| Rwanda has survived a long history of ethnic violence and oppression following Belgian colonization in 1923. As a result of the 1994 genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi, more than 800,000 Rwandans were killed in 100 days. The impact and results of violence frustrates the basic psychological needs of survivors, inhibiting their ability to regulate internal emotional states and potentially giving rise to intense trauma symptoms. Furthermore, the pervasive nature of trauma can change the way an individual relates to others, adversely influencing the role of caretaking and impacting the development of attachment relationships, which can lead to intergenerational trauma. However, despite these adverse effects, the people of Rwanda have found strength in community and peace in forgiveness and reconciliation, which is sustained by a collectivistic nature. The present study explores the phenomenological experience of resiliency in Rwandan youth and community leaders within the context of intergenerational trauma. Qualitative interviews were conducted with five Rwandan youth (ages 18-23yrs) and two Rwandan schoolteachers. All participants were members of Children's HOPE Club, an after-school expressive arts program dedicated to promoting resiliency in Rwandan youth. Furthermore, archival data (expressive arts documents) from the Children's HOPE Club was analyzed to provide a depth of understanding of the experiences of trauma and resiliency for Rwandan youth. Participants discussed a heavy presence of unspoken trauma within the Rwandan community. Specific counterforces to resilience that were identified include the culture of silence, poverty, and intergenerational trauma. However, participants discussed their experience in Children's HOPE Club as promoting resilience by providing them with generative and life-forwarding protective factors, including intergenerational resilience, spirituality, leadership and altruism, social support, future-orientation, and artistic and cultural expression. |
