Body Mapping

Association des Victimes, Parents et Amis du 28 septembre 2009 (AVIPA) is a national survivors’ network for individuals affected by the violence during the events of September 28, 2009, in Conakry. In 2023, the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC) and Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)—acting under the umbrella of the Global Initiative for Justice, Truth and Reconciliation (GIJTR) consortium—organised a body mapping training of trainers workshop with civil society actors in Guinea, including members of AVIPA. Following the workshop, ICSC and CSVR provided technical and financial support for the participants to lead body mapping workshops with survivors of human rights violations in their own communities. AVIPA chose to work with survivors of sexual violence from the September 28 Stadium Massacre. Over the course of the workshop, survivors were guided through creating their own body maps— a process that typically takes place over a week, through which survivors share their stories of pain, violence, and displacement, as well as resilience and strength through life-sized drawings of their own bodies, which are complemented by symbolic images and written text documenting important moments in their lives.