Cultural violence relates to those aspects of culture that are exemplified by religion and ideology, language and art, science, and other symbols that can be used to justify or legitimise direct or structural violence. Post-Cold War Africa witnessed a sharp decline in violent conflict between states, but a new wave of intra-state violence swept across the continent. While many scholars and practitioners have written about this phenomenon, there is a new trend where violent conflicts are increasingly playing out at community level – and Zimbabwe has not escaped this. Stathis Kalyvas (2006) asserts that conflict and violence ‘on the ground’ often seem more related to local issues rather than the ‘master cleavage’ that drives the violence at the broader or national level. This leads him to postulate that areas consumed by the same conflict can exhibit substantial variations in violence. This is often the case despite the fact that local cleavages are usually framed in the discursive terminology of the master cleavage. Kalyvas concludes that individuals and local communities involved in violence tend to take advantage of the prevailing situation to settle private and local conflicts whose relation to the goals of the belligerents is often tenuous. In normal circumstances, he states, these conflicts are regulated and do not result in violent conflict. This offers an insight into the periodic prevalence of politically motivated violence in Zimbabwe that often erupts during election periods. In view of the aforegoing, this manual targets interventions at community level, where the violence is often experienced and where healing is needed most to end perpetual grudges. Module 1 of this manual provides in-depth knowledge relating to the concept of community healing and how it can be understood in the context of Zimbabwe. It presents an opportunity for peace-building practitioners, communities, researchers, policymakers and relevant institutions to explore, discover and reflect on the interconnectedness that exists between community healing and culture development. Module 2 builds on the first module and provides the trainer with a broad range of approaches to community healing that may be considered for the Zimbabwean context. It begins by highlighting the importance of traditional approaches and uses a recent case study where these have been applied. It also looks at the ultramodern approaches as well as the key role played by churches in promoting healing and reconciliation. Module 3 introduces the concept of dialogue as the key to all community healing processes. The module helps practitioners understand the concept and practice of dialogue when undertaking direct interventions, community healing and reconciliation in communities. As a result of locally gained experience, the module is divided into two main sections. The first section defines ‘dialogue’ and the characteristics of the approach, and the second focuses on the roles and skills needed to carry out a dialogue process. It provides the trainer with all the steps to be followed when initiating sustained-dialogue processes in communities. Module 4 focuses on gender and community healing. It is designed to be a self-paced tool that trainers and participants can make use of in one or several workshop sessions, and in an order that makes sense within the local context. Besides highlighting the national constitutional provisions, it also broadens the concept so as to include the regional and international instruments and protocols that Zimbabwe is a party to. Module 5 introduces communication in community healing. It recognises that, unless communities begin to talk through their issues together, healing will not take place and woundedness will perpetuate. It also emphasises the need for active listening and nonviolent communication. xv