Denov Myriam, Shevell Meaghan C
McGill University, Canada.
Glob Stud Child. 2021 Feb 25;11(1):21-39. doi: 10.1177/2043610621995830. eCollection 2021 Mar.
Given the tragedy of war and genocide, words often cannot adequately capture the complexity of war-related experiences. Researchers are increasingly utilizing the arts to enable multiple forms of expression, as well as for its therapeutic and empowering qualities. This paper outlines the use of the "river of life," an arts-based autobiographical mapping tool, conducted with 60 youth born of rape during the genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda who continue to live with this intergenerational legacy of sexual violence. The article begins with a review of current arts-based methods and their relevance for war-affected populations and an overview of the genocide, sexual violence, and the lived realities of children born of rape. We then outline the "river of life" mapping tool, where participants drew their life histories using the metaphor of a river, addressing the ebbs and flows of their lives and the obstacles and opportunities they encountered. Developed in collaboration with local researchers, participants were invited to share the meaning of their drawing with researchers, explaining key events throughout their life course, utilizing metaphors, and symbolism to convey their experiences. The article highlights how the "the river of life" facilitated key insights into the post-genocide experiences of children born of rape, and the long-term impacts at the family, community and societal levels, and proved to be especially helpful in enabling youth participants to process and communicate their histories of genocide and experiences of stigma and discrimination. The "river of life" was also reported by participants as having unintended positive effects, including closure and clarity in navigating their past and their futures. While not without limitations, we argue that this mapping tool represents an important addition to arts-based methods that can be used with populations who have experienced profound forms of violence and marginalization.
鉴于战争和种族灭绝的悲剧，言语往往无法充分体现与战争相关经历的复杂性。研究人员越来越多地利用艺术来实现多种表达形式，并利用其治疗和赋能的特质。本文概述了“生命之河”的使用情况，这是一种基于艺术的自传式绘图工具，用于对60名在卢旺达针对图西族的种族灭绝期间因强奸而出生的青年进行研究，这些青年仍背负着这种性暴力的代际遗产生活。文章开篇回顾了当前基于艺术的方法及其与受战争影响人群的相关性，概述了种族灭绝、性暴力以及强奸所生孩子的生活现实。然后，我们概述了“生命之河”绘图工具，参与者用河流的隐喻描绘他们的人生历程，讲述他们生活的起伏以及所遇到的障碍和机遇。该工具是与当地研究人员合作开发的，邀请参与者与研究人员分享他们绘图的意义，解释其人生历程中的关键事件，运用隐喻和象征手法来传达他们的经历。文章强调了“生命之河”如何促进了对强奸所生孩子种族灭绝后经历的关键洞察，以及在家庭、社区和社会层面的长期影响，并证明特别有助于青年参与者梳理和交流他们的种族灭绝历史以及耻辱和歧视经历。参与者还报告称，“生命之河”产生了意想不到的积极影响，包括在回顾过去和展望未来时获得了结和清晰感。尽管并非没有局限性，但我们认为这种绘图工具是基于艺术的方法中的一项重要补充，可用于那些经历过深刻暴力和边缘化形式的人群。
