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
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