How does personal storytelling promote reconciliation?

We live in a world where suspicion, fear, prejudice and racism plague us daily. The growing sentiment seems to be anti-black, anti-white, anti-rich, anti-poor, anti-foreigner ... in fact anti-everyone who is not like us or threatens our comfort.

What if suspicion, fear, prejudice and racism were replaced by understanding, respect, love, acceptance and trust? What if South Africa became a place renowned for our ability to know each other and care about each other’s stories?

As Heartlines, we believe that getting to know each other’s stories is the first step towards breaking down the misconceptions and prejudices that divide us.

Personal storytelling gives us a non-threatening foundation from which we can have authentic conversations on how to overcome racism, prejudice, xenophobia and other issues that divide us.

Imagine a South Africa – an African continent, a world – where we became known for our ability to be reconciled to each other through sharing our stories. Imagine if stories became the pathway towards greater social cohesion. Imagine if we were part of a powerful wave of change, one conversation at a time, one story at a time.

If that sounds like the kind of society you’d like to build, get started now!