Creativity as an intervention strategy with Mayan women in Guatemala

This article explores the transformative potential of creativity, including the creative arts, embodied practices and Mayan storytelling and rituals. These were used as strategies in psychosocial and feminist rights based interventions and participatory research conducted by Guatemalan civil society actors with Mayan women in the aftermath of gross human rights violations committed during the 36 years of Guatemalan armed conflict. Drawing on a series of participatory creative workshops, facilitated by the authors, this article highlights rural Mayan women's understanding and assessments of their engagement with creative resources as a means to address the effects of the armed conflict. The article argues that performing these interventions offers possibilities for personal transformation, through both individual and small group experiences. Additionally, these interventions contain the potential to encourage communities towards social transformation.