Rwanda’s approach to healing trauma with tradition and culture could provide lessons for Aboriginal Australia, according to Prof. Jacqui Lavis, University of Canberra, Australia.
Prof. Lavis was speaking at a public lecture and discussion sponsored by the Centre for Gender, Culture and Development at the Kigali Institute of Education attended by students, lecturers and members of the public.
The lecture examined opportunities for cultural and traditional approaches to trauma healing in progressing the journey of healing in post conflict societies.
“In Australian Aboriginal communities, traditional rituals and acknowledgement of traditional healing have either disappeared or gone ‘underground’.” Prof Lavis said.
“After traumatic events many people experience posttraumatic stress disorder, feelings of shame and guilt, depression, alcohol and drug abuse, loss of trust, family breakdown and ongoing violence”.
According to Prof Lavis, traditional healing practices could focus on the ways that ritual and ceremony can address trauma reconciliation, cultural reinstatement and the building of resilience.
This spiritual process would involve strengthening and re-connecting with identity, language, land, dance and song.
Rwandan society has embedded some aspects of its continuing traditions in everyday life, but emerging research has shown that traditional healing practices in this country could further enhance community resilience and development.
In both Australia and Rwanda there are significant opportunities for further field research on these important topics to establish where traditional practices are still in use and their value in enhancing personal health and wellbeing.
The main questions raised by participants in the lively discussion that followed were ‘Can trauma be healed?’, ‘Does improving access to economic resources foster trauma healing?’, Can there be reconciliation while there is economic disparity?’ and ‘Are there different types of trauma– is there a difference between a protracted period of oppression and catastrophic events ?’
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