Nomfundo Walaza
ACTIVIST CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST AND CO-FOUNDER OF UNYOKE FOUNDATION
Nomfundo Walaza is a clinical psychologist who has worked as an activist in the human rights field for more than three decades. She served as the CEO of the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre (DTPC) for 7 years. She also served for 11 years as the Executive Director of the Trauma Centre for Survivors of Violence and Torture in Cape Town. In this capacity, Nomfundo focused primarily on the empowerment and the healing of victims of torture, trauma and violence, many of whom suffered severely at the hands of the Apartheid regime in South Africa. She also served the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa in multiple roles.
Since leaving the DTPC, Nomfundo Walaza has been deeply involved in mediation, conflict transformation, dialogue facilitation, peacebuilding and assisting academic institutions with engaging in difficult conversation around issues of transformation and decolonization. Nomfundo co-founded the Unyoke Foundation with Chris Spies in 2017. She currently accompanies a group of aspirant young leaders in South Sudan and in the refugee camps in Uganda.
Nomfundo Walaza co-facilitates unyoke reflective retreats for international peace practitioners. She is dedicated to finding innovative ways to accompany young and upcoming peacebuilders within the African continent. Nomfundo has a keen interest in exploring African Indigenous Knowledge systems as they pertain to peacebuilding, mediation, and conflict transformation. She firmly believes that intergenerational accompaniment and support are the keys to addressing Africa’s intractable conflicts.
Workshop Five - Nomfundo Walaza - Reflections on the Impact of Trauma In Our Work As Practitioners
Evidence is rife that we each carry some measure of trauma with us as we approach our vocations. Whether our trauma is personal, familial, generational or whether it is because we are part of a group that has been the victims of ongoing violence, torture, genocide, racism or oppression, we bring the remnants of that trauma and our woundedness into our everyday work. We carry the scars of those who walked the path before us, and we have the capacity to pass those scars consciously or unconsciously to the next generations.
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As a Black South African woman who grew up in an apartheid society and served the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa in various roles, I am constantly aware of how these experiences shape my approach to the work I do today. There is much to consider in why and how I approach these issues in 2024, in the world that is so beleaguered with trauma and suffering.
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I believe it is important to continue asking these questions: how do we understand the impact of our own trauma and experiences and how do we understand the impact of the trauma of those who sit across the table from us? What does it truly mean to be compassionate as we look at ways of healing trauma in a world that is so divided and deeply impacted by historic and cultural backgrounds? If we dare to sit with people who come from vastly different worldviews, how can we begin to understand their experiences? In our largely white male dominated community, how do we truly become compassionate and inclusive and open to the ideas of others? I believe we have much to learn from each other so we can contribute to a diverse world that is full of hope and healing.
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Of course, we may not obtain the answers we seek, but we can be brave enough to ask questions in a manner that forces us to pause, truly listen and become compassionate practitioners.
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As I prepare to join the summit, I think of the following question. How does my own trauma of growing up in apartheid South Africa impact the work I do today? What did I learn from the successes and failures of the TRC? More importantly, how does that impact my work going forward? What do I bring to this table to add to the dialogue acknowledging how marginalized I feel to even be a part of this group? How do I maintain hope and continue to learn and grow enough to create a path forward for my generation and those who will follow us?
