Exploring the Power of Lament as a Pathway to Healing
We’ve all been there, standing in the quiet aftermath of pain, searching for words that never seem enough. Sometimes, healing doesn’t come from silence or strength, but from lament, that sacred moment when our grief becomes prayer.
In many communities across Africa, we’re taught to be strong, to move on, to “trust God and forget.” But what if healing doesn’t come from silence? What if our tears, our songs, our dances, our poems, all the things that express what words alone can’t, are the very prayers that carry us closer to restoration?
The Bible is full of laments. David cried out, “How long, O Lord?” (Psalm 13). Jeremiah wept for a broken city. Even Jesus lamented from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Lament is not a sign of weak faith; it’s a brave, sacred dialogue with God that leads us from despair to renewal.
The Power of Lament as a Trauma Healing Process
From December 8 –10, 2025 (8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.), CUI in collaboration with ChemiChemi Players, invites you to a three-day, hands-on Arts for Trauma Healing Workshop titled “The Power of Lament as a Trauma Healing Process.”
This transformative experience will equip you with trauma-informed, expressive arts tools for helping individuals and communities heal from a biblical and culturally grounded perspective. You’ll explore how the mind and body respond to emotional trauma, and how local art forms such as song, dance, drama, and visual art can be powerful means of restoration.
Participants will also engage in the creation and sharing of laments; expressions of grief and faith that help us move through pain into hope.
By the end of this workshop, you’ll be equipped not only to understand trauma but to respond to it creatively, spiritually, and communally.
The sessions will be facilitated by Wendy Atkins and Jodi Bagge, both of whom bring years of experience in theology, trauma-informed care, and expressive arts.
To ensure an intimate, reflective experience, attendance will be limited to 20–30 participants.
Why Lament?
Because lament permits us to grieve honestly.
Because our stories, told through song, movement, and prayer, connect us not only to God but to one another.
Because art reminds us that even in pain, we are still creators, image-bearers, still whole.
As the Psalms remind us, “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy” (Psalm 126:5).
So maybe your healing doesn’t start with answers. Maybe it starts with a song, a dance, a story, or simply, a tear.
Because sometimes, your tears are prayers too.
Join the Workshop
Dates: December 8–10, 2025
Time: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Venue: Hosted by CUI and ChemiChemi Players
Theme: The Power of Lament as a Trauma Healing Process
Slots are limited
Register today: https://form.jotform.com/253001242250538
Come ready to listen, create, and lament, so that healing can begin, one story at a time.
