Havens in a Heartless World

The project asks how intergenerational dialogue within the Bristol Somali population can be facilitated in order to address outstanding issues of mental well-being. Communication between children, parents and grandparents about difficult emotional issues attending their adjustment to life in Britain is often constrained and sometimes non-existent. Unresolved, conflicts around individual identity, peer group pressure, gender roles and religious and cultural traditions can undermine family relationships and people’s mental well-being.
This project experiments with new modes of promoting discussions within families by building on strong Somali traditions of storytelling and to combine these with the critical insights gleaned from sociological and historical research and therapeutic practice. Funded by the Brigstow Institute, and organised by Madge Dresser, these series of workshops, performance, and a radio programme form one strand of the locally oriented programme around telling untold stories which is planned as part of the Journey to Justice initiative in Bristol in October 2017.