Listening is a radical act

What a Week with Outer West Durban Community Members Taught Me About the Power of Presence

Last week, I had the privilege of co-facilitating a Digital Storytelling workshop in the heart of Botha's Hill, KwaZulu-Natal. Ten courageous community-based co-researchers gathered to share their lived experiences with flooding - a reality both devastating and deeply personal.

The workshop forms part of a broader study called "The impact of extreme weather events on the mental health of vulnerable populations in Africa" (WEMA). The week became something more than just a workshop. It became a lesson in the quiet, human art of listening.

As someone who lives and breathes communication - talking, presenting, explaining - I'm often measured by what I say. But, this workshop flipped that script. It reminded me that the most powerful form of communication doesn’t come from speaking. It comes from listening.

In the daily story circles during the workshop, I found myself leaning in - not just hearing but truly listening. To the silences. The stumbles. The moments where words trembled under the weight of memory. I wasn’t a facilitator. I was a witness. A guest in someone else's lived reality.

Each story was textured: full of grief and grit, heartbreak and hope. The pauses spoke as loudly as the words. The unsaid carried weight. Every time I listened fully, presently, I felt a deeper connection not just to the storytellers, but to my fellow facilitators and to myself.

We faced some challenges: language barriers, noisy recording spaces and tech mishaps. Somehow, none of that derailed us. We made it through not just because we were skilled, but because we listened to one another. With empathy. With intent. With care.

By the end of the week, we hadn’t just created digital stories. We had cultivated a community, one built not on performance, but on presence.

Here’s the truth I carried home with me: In a world addicted to speaking louder, faster, and more often... listening is a radical act. It’s quiet. It’s slow. It doesn’t shout. But it heals, it connects, and it transforms.

So, the next time you're in a room full of noise - literal or metaphorical - try saying nothing. Just listen. You might be surprised by what you hear.

Until next time.

Yours in tact,

Ruth

Images by Dr Sithembiso Ndlovu