Transformative Spaces for Healing: Community Call Notes 6.1.2022

Our June Community Call focused on Transformative Spaces for Healing with Dr. Tecla Namachanja Wanjala. We explored the wisdom of her heart and experience, honing in on how we care for ourselves deeply while caring for the community. We were thrilled to widen the reach of Tecla's voice. The wisdom shared helps us understand that we have everyday opportunities to practice peace together. Please click here if you're interested in watching the call recording.

The following are excerpts from our conversation with Tecla.

Hollister - I would love for you to share a bit about your journey as a person who has been aware of challenges that need to be addressed in the world to a person who is seeking to solve them. How did you shift from this awareness to an agent of change?

Tecla [00:10:25]  Today is an important day in Kenya. We are celebrating 59 years of independence today! It’s an important time in our country. We will soon be casting our votes for president, members of parliament, and county leaders. As much as we are celebrating, there is also much to not celebrate. Last week I met with 50 women from Kerio valley, coming together to see how they could deal with issues of violence they are experiencing. I was invited to share how we can mobilize women to help work through the painful issues in their area.

If 30 years ago I was asked to choose which field I would like to work in I would’ve chosen women in development because they are the backbone, the breadwinners of their families. I didn't have that chance because when I graduated from a course in social work in 1991, severe violence was affecting Somalia. Being a neighbor of Somalia, we had so many refugees. As you know, where there is violence there is no development. When I went to seek employment in my church, the Catholic diocese of Mombasa, I was asked to teach small children Swahili so they could communicate with the locals. 

I will always remember the hatred that they would receive me with in the class. I thought it was because I was not wearing the hijab, not culturally appealing to them; I thought it was my color. I didn’t realize that I was dealing with children who had a lot of pain because of the violence they had gone through. Children who had been in very pache schools in their homeland, now they are in a makeshift school. They didn’t know how to express their hatred and pain and I received it. That is when I realized what communities in conflict went through.

I remember being in a staff room with female teachers from Somalia. I asked just one question of my fellow female teachers from Somalia: how many children do you have? The response was very shocking to me. She screamed and ran out of the room. What did I do to offend her? Fatima had lost most of her children. I had simply asked “You have such a beautiful daughter, how many other children do you have?” On her way to Kenya from Somalia her boat capsized and she lost most of her family. I wondered how a country could put its members in such a situation.

My heart went out to the single women [in the refugee camp]. So I moved out of my position of teaching. This is where I became the change agent. I pulled women aside and tried to find ways to help these women earn a living. I worked in this position for a year. My husband then got a job that required me to move.

This is where I became the change agent.

[00:19:18] At this time Kenya was an island of peace compared to our neighbors (Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan.) The first time we had severe conflict was in 1992. It displaced over 300,000, more than 1,000 people lost their lives, and there was so much destruction of property. I was invited to work for internally displaced persons of ethnic clashes. Working with women, I saw they were hurting. They would do their work of distributing food in the community and then I would bring them together to share - how was your week? We come from an oral culture. We could sing Christian songs, pray together, cry as they re-lived their pain. We used to distribute relief once a week; the women would look forward to this moment. I didn’t realize I was helping them to deal with their traumatic experiences. Again I saw the ugly face of violence [through their examples]. Women were traumatized because in the process of running away, they accidentally fell on their children, killing them. Another traumatized because she had just lost her child. She stayed in the night and buried her child. Her fear was that the grave she dug was so shallow that her child was consumed by dogs.

Violence is so traumatizing to communities. I realized these people need to coexist again. I didn’t know what to do. I used whatever I had - organizing meetings, learning about the circumstances of how they left their homes. I carried out a series of meetings. Through their songs, I listened, through dramatization I observed, through their poems I understood. 

[00:24:23] They [asked me to go] to their neighbors to find out why they were evicted from their homes. In a conflict both sides always suffer, especially when talking about intra-community conflict.  So I went to Mt. Elgon and started with the women, then I went to the elders who incited the youth into fighting. It had been three years since the evictions. They were involved, but the situation was now out of their control. Around this time, we had presidential initiatives where 10 representatives from communities in conflict were invited to high level mediation. I realized that youths had been used [in the conflict], but the high level mediations had left them out. So each time there was a mediation, they sabotaged - burning houses. So I invited the youth to the meetings. This is how I moved from relief work to mediating in conflict. As a woman I could not sit in the meetings, but I worked in the kitchen. This is where they expected a young woman like me to be. I listened by the window. And each time I had a point, I could come and pour water and make a point. The third day they allowed me to sit and we found solutions.

That is the time now I realized the war we were fighting was not our war…the violence would happen around election time. In competing for votes, politicians use us to fight their war. They incite us. When you are a neighbor, you have conflict, but there are peaceful ways to solve it. Becoming a wounded healer…this was the turning point for me. I now organized joint meetings for survivors and perpetrators. 

I realized partly why we were fighting was because of the structure of violence. My community was privileged. The other community was pastoralists who value rearing of cattle. My community were farmers, who also went to school, mostly holding administrative jobs. They were not fair in the way they were administering to our neighbors. They didn’t have transport, so our neighbors would walk long distances to receive services in the offices in my community. Without caring the distance they traveled, they would tell them to go because it’s lunchtime. Partly why they were fighting is they wanted to have their own district. I carried these messages to the bishop, the bishop carried it to the president and they were given their own district.

I moved to the next step to now work at the national level to be involved in lobbying and advocacy. 

When you forgive, even as a forgiver, you gain more from that.

[00:32:52] Hollister - I want to spend some time talking about community. Seeing yourself as an individual agent of change, how do you also work within your community? Can you tell us more about the community healing circles you’ve helped host through the work of the Shalom Center for Counselling and Development. This might help us see what community activism looks like!

Tecla - Nationally Kenya is divided into over 42 ethnic communities. They speak one language; they live together in villages; they share the same culture and traditions. While I was holding spaces for these women to get together to share their painful experiences, I didn't realize I was being impacted by vicarious or secondary trauma. I remember going to a training in South Africa in 1997. We had a meal with the refugees to hear their stories. When someone from the Democratic Republic of the Congo shared a similar story that I experienced in Mt. Elgon, I ran out screaming. I didn’t know what was happening. Scenes started to play of my experiences in Mt. Elgon. When I went to further study at Eastern Menonite University, I learned so much about trauma. What I was learning from the western concept of trauma healing was forming challenges. So I started reflecting from our own African perspective - How did we handle traumatic experiences? Using examples like what happened when we lost a family member -  how was my mother taken care of? What ceremonies took place?

I came back [from these studies in the US] and joined a local organization. We developed materials that we could use in our own context. We were dealing with people who can hardly write or read. So we used images. When I am explaining what trauma is we use the image of a basket with fruits which is good. Then we produce a basket which is torn - what might’ve caused the basket to tear. How can we now repair the basket if we need to use it? Then we ask the participants to compare their lives with their baskets. Then we start unpackaging traumatic events in our own communities.

The image that has been really powerful in the community is where we are talking about developmental trauma. {In the image] we have a child about 5 years kneeling by 2 graves, and then a lady comes with a stick. You know when you are even dealing with children who are traumatized, we don't know how to respond to them. From the African perspective, the first thing you have to do is maybe discourage that child from going to that grave all the time without explaining to them that your parents passed and they are here. In the next portrait you see a child has run away from home and then living on the streets. This image is really powerful. 

[00:38:54] We have a five day program. We explain what the trauma is, different types of traumatic experiences; what are the symptoms and even explain symptoms. What I've realized is the awareness is very important because when one is traumatized, you apply a certain behavior, but you don't even realize why. Like when I went down with secondary drama, I thought I was running mad. If I knew that I was re-experiencing what had happened I wouldn’t have been worried. When you share that, you hear a mother saying “Oh my God! Whenever my children have been coming home, asking for school fees, I always beat them and send them, showing them the grave of their father, asking them to go and seek school fees from the grave. I didn’t realize that was because I was impacted.  

We also learn through stories like the biblical story of Joseph and his 11 brothers. It’s really helpful when encouraging people to let go. Joseph let go, and he was even able to reconcile with his brothers. When you forgive, even as a forgiver, you gain more from that. Then they are able to let go.

Through these five days we really have changing moments. We have women facing fellow women. The bitterness has been because maybe this particular woman’s husband was responsible during the militia operation for the killing of other women. When we get them together and they get to hear each other’s story, they let go and reconstruction starts happening.

It’s the circle that holds itself, we are only there to facilitate. We encourage them to hold each other. We’ve had youths who have been contemplating suicide. But from here they gained the hope and resilience to continue with their families. This is what we are doing in terms of social healing.

Hollister [00:43:16]   I think that's very helpful and healing for so many of us, I know for me to hear. As you know, our country, where I'm calling from in the United States, there's a lot of secondary trauma from the news of all the mass shootings that we're experiencing in our country right now. I’m thinking about the images and stories that you take in and how it affects your behavior. It’s important to be aware of the impact of any experience that you've had and how that changes your behavior in your community and your family.

Something I'm interested in Tecla is the way those circles have been designed for healing. The spaces are very intentionally designed to not have one single person in the position of leadership. Can you share a bit more about your vision of what that leadership looks like in the community space and how it fosters healing and transformation.

Tecla [00:44:58]  What we need to know is that in most of the communities where violence has taken place, is that they are the most marginalized, most discriminated; they are at the periphery, not at the center.

The most important [role] is the circle holder. Here we've been entering with a lot of humility

When we are dealing with intra-conflict situations, we are part and parcel. For example, my community was involved in the violence; so many see me as the perpetrator. How do you demonstrate to them that you are there for all of them? And when they see you as a teacher, those from your community will always want to be associated with you. When they hear me speaking. When I say my name, you will see members from my own community always wanting to be associated with me more, coming to me starting to speak the local language. We have the Swahili that unites us. I'm very careful never to return in my own language but talk to them in Swahili. 

What I’m describing is really servant leadership - you have to preach water and take water, not preach water and take wine.

[I’m working with a conflict where] the violence ended in 2008. The youths, especially the perpetrators, ex-militia have been treated as social misfits in the community. Once we sit in the circle we start with our norms, and we have to ensure that the norms that they generate are the norms that support everybody - respect for everybody, every emotion, confidentiality, etc. We are there to embrace them and treat them all equally. Ours is to re-humanize them because they have been demonized. Some of the issues that they have to share are very sensitive. So we have to ensure that we activate their trust, and we have to show them that we are their servants. Where we sleep, the meals we take, we have to share everything. We eat meals together. That is where you get to learn more about what is happening and again not judging them. What I’m describing is really servant leadership - you have to preach water and take water, not preach water and take wine.

[00:50:54] Hollister - That could be difficult for many of us, if we're used to these community spaces built on hierarchy - to participate with the real humble quality of servant leadership in a space where you truly are standing shoulder to shoulder.

Q & A [00:52:58]

Rev Charles - Hello, dear Tecla, I'd like to Start just by asking one thing of the community, and that's that everyone take a moment and smile , just scanning the faces. Our world is so grim these days and we carry so much heaviness. So let's just give ourselves in each other the gift of a smile for a minute.

You talked about your first posting in a refugee camp coming through the Roman Catholic Church, and I know that you are a woman of deep faith, and I know that faith is an inevitable dimension of working and communities. I wonder if you could talk a little bit about what kind of a resource your faith is for you personally, and also what role you see faith playing in the work of peacebuilding?

Tecla - Yes, indeed! I am a woman of faith. I was nurtured by my grandmother who was among the first Roman Catholics in the region. She was married in a polygamist family - she had about seven other wives. By the time she died, she had converted all the other wives into Catholics. She taught me virtues and values I still use. Prayer is one of them - we don’t eat or go to bed without prayer. This is what has kept me going.

In the area we were working in Mt. Elgon, before we went I had to fast and pray. I know the blood that was shed, the demonic things happened there. I knew on my own it was not possible. To invite the Prince of Peace to journey with us. It’s this faith that has helped me to not go back with trauma. I know at times when it gets so tough. I focus on the cross and throughout mass the tears will just be rolling. I have offloaded on the cross and I am ready to carry on for the next week.

I also believe in humanity that if we are all children of God, we are all the same. We have the same needs, life and that has endeared me to my neighbors.

[00:58:00] Faisal - You are really an instrument of peace and I have learned a lot. I was shocked at how a person or a human being can face a huge number of problems…a lot of violence a person can see in a single life. You have really worked a lot for the development of peace in your region, in your country, in your community.

I want to learn that because I'm working with youth in Pakistan, and we have different ethnic identities as well, and being a Christian minority in Pakistan we are trying to develop good practices among youngsters. So how do you tackle young people? They have very good energy, but they don't have that experience to deal with such kinds of situations. How do you give them advice or suggestions in such conflict and violence so they come to know how they have to react? Did you try sports or games to give them?

Tecla - Thank you so much and thanks for the good work that you are doing with the youth. In fact, the youths are our hope for the future. They are the leaders of today. In Kenya we are told they are the leaders of tomorrow. No, they are the leaders of today.

Awareness is very key. The first thing I would do is sit down and analyze our conflict. Bring all of them together. The starting point would be basic skills in conflict analysis. We are all human beings with human needs. If we are fighting over resources, we have enough for all of us, but it is the greed. You have to nurture a team that can work together across the conflict. Start with one language. Are you fighting over the youth needs or the politician’s needs? If you can get them to work together, move from the symptoms to the root causes. Once you reach the root causes, you realize you will be speaking the same language. Then come up with teams to work together. If they are different religion…if they can be the angel’s advocate (not the devil’s advocate :).

In Africa we say you can only bend a tree when it’s still young, once it’s grown it becomes very hard. So you have started at the right level!

[01:06:39] Participant- It sounds like his question is addressing coming into community spaces as a victim or perpetrator. If you’re coming into the space with one of those labels, how do you create a space for everyone?

It’s always good to have two people working, mediating a conflict. It’s always good to have all the groups represented. If you come in alone, which is possible, I think the starting point is to make it clear to them why you are there. You are not there to intervene - you will be as objective as possible, you are not going to favor anyone there. I think setting the ground rules is very important. It’s your behavior they will observe. If you are facilitating dialogue, you are not giving one group more time. The participants will see it and you will earn their trust. It takes time. 

When I facilitated the first meeting around 1996, the youths from the marginalized group, they just observed. When it came to discussions, it took time to open up. 

Closing Remarks  [01:11:52]

Tecla - How do you take care of yourself when you are working in such situations?

First of all…If you are working in the same place, let us be each other's keeper, brother, or sister’s keeper. It's always good just to watch over your colleagues, observe, find out where they are. See what you can do.

The second is being aware when your cup is almost overflowing. It's okay to stand behind and get somebody else to step in before you continue.

Third is for those coming from Africa. Africans are very cultural people. We still follow our traditions, and so as much as we've embraced the Western education, when it comes to issues of trauma, they are issues of the heart. And when it comes to the issues of the hearts we have to use what we know best. If you think a ritual we support healing among the communities please don't shy away. Don't say I'm a Christian, I cannot perform that ritual. As Africans we live in two worlds: the traditional world and maybe even the Christian world. For example, if our traditional mother really knows that the child is being threatened with death and going to a healer will help, she might opt to go there.

I'm grateful to see some members and former members from Catalyst for Peace. Where we come from there is a lot of work. If I put it in the Christian context, the harvest is plenty, but the harvesters are very few. Please journey with us to help us journey with our community members. Unfortunately, the work we are doing is not the work that you can even amplify or attract other people.

Thank you so much for giving me this space. Thank you so much for Catalyst for Peace for having journeyed with us. We laid a foundation and we are continuing with that foundation. Thank you for everyone who participated on this call. Let's continue holding each other's hand. Wherever you are, let us support each other. 

When it comes to peacebuilding, there is a lot. Conflict is part of life, but how we deal with it so that it produces positive outcomes instead of the negative outcome, is where the challenge is. So don't say it's not your business, it is your business, because if you have a good neighborhood you will also enjoy that. If you have a peaceful neighborhood, you also enjoy that neighborhood.

Thank you so much and God bless you all!

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Please click here if you're interested in watching the call recording.