Between October 2020 and March 2021, CSVR hosted an online symposium entitled ‘Blended Voices: Building an Understanding of Torture, War Trauma and Violence Through an African Lens’. The Blended Voices symposium emerged from the extensive work being done on torture, war trauma and violence throughout the continent, and the desire to provide a platform for African voices to share their experiences and learnings related to trauma, healing and resilience. The topic of the symposium, ‘Blended Voices’, also reflected the spirit and intention of inclusivity. Throughout the symposium, panellists made deliberate and conscious efforts to include the voices of victims of violence and trauma – voices that are too often excluded and marginalised. By bringing in their voices, the panellists made it possible for individuals and communities to be heard in a forum to which they may otherwise not have had access. In addition, bringing in their voices served to humanise the victims; and, in validating their voices, to challenge “global hierarchies of knowledge” (as framed by one of the panellists). The use of translators throughout the series of webinars also highlighted the importance of inclusivity. This reflection report aims to capture the main themes and insights that emerged from the symposium and to offer some thoughts regarding the way forward.
