Therapeutic Impulse of Rituals in Post-Conflict Trauma Healing

With the unprecedented political landscape in Africa, questions of how African states deal with human rights violations are begging. Post-conflict trauma healing has become a topical issue. However, the current transitional justice scholarship does not specify the culture-specific mechanisms of trauma healing. Instead, universal concepts of trauma healing often are applied across the cultures. In addition, most of scholars in this field do not have multiple professional qualifications and experiences in the key disciplines relevant to dealing with cross-cultural trauma healing in post-conflict situations: - psychiatry, psychology, social work, sociology, anthropology, theology, religion, political science, history, etc. Using Dinka of the Southern Sudan as a case, this book articulates the modest means of reinvigorating the indigenous rituals to address the traumas experienced by the victims of armed conflict. The book is based on the views solicited from the Dinka respondents regarding their experiences of post-conflict traumas, and the role of indigenous rituals in assuaging individual and communal traumas, and their contribution to reconciliation and healing.

Autorentext

Alex Kamwaria is a University lecturer and consultant in transitional justice experiences in Africa. This article derives from the author's doctoral dissertation, "Integration of Indigenous Healing Approaches into Psychosocial Model of Trauma Healing for Dinka Victims of Armed Conflict in South Sudan."