Dance, Resilience and Social Transformation in the Global South

Abstract

This article is based on a presentation at the Colloquium: Being Human Today held in Stellenbosch, South Africa in December 2015. This reflection is inspired by the courage of many women and men, who form part of community- based organisations and local NGOs. These people living in constant threat, and danger and have been attacked by armed groups or security forces, in contexts of violent conflict in Peru and Colombia and many other parts of Global South. For these communities, these threats, attacks and other forms of violence are part of their daily lives. However, they continue to work at building peace and respect for their human rights despite the risks these efforts may bring to their own lives and their families.
The work of the Peace and Wellness Project is presented in the article, a dance and body movement approach to dealing with trauma in communities affected by violent conflict. In developing the project, I drew on and combined the methodologies of Capacitar International Multicultural Awareness and Trauma Healing Programme and Laban Dance and Body Movement of the Laban Guild-UK.