Namibia Report / Windhoek 15th May - 7th June 2022
WE'RE CALLED TO STAND
With Visolela Rosa Namises and Heike Wegener
The SOHA Foundation stands for transformative work to strengthen voices that are usually silenced on a global scale. People of (past)war zones, over-powered often for generations, where it becomes painful unconscious normality, f.e. in (post) colonized regions, unseen in their power and beautiful wisdom. We know that any voice and its unique talent is needed in this challenging time of crisis on our earth in the often unhealthy structures we live in.
This time in Namibia we offered a Trauma Informed Leadership Training, Honoring our past, weaving in the ancient wisdom of all those who were present with the intention to create a more safe, sustainable, and light-full future.
16th to 19th Mai
Arriving, Visions-Time, Planning of our Program on Vislolela's Farm
Two full days we took to arrive together after 1,5 years of Covid break of our practical work together. We were welcoming each other through an oiling ritual in the beautiful nature of the Khoma region. I brought oil from Switzerland and we produced our own Namibian oil which we used for our ritual. Our focus became clear. This is the start were
our healing journey we will be more focused on a political dimension: We want to support the people of Namibia to stand up for their purpose. This means: facing oneself, each other, the country; the individual, and the collective pain and beauty which is carried in each person. For Visolela it's clear that she's called to stand for the next election in 2024 as an independent presidential candidate. That's also the slogan we gonna use for our
Workshop-Program: „We're called to stand". We had two and a half weeks left to fill our plan with Workshops; what we did...Using the Network of Visolela the Workshops were
(over-)filled easily after a few hours. This was the structural content of our Workshops; the working notes...
Conscious Leadership
Principles of Healing
Trauma awareness
Being part of the change we long for
21st to 22nd May
We're called to stand
First Workshop, five women, three men
We welcomed a very diverse group. Two teachers, one retired gardener, two Community leaders of Katutura, Social Workers, and young innovative 18 years old man, all actively
politically interested. The first round when the people introduced themselves, the sharing became very deep and an honor for all of us who witnessed the resilience of us human beings in each example. Each sharing was a life story, an example of individual healing,
ere in a traumatized field; stories that highlighted how we can trust the intelligence of our life force. The invitation was to listen to each other, to take space, and be seen. Most of them came out of broken families and broken marriages.
The themes were f.e.: Adoption, the missing father, the missing mother, and growing up in the family of the uncle or with the grandparents. We worked with questions, the participants brought up: „How to make a change in your own house? How to live for a purpose? How can we re-connect men and women? How to honor the tradition of our fathers? How to find the light in ourselves and other people? How to be with an inner emotional rollercoaster? How to find inner peace? What do the young people search for on the street that they don't find at home?
We learned about the different bodies we have (physical, emotional, mental, energetic) and how to listen to them inwardly. Later we did a „listening and giving space exercise" which was experienced as very balancing for our nervous systems. We created a safe space, people were more relaxed and open to connecting with their power and vulnerable parts. We were praying and singing together. Everybody spoke about their inner calling and stood upright in the individual beauty and pain as a part of a bigger pulsating social filed of change. Visolela spoke for the first time openly, about her call to stand as a candidate for the next presidency in 2024.
24th to 25th May
We're called to stand
Second Workshop, 6 women (one transgender), 4 men, and one child (3 years)
Again we met a very diverse group. Many people did not come or were hours to late. The theme of „being late" came up and we explored the structure behind this issue. It became a deep inquiry between Visolela and me...finding out, that on part of being late
is a way to rebel against orders of white people now and in the past...letting them wait... and then creating a culture where it became normal that everybody comes late...and what a big amount of energy is lost in waiting...and kept in the pain of colonialism. After a late and relatively short arrival circle where people shared their wishes for the time, we have together we went straight into the knowledge of the four bodies, explored their movements and entered a more embodied sharing. A lot of grief came up for the loss of many people who died from covid last year. The center was filled with pictures of people who were remembered. There were single grief processes of people who knew our work from last years which was beautiful to deepen the connection. We also exercised about the principle of survival (fighting, freezing, fleeing) and how it shows up in our lifes and how it could be to stay in the center of our live stream of being honest, vulnerable and, interested. We witnessed the movement of avoidance and efforting inside of us.
28th to 29th May
We're called to stand
Third Workshop, 14 women, 11 men
This was a group of younger people. They also came late, there were new people the next day, and some did not come back. There was a restlessness in the space, a searching. How to regulate our nervous systems? How to center ourselves? What's in the way? We went through the process of learning the tools of awareness for conscious leadership from the inside. We exercised with the content of relationship struggles; this was the main subject. And we unpacked the principles of healing through topics relating and belonging.
The first day ended with the painful news of the death of a woman who sang at the last project visit 2020 on an event for gender-based violence. She was murdered by her ex-partner. Our feeling was that the whole group went into shock. We could name it. After the first day of the workshop Visolela and I had a long debrief sharing full of grief and
anger. The next day we went through the process with the whole group. I learned more about how their community is dealing with this kind of „normal life" which is so violent and dangerous. Visolela went to the Family that night who lost their daughter, which felt like a release to me that they were not alone In their pain. There was also a movement of
the family of the man towards them who were accused of the murder to soften their guilt. One day after the workshop the men had to show up in the curt. Visolela and WSN (Women Solidarity Namibia) organized a demonstration in front of the building because often the men are escaping without being sentenced. There was no decision, they will bring up the case in August again.
2nd to 3rd June
We're called to stand
Fourth Workshop for LifeLine ChildLine / NGO / 12 women, 5 men
We met at the NGO ChildLine LifeLine at their workshop space. It is a well-known
Institution that offers telefon- and life-counseling for people in challenging situations. The group was formed of a mixture of long-term social worker employees as well as
volunteers and students who are there to have practical training for their next steps in life and also from other countries like Kenia.
We brought in the awareness of four bodies, and did exercises to deepen it, to show how they can use it in their work and life to navigate challenging issues and moments in life. As always Visolela talked about GEN Africa and its values like communal solidarity, sharing richness, the path from inner peace to holistic peace, spirit healing, ancestor connections, resilience and sustainability, equality, and fairness, and celebrating African
diversity. Which also brought up the fragmentation in the society, the fear of not having or getting enough, the loss of a higher connection, the irresponsibility of some of the country leaders, how to give voice to the voiceless, and how to find the stand and the voice of the own power, values, interests, and talents. How is it if we are aligned in all of our bodies: physical, mental, emotional, and energetically? How to be with the all-day overwhelm? How to go step by step with what's alive in me now? How to create and practice positive self-contact?
Vislolela shared in the beginning of the sec. day how she supported in the night a mother who gave birth to a baby on the street of Katutura. Visolela was cooking the mother soup. She was offering the baby to Visolela to keep her, because she had already 4 at home and not enough money to live from.
We clarified the term „trauma". How it has a place in our lives, how it shows up. On the
second day we worked with music and movement to get the bodies even more involved. We invoked the very strong soul energy. We shared about healthy communication, relationships, and what is inspiring for us in relation. Also, we brought light to the inner dialog which is mostly hidden about our heart longings, emotions around it, how they
„loop" in our bodies, and also as layers of protection to acknowledge and investigate into it if they are still needed and if what for. We discovered our dilemma we often face f.e. to open up to something we long for and another part which is fearful and closes all of our bodies.
