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Drumming, Dancing & Song: Recovery from Gender Based Violence in the DR Congo |
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It was a powerful moment of women who had been raped
reclaiming their bodies,reclaiming their voices, reclaiming their ability to laugh.
As we made our way toward the group of about 50 women gathered under
the trees, the drumming got louder. An animated young man directed the
proceedings. The women were divided into groups and each selected a
farm animal sound. The group I was in selected the horse, an animal
common to farms in Canada. The director motioned for the drums to
continue and pointed to each group in turn to make it's animal noise.
As we got the hang of it, he gradually increased the tempo and soon we
were an orchestra of animal music, keeping time with the drums and
interspersed with laughter. Then the activity shifted and someone was
singing, again almost drowned out by the drums and women entered the
circle, dancing. It was a powerful moment of women who had been raped
reclaiming their bodies,reclaiming their voices, reclaiming their ability to laugh.
Healing Streams seeks to partner with organizations that bring cultural expertise in order to provide the most effective healing process to the survivors of rape and war trauma. Because many of the women our trainers will work with are illiterate and return to villages where they receive very little support, the methods used in recovery must be ones they can sustain when they return. The most likely activities are those readily found in their daily lives and adapted for healing purposes. Dance and drumming, song and laughter, are all empowering rituals that incorporate a reclaiming of body, voice and breath and as such are important rituals in the healing process.
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