Preamble
The following document represents the thinking of many people over many years, and
the writing of a few. Inevitably it is something of a patchwork: a composite that does
not always sit together well or comprehensibly. Nonetheless we believe it can make a
substantial contribution to the urgent needs of addressing trauma and beginning healing
in our suffering nation. We urge our readers to see it as a starting point for
conversations, thinking and action.
The paper was originally put together to stimulate and deepen discussion at the
workshop on healing held at Mandel Centre, Harare in July 2011 and should be
read in conjunction with the workshop report where the experience and ideas of
participants are recorded.
Executive Summary
This paper falls into three sections.
The first section provides a brief overview of organised violence and torture in Zimbabwe, mainly
drawing on statistics from the 2001-2009 period, but in some cases going back further, Figures
showing the kinds of abuse inflicted and its frequency provide evidence of the extent to which
Zimbabweans have suffered during this period of complex emergency, when the infrastructure of the
country has collapsed around them. Further surveys are presented to support the argument that
damage to the psychological well-being of the population is likely to be one of the most serious and
long-lasting effects of the ongoing crisis. Information gathered from war veterans underlines the
persistant impact of unresolved trauma after the liberation war and figures relating to the
gukurahundi, to elections and to Operation Murambatsvina show how specific events have increased
the level of mental suffering. Furthermore, the effects of organized violence and torture in Zimbabwe
must be contextualized within the global HIV epidemic (of which Zimbabwe is an epicentre) and the
social effects of economic decline and mass impoverishment.
It is also argued that attention must be paid to the psychological well-being of those who have
suffered indirectly , particularly women and children, as research suggests that the impact of
violence and torture extends beyond those directly victimised. A second category of ‗indirect‘
sufferers includes the impact of these forms of suffering on mental health professionals and human
rights workers.
The effect of organised violence and torture on the social fabric of communities and the
disempowerment which results both from individual suffering and from the fragmentation of
relationships and systems which might have provided support or offered resistance is acknowledged
as another important area for attention.
The second section ―Developing a response: learning from experience elsewhere‖ presents in brief
the shifts in thinking in this field which have occurred over the last two decades as a result of
experience in post-conflict situations round the world. The arguments of practitioners who realised
that a narrow focus on PTSD and trauma, as defined in western psychology, was inadequate in the
contexts in which they found themselves working, are summarised, and the case made for a wider
psychosocial approach, which focuses on communities and the social fabric. Following from this, the
need to make close links between development , peace-building and healing work is identified.
The IASC guidelines, which provide a very useful framework for considering the mental health needs
of different sections of the population in a situation of complex emergency, and helpful criteria for
intervention, are introduced.
Some general suggestions as to the way forward are included but reference should be made to the
report of the Dialogue and Exchange Programme held at the Mandel Centre from July 27 th to 29th,
2011 where the ideas and action plans of participants are recorded and explained.