situated in public spaces in memory of past events (Brett et al 2007:1)2.In this same vein there has not been any acknowledgement of the Gukurahundi massacres that occurred in Zimbabwe particularly Matebeleland and Gukurahundi. Memorials are a sign of public acknowledgement of an event or people involved. According to Brett et al., (2007), communities perceive public memorialisation as central to justice, reconciliation and reparations. As people experience or are affected by violations differently, memorialisation and memory gives public acknowledgement of private experiences.. This has not been the case for the people of Kezi who were greatly affected by torture, enforced disappearances, abductions and the murder and ensuing trauma around their loved ones who were affected by the Gukurahundi atrocities that claimed over 20 000 lives. in the ‘moment of madness’ that ran from 1982-87. In light of all this, the 2018 Transitional Justice Policy Symposium seeks to identify the sites of atrocity, physical or emotional, through which dialogue can be initiated through storytelling for purposes of exploring community initiatives through which such stories can be used as tools for community healing. Why memory is important? Stories are witnesses to the past for future generations. They help us learn and acknowledge the past. They challenge lies, and minimise what lies people are told about their past. Objectives 1. 2. 3. Hold a community dialogue and interactions with community groups in Bhalagwe to bring the discussion on transitional justice down to the practical level with local communities and individuals that experienced the atrocities first hand. Raise awareness among the public of the importance of story-telling, site preservation and documentation and its relevance in order to make it understood the story of the past; Raise the community’s awareness of the necessity of preserving sites of memory for the long-term, and of providing access to them; Outcome 2 Brett S., Bickford L., L. Sevcenko and M. Rios, (2007) International Conference on Memorialisation and Democracy: State Policy and Civic Action Report. http://issuu.com/flacso.chile/docs/memorialization_democracy Page | 2

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