Arts as a vehicle for community building and post‐disaster development

Abstract

Use of the arts in international aid is common in an ad hoc form, but it has not been systematically theorised or evaluated. The arts have the potential to be a culturally contextualised and sustainable intervention for adults and children in the aftermath of war or disaster. On the micro level, the arts are a method to enable the retrieval and reprocessing of traumatic memories that are often encoded in images rather than in words. On a macro level, they can help to reconstruct a group narrative of a disaster as well as mobilise people back into control of their lives. This paper researches a long-term project using arts in Sri Lanka following the civil war and tsunami. A central finding is the need to understand arts within their cultural context, and their usefulness in strengthening the voices and problem-solving capacities of the victims of the disaster.

Remembrance of Things Past: Historical Commemoration in an Educational Setting

“…The arts are inseparable from broader social contexts and should never be portrayed as neutral or universal (Mahon, 2000), although they have traditionally been used to share information between generations (Huss, Kaufman, Avgar, & Shuker, 2016). Beaumont (2015, p. 543) cautions against using hegemonic narratives, including those connected with national stories such as Anzac Day, that can "exclude alternative versions of events".…”

Visualizing Peace – The State of the Art

“…"The arts, in addition to dealing with the past and reconstructing the present, enable concrete envisioning of a better future, as used in guided imagery in cognitive behavioral therapy." 53 Secondly, peace art can be understood as a cooperative project between former adversaries which may lead to lasting cooperative relationships after its completion. 54 While Craig Zelizre argues that "the arts have often had a significant impact on bringing together divided communities," 55 Koelsch holds that "cooperation between individuals increases individual trust and increases the likelihood of future cooperation between these individuals."…”

“…61 "On a social level of rehabilitation, the arts have the potential to be a self-initiated, culturally contextualized method of mobilizing people into positive action and problem solving by restoring symbols of meaning that help reorganize community solidarity and resilience." 62 Related to this, fourthly, "art is a tool that can communicate and transform the way people think and act. Arts can change the dynamics in intractable interpersonal, inter-communal, national, and global conflicts."…”

“…The ambiguity of visual art helps "to break down the binary understandings of strong/weak or victim/aggressor that tend so freeze people in rigid stance." 66…”

Teaching life skills through arts; an option for adolescent health promotion in resource poor settings

“…Art can be used for helping people acquire positive skills (6). It is used for building resilience in children facing adversaries such as physical or mental disability or diseases, natural disasters and war (7)(8)(9)(10). It has been used in the cultural context of Sri Lankan children previously (8).…”