Listening to Children's Voices: Literature and the Arts as Means of Responding to the Effects of War, Terrorism, and Disaster

Gangi, Jane M.; Barowsky, Ellis I.

doi:10.1080/00094056.2009.10521401

Cited by 20 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Arts-based methods may allow children to express themselves in a developmentally appropriate, culturally adaptable manner ( Linds et al, in press ). Existing research has also highlighted that arts-based methods may allow children and youth to represent their experiences in contexts of embodied empathy, promote activism and empowerment, and for the most part, as a successful intervention for children who may have limited vocabulary to express their feelings ( Gangi and Barowsky, 2009 ; Harris, 2007 ; Moletsane et al, 2007 ). Arts-based approaches have the added value that they are participatory and less-directive—allowing greater ownership and control in the hands of participants ( Bolton et al, 2001 ).…”

Section: A Review Of Arts-based Approaches With Populations Affected By War and Genocidementioning

confidence: 99%

An arts-based approach with youth born of genocidal rape in Rwanda: The river of life as an autobiographical mapping tool

Denov

Shevell

2021

Global Studies of Childhood

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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.

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Section: A Review Of Arts-based Approaches With Populations Affected By War and Genocidementioning

confidence: 99%

An arts-based approach with youth born of genocidal rape in Rwanda: The river of life as an autobiographical mapping tool

Denov

Shevell

2021

Global Studies of Childhood

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“…Such events include floods, earthquakes, droughts, wars and diseases. Wherever they occur, disasters tend to leave devastation and anguish amongst the affected populations (Chitiyo, Changara & Chitiyo 2008 ; Chitiyo & Chitiyo 2009 ; Gangi & Barowsky 2009 ; Shibley 2010 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-traumatic stress disorder amongst children aged 8–18 affected by the 2011 northern-Namibia floods

Taukeni

Chitiyo

et al. 2016

Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies

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Extreme flooding in the northern parts of Namibia occurred in 2011, impacting many school-going children in the region. The rationale for the current research is to assess post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on school children as a result of the floods. A self-administered Child Trauma Screening Questionnaire (CTSQ) with closed-ended questions was administered to 480 children between the ages of eight and 18 years at their respective schools. The CTSQ consists of five items assessing re-experiencing and five items assessing hyper-arousal symptoms. The results show that 55.2% of learners aged 12 and below and 72.8% of learners aged 13 and above reported experiencing symptoms of trauma from the floods 2 years after the event. These percentages were quite high and are therefore a cause for concern. Given the magnitude of this problem, it is important for the government and other stakeholders to provide the necessary psychological and/or emotional support in the event of future floods or similar disasters.

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“…Although research has begun to document the importance of using arts-based methodologies (Mitchell, De Lange, Moletsane, Stuart, & Buthulezi, 2005;Kanji & Cameron, 2010), information on their applicability with children and youth facing different forms of global adversity remains in its infancy. Nonetheless, emerging research has highlighted that arts-based methods may allow children and youth to represent their experiences in contexts of reduced stress (Harris, 2007), promote activism and empowerment (Moletsane et al, 2007), and be particularly successful with younger children who have limited vocabulary to verbalize their feelings (Gangi & Barowsky, 2009).…”

Section: Introduction: Marginalized Youth and Visual Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research as intervention? Exploring the health and well-being of children and youth facing global adversity through participatory visual methods

D'Amico¹,

Denov²,

Khan³

et al. 2018

Participatory Visual Methodologies in Global Public Health

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201)Over the last decade, global health research has taken a turn towards using knowledge generated through translation (from health professionals to the community) and dissemination (from research results to the wider audience). However, Greenhalgh and Wieringa (2011) suggest 'that while "translation" is a widely used metaphor in medicine, it constrains how we conceptualize and study the link between knowledge and practice' (p. 501). Often the knowledge garnered from such research projects comes from health professionals rather than reflecting the lived experiences of people and communities. Likewise, there has been a gap in 'translating' and 'disseminating' the results of participatory action research projects to policymakers and medical practitioners. This article will look at how using participatory visual methodologies in global health research with children and youth facing global adversity incorporates the multiple functions of translation and dissemination so that research becomes a means of intervention. Drawing from a literature review of participatory visual methods as media, content and processes of global health research, this paper raises practical, theoretical and ethical questions that arise from research as intervention. The paper concludes by exploring what lessons emerge when participatory visual methodologies are integrated into global health research with children and youth facing global adversity.

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Listening to Children's Voices: Literature and the Arts as Means of Responding to the Effects of War, Terrorism, and Disaster

Cited by 20 publications

References 28 publications

An arts-based approach with youth born of genocidal rape in Rwanda: The river of life as an autobiographical mapping tool

An arts-based approach with youth born of genocidal rape in Rwanda: The river of life as an autobiographical mapping tool

Post-traumatic stress disorder amongst children aged 8–18 affected by the 2011 northern-Namibia floods

Research as intervention? Exploring the health and well-being of children and youth facing global adversity through participatory visual methods

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