The first time I was approached to work on the Rohingya community was when a non-governmental organization approached me, knowing my humanitarian work as an “artivist” (artist + activist). Indeed, as a UNESCO Artist for Peace, I am using performing art to help survivors suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder to better express themselves.
This NGO saw my work in Congo with female victims of excision, and decided to have me work in Bangladesh for the Rohingya women, especially. The NGO provides access to information, education, and cultural resources on serving communities subject to systemic discrimination.
My goal was to create pedagogical content to help trainers on site to deliver programs to the female population to get a better sense of autonomy and self-confidence, thanks to role games. Going back and forth with those trainers allowed me to also have direct access to the Rohingya women, while some gave feedback on some parts of the training and some very interesting insights.
I immediately realized the willingness of those women to become more autonomous, and to better understand how their own value could make a difference in order for their children to be better treated. This sense of “family first” was very present and, being a mother myself, I felt very close to M in particular, who explained that she would have extreme difficulties not only because of the horrific conditions they are living in, but also due to the lack of consideration women have in the clan.
Sexual harassment and sexual crimes are becoming more and more frequent, and are carried out by men who usually are not busy working, and getting more and more angry at the situation; this leads them to taking their frustration out on the women. Whereas Rohingya women are all about preserving the interest of their family, men are fighting, creating clans, and beating their wives when they return at the end of the day. “We are scared,” T says. “But we are trying to create alliances in order to not feel alone, and be able to hide in one another’s homes if things get more difficult.”
The program I created gave those women a better sense of a diagnosis in order to anticipate signals of violence in advance, and immediately take actions. Using methods from communication skills, emotional intelligence, and obstructive behaviours strategies, I designed role games to “rehearse real life” and be able to react quicker.
“From scare to care” was really their motto as they went through the training program, which also included some meditation techniques inspired by the Heartfulness method. Finding a safe space to take a moment to breathe and to visualize positive outcomes would be extremely helpful for them to get stronger.
Another part of the training was linked to the idea of worth for profitability. Making those women realize that they can be at the root of value creation, thanks to what they know already, was a real positive experience. For this, I suggest working with the technique of the sociogram created by Michel Crozier. Each woman had to clearly state the environment matrix in which she lived, and try to understand who could be “helpers,” “mentors,” and even “partners” after defining which area she could create profits in. Some of them came with ideas like cooking, sewing, or even doing domestic tasks. Others dared to talk about speaking up and becoming representatives of the Rohingya's cause from an international point of view.
What is striking in this matter is how the Rohingya women are close to us Occidental women with our doubts, our pride, and our willingness to give to our family and society. Whether I am with this feminine population or with a corporate feminine population, I am using the same exercises, essentially, on women who push the notion of power back from what they think should not be their own shoulder.
But now, it is time to stop being afraid, and accept becoming our own knights. Our family needs it, our society needs it, and our world needs it too.
Guila Clara Kessous, PhD, is a UNESCO Artist for Peace.
