously, and we must ensure, when undertaking projects that we are not imposing our own ideals and goals onto another community. The arts are a means through which we can collectively navigate the new terrains as through participation, both individuals and communities can heal, children can be nurtured to reintegrate and mothers can foster a renewed sense of self-worth. It is the hope that reconciliation and peace can be achieved through the process, dialogue and understanding created in the relationships developed while participating in arts projects. But beyond that it is hoped that by rebuilding community, by acknowledging the past and looking toward the future that this peace is assured sustainability.

The idea of sharing stories, co-creating a space that is reflective of transformation will resonate with not only the women and youth, but also the community as a whole. Through the art processes, witnessing, and sharing of experience, participants will gain an enhanced sense of self-worth, empathy, and hopefulness and move toward a sustainable peace.