“All the children are singing the song and so do the alcoholics in the
local bars. They too are traumatized.”
Even though it is over 21 years ago as we write this, 28% of the
population still suffer from symptoms of trauma. In Rwanda,
Dieudonné Munyanshoze and John Bizimana have composed a song
called Fingertips Heal Trauma together with us to spread the
message that healing is possible. Dieudonné is one of the most
popular singers in Rwanda and is often engaged in different
ceremonies in commemoration of the genocide. You can find these
songs on our website.
City of Joy – Highlight of My Life
Ulf:
Without doubt one of the most memorable moments of my life as both
a musi- cian and a Trauma Tapper comes from our visit to The City
Of Joy in Bukavu. This is the project of the legendary activist, play
writer and defender of women’s rights: Eve Ensler, where 90 young
women who have been sexually abused,
many with children of rape, are given a safe haven for six months.
During this time they can heal physically and mentally, learn a
profession, receive health care and learn about their rights.
At the gates there is a large vagina painted around the door. The
original idea of Eve Ensler when she wrote the now famous Vagina
Monologues was to focus on the most violated part of the female
anatomy. She was convinced nobody would take them seriously, but
they are now among the most played scripts in the world and have
generated millions of dollars to her projects like City Of Joy.
For once we cannot document our workshop, because cameras are
not al- lowed in the City Of Joy fully understandable considering the
situation and background of the women there.
We are greeted by 45 of the young women in a large half circle of
chairs, doing their special greeting, clapping hands six times in the
rhythm of 3+3, and then holding them out “for you” and then 3+3