The recent political upheaval experienced in Bermuda has spurred a group of “passionate Bermudians” to organise a series of events aimed at healing the community.

The first of the events takes place this evening at Cathedral Hall, Church Street, with the film screening of the Harvard Negotiation Programme’s Co-operative Interest-Based Negotiation Process.

The film is about the negotiations that led to the emergence of a post-apartheid democratic South African constitution while exploring the tools those negotiators used.

The event will be hosted by former Bermuda ombudsmen Arlene Brock. Local activist Stratton Hatfield is one of those who worked on the idea of a series of events along with Family Centre, Imagine Bermuda, Aspen Institute, Art of Hosting and CURB.

“A cross-section of the community, passionate Bermudians — it came about after the recent events that have occurred with regards to immigration reform and same-sex marriage,” he said.

“We see this film as an opportunity to learn from the experiences that were had in South Africa and to see how we can apply some of the techniques that were used there in Bermuda when it comes to negotiating. We want to create a dialogue.

“This is intended to be not just a one-off, but a series of discussions and events to foster a stronger dialogue between members of the community.”

The screening is tonight from 5.30pm to 7pm and is free.