“A Foolish Adventure" in a Country that went Mad: Healing Psychosocial Suffering in Post-genocide Rwanda

Abstract There is a scarcity of programs addressing psychosocial suffering in post-genocide Rwanda. The locally-initiated models are understudied and lack legitimate support to strengthen their interventions. This study addresses this gap by exploring the Healing of Life Wounds (HLW) program and its context of implementation. HLW is a community-based program that was introduced in Rwanda in 1995 by a Rwandan, Dr. Simon Gasibirege, to facilitate mutual healing among members of the groups involved in the 1994 genocide. Using a critical ethnographic approach, a multi-method data set was obtained from two groups of participants from two separate organizations applying HLW model. One group of twenty-three community participants from one local association shared their experiences as they participated in HLW. The other group included seven experienced HLW facilitators who provided their perceptions about using HLW from an international organization operating in Rwanda. The data also included HLW documents and reflexive notes. Dialogic performance analysis was the overarching analytical approach of the different data sets. Data collection, analysis and interpretation were guided by principles of critical theories, indigenous methodologies and narrative inquiry. The findings indicate that healing psychosocial suffering in the post-conflict global South requires innovative approaches that critically address on-going psychosocial issues affecting the marginalized by giving them voice and working with them to integrate contextual healing techniques. This study suggests that healing psychosocial suffering through HLW is a consciousness-raising process by which participants gain voice, acquire new understanding of issues affecting them through the sharing of personal stories, and develop mutual support and humane identities. This development contributes to individual, group and community healing. Openness and willingness to share stories of brokenness in a trustful and supportive environment enhance HLW outcomes. The study contributes to theories of knowledge and healing practices in cross-cultural settings, and to critical interdisciplinary and transnational research.Ph