Find Mediators Near You:

Storytelling: A Powerful Force for Reconciliation

Mediation Times by Amanda Bucklow.

On Thursday evening I attended a presentation by two extraordinary people from Sierra Leone. Paramount Chief Alfred Banya who is the Chair of Fambul Tok’s Moyamba District Executive Committee and his sister, Micheala Ashwood who is the National Coordinator of Fambul Tok’s growing network of peace mothers’ groups.

They told a remarkable story about how the slow process of rebuilding fractured communities after the civil war is being supported by the simple act of storytelling around a bonfire. ‘Holding the space so people can talk.”

Of course, it is not a process that guarantees success, but successful it is by any measure.

It reminded me how important it is for all human beings to have the chance to tell their story of how the dispute has affected them. In a moving video presentation, people maimed and bereft of family and friends as a result of the atrocities carried out by their neighbours and family members were able to forgive, if not forget. Storytelling can achieve that kind of reconciliation and there is a place for it in all disputes and conflict.

We shouldn’t lose sight of this and make the mediation process so focussed on money, legal merits or outcome that we forget the deeply human need to share stories of disappointment, betrayal, lost hope and humiliation with our fellow human beings, especially with those we feel need to know.

                        author

Amanda Bucklow

Amanda has a strong international profile as a mediator and a negotiator. She is well known for her commercial acumen, people skills and professionalism with notable skills in engaging even the most reluctant parties in the mediation process. Her personal style combines intellect and insight with a comprehensive understanding of… MORE >

Featured Members

ad
View all

Read these next

Category

Mediate.com Podcast Episode 33: What Mediators Should Know About the Business Development Side of Adding Conflict Management Coaching with Cinnie Noble

As a mediator, do you offer a bundle of services? Have you ever considered adding conflict management coaching as a service in addition to your current services (e.g. mediation and...

By Cinnie Noble, Veronica Cravener
Category

Mediator Ethics and Ethical Dilemmas

While professional ethics for attorneys are required subjects in law schools, ethics for mediators receive much less attention. In most Michigan law schools, the Michigan Mediator Standards of Conduct1 (hereinafter...

By Antoinette Raheem
Category

JAMS Supports the ABA’s Planned Early Dispute Resolution Project

JAMS ADR Blog by Chris PooleIn the interest of saving time and money, the ABA Dispute Resolution has launched a user guide to help parties and lawyers develop a new...

By Chris Poole
×