A Healing Oppression?s Wounds workshop was held in Bermuda last month.

Presented by husband and wife, Afiya and Baba Wekesa Madzimoyo, the workshop was held for Bermudians interested in doing something positive with and for African people and in doing so, bring them face to face with oppression and ?internalised? oppression.

?While overcoming racial prejudice is important, the most important thing to overcoming racial oppression is healing ourselves of the oppression we have internalised as a result of that oppression,? Mr. Madzimoyo said, adding that these are called wounds of oppression.

He said no school, university or job can teach people how to navigate, combat and heal this oppression and that was why ?Healing Oppression?s Wounds? (HOW) workshops were so important.

?A goal for us is to know our people?s wounds and develop some African-centred skills to facilitate healing,? he said.

The workshops are small with between ten and 20 people.

?Some components of the workshop involve discovering family and personal injury born of oppression, learning skills to heal ourselves and others and challenging oppression,? he said.

Mr. Madzimoyo said the workshop also helped participants find the right tools to handle conflict in order to strengthen families and communities.