Praying for Truth and Healing

Abstract

The 1965 tragedy in Indonesia marked a traumatic historical event which saw the start of an anti-communist campaign of mass violence that used religion as a tool of propaganda. For three decades, those accused of being members and sympathizers of the Communist Party of Indonesia suffered violence and various civil rights restrictions. The victims are still struggling to speak the truth. This article describes how victims and their families in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, formed senior prayer groups as a space for truth-telling and healing. The groups became new families, formed based on the commonality of memory. In the groups, victims were heard and honoured, mourned together, strengthened each other, and even became reconciled. Over time, the prayer group developed into a group that facilitated joint economic empowerment. Senior prayer groups provide healing journeys for victims of the 1965 tragedy in Indonesia.