Dreitcer ’79 Leads Healing Workshops in Zimbabwe
by Claudia Pearce
December 8, 2009
 How
can people live in the same village—much less attend the same
church—with others who have burned down their houses or tortured and
murdered their friends and relatives?
This is a tragic dilemma for many who live in Zimbabwe.
Claremont School of Theology of Professor Andy Dreitcer ’79
and his colleagues Frank Rogers and Marc Yaconelli have just returned
from Zimbabwe after leading workshops for tribal chiefs, pastors, and
government officials, teaching them how to facilitate healing and
reconciliation processes in their villages and churches, even in the
midst of ongoing violence.
(Read a blog about Dreitcer's work here.) Dreitcer
was invited because of connections that one of his Ph.D. students had
with the recently-formed Zimbabwe government’s Ministry for Healing and
Reconciliation. While this Ministry’s creation may have been a sham to
some at the top political levels, many of its members’ hopes for
healing are genuine, and it has tapped into a huge ache for peace and
reconciliation in the land. “My student Mazvita Machinga also
happens to be a Zimbabwean religious leader," says Dreitcer. "She
invited us to give an intensive workshop on reconciliation techniques
in her country, because she said that local leaders often have no idea
how to even begin to address the hurt.” The hurt and
dysfunction in Zimbabwe is tremendous. Since his takeover in 1990,
President Robert Mugabe’s economic mismanagement, land confiscations,
and human rights abuses have led to hyperinflation, widespread
unemployment, poverty, and famines. The once-prosperous country is now
an economic basket case, with life expectancy at 37 for men, and 34 for
women.
In March 2008, Zimbabwe held a presidential election
in which candidate Morgan Tsvangirai did so well that Mugabe agreed to
a power-sharing arrangement, with Tsvangirai as Prime Minister. This
has not stopped Mugabe and his militias from continuing to intimidate
the Prime Minister and assaulting his supporters. However, small
hopeful steps toward a better future are beginning to be made.  “Many
of the workshop’s 85 participants had been victims of violence
themselves,” says Dreitcer. “It was the first time that some of them
were able to publicly speak of the beatings and torture they had
endured. The chance to work together meant so much to them. On the
final day of the workshop, when they were developing strategies and
projects for reconciliation for their communities, the catharsis was
incredible.
"We are excited to see what happens next." Known
as Andy Deeter when he attended Wabash, Dreitcer says that his major in
religion at the College was the first step on the path that led to his
current work. After graduating from Wabash, Dreitcer went on to
get his M.Div. from Yale Divinity School and his Ph.D. from Graduate
Theological Union. He served as a Presbyterian pastor for many years,
founded a seminary spiritual direction program, and is now a professor
as well as the Director of Spiritual Formation at Claremont School of
Theology. We'll have more about Dreitcer’s work in the Spring 2010 issue of Wabash Magazine.
In
photo: Dreitcer with tribal chiefs during the workshop in Zimbabwe.
Article and photos courtesy of Claremont School of Theology
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