Within the Box: Cross-Cultural Art Therapy With Survivors of the Rwanda Genocide

This article discusses the creative making of boxes as a cross-cultural art therapy intervention in Kigali, Rwanda, with survivors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The box as an art form is particularly applicable with young adult survivors, given the nature of their prodigious trauma and the possibility of posttraumatic stress disorder, as well as their cultural mode of emotional expression. Physical and metaphorical characteristics of the box are examined and discussed with corresponding aspects of the Rwandan culture. Three case examples from the art therapy group demonstrate how the metaphor of the box resonated with young adult genocide survivors and functioned as a catalyst for expression, healing, and reconnec-