This is a page celebrating the life and work of Dominic Makuvachuma, an activist in the survivor movement who passed away in 2024. It contains tributes from those who knew him, a slide show of images and video clips, and a short list of links/references. If you want to offer your own tribute to be added, please get in touch with us at info@nsun.org.uk.

Tributes

Sarah Yiannoullou (NSUN’s Managing Director from 2009-2020)

What a privilege it was to know and work alongside Dominic. The first time we met his energy and light permeated a dingey corridor, in a dull building, on a miserably grey day in Walthamstow. His energy and light continued to be a constant support in my work for over 20 years.

Dominic Makuvachuma-Walker, a Zimbabwean mental health survivor, had a longstanding relationship with the National Survivor User Network (NSUN). For over 15 years he was respectively an advocate, an advisor, and a Trustee (2009-2019).

From his early days of mental health activism in Waltham Forest he stood up and spoke out against injustice and discrimination within our institutions and communities. He used his personal experience and intense passion to support the mental health survivor movement at a local, regional, national, and international level.

Dominic left an indelible mark and a lasting legacy on the people and organisations he supported and worked for; as a founding member of Psychiatric System Survivors Together (PSST), as project development manager of the Catch-A-Fiya Network, as the people participation lead for City & Hackney, East London Mental Health Foundation Trust, as national programme lead with the Afiya Trust and the Social Perspectives Network (SPN), and his roles with Together – Working for Wellbeing and National Mind.

Dominic navigated the tricky ground between independent activism and professional representation, involvement and influencing. He contributed to and led ground breaking initiatives and projects like Catch-A-Fiya, Fan the Flames, Dancing to Our Own Tunes and Reigniting the Space.

Dominic was ridiculously generous, and his enthusiasm was beautifully infectious. He rallied, he inspired, he shared and supported. But Dominic also challenged and never shied away from speaking truth to power, or friends, or colleagues.

Dominic was also an actor, a DJ, a father and so much more. As often happens, uniqueness sharpens when lost. Dominic was unique and he was special, I knew that, but I realise and feel it more now that he is gone. Dominic’s life and legacy will quite rightly be remembered and celebrated by many.

Angela Newton

When I think of Dom I think of his cheeky infectious laugh, the twinkle he often had in his eye, his ability to connect with people and inspire them with his wise, courageous and inspirational words. 

I worked with Dom when we were both at Together for mental health working in the same special team, doing pretty much the same job but covering different parts of the country. The time we worked together was short in many ways, but the impact he had on me, the way he shaped my view of the world, the truths he told about the world we live in and how things could be different and better, have lasted over the years. When we found ourselves working in different spaces and places, our paths crossed on different occasions. It was always so very good to see him! He will be missed by so many people, I am just one of them.

Tina Coldham

I can’t remember when I first met Dominic. I think it may have even been pre-millennium when I was attending national conferences to try and understand the user/survivor landscape. I must’ve connected greatly with Dominic one of these events, as I can distinctly remember seeing him again at another soon after, and this huge smile greeted me, this was Dominic – Dom. We were always happy to see each other, later valuing each other’s input when we and other peers set up the National Survivor User Network. In all that NSUN wanted to do, we knew it was important that our BME peers were very much central when we thought about NSUN’s aims. Dom always gave sage advice and it was greatly valued. 

I can remember another time when we were working on a project with others around peer support, and at one point Dom said to everybody to ‘shush’ as there was a lot of enthusiastic chatter. He explained after the resulting quiet spell that this was so he could think in his native tongue, he didn’t need us disturbing his thought processes in English! Another time I was leading a workshop and although it had been carefully thought out before, it really wasn’t going too well, and at one point I picked up the agenda and screwed it up and threw it over my shoulder to reset the mood in the room. Dom later came up to me excitedly approving of this. Purposeful disruption appealed to Dom. He made things happen, and always with energy and a little bit of fun. I will miss his infectious laughter and sense of enjoyment, but always the wise words and careful thoughts that he came out with that was about furthering the user/survivor movement.

He mentioned in passing more than once in recent years that he was thinking of going back to Zimbabwe. I was sad to think he would go, and he did. Now I am consoled to know he is at home resting. He did a lot, and taught me a lot.  Thanks Dom.

Anne Beales

I met Dominic in the 1990’s when Community Health Council’s existed to support the voice of patents. I knew him then, as Dominic Walker, as he hadn’t reclaimed his true self/identity. While being in contact with the immigration authorities, as he was from Zimbabwe and following an incident with racists who set light to his home, he had contact with the police and then mental health services. It was and remains to our shame, that we live in a maddening society for people who are from racialised communities. I remain impressed and humbled that instead of rage Dominic used his experience to lead others on a journey to fight for their rights. His, experiences, ‘activism’, along with compassion a massive dose of energy and optimism drove him onto the leadership of Catch-A-Fiya. He had by then found his way into the Afiya Trust based in Vauxhall. When expedient he was then employed in the ‘service User Involvement Directorate’ at Together, which was a medium sized mental health provider (charity) that ‘enabled’ the voice of people using services from within but most importantly externally to be heard.  The Mental Health Foundation and Together gained funding to initially host the setting up of the National Survivor User Network which coordinated the voice of people and peers nationally. Dominic continued to offer leadership to people from racialised communities across the UK around what worked and what hurt within mental health services. He organised to ensure people’s voices, ambitions, views of what was needed was heard, first hand, often using story-telling, to influence at policy level, through to commissioning and provision. He was a tactician. understanding that the small spark of Catch-A-Fiya should host the flame of NSUN to amplify their reach together. He reclaimed his true self and his heritage as I worked alongside him over the years which was reflected in him using his name Dominic Makuvachuma. As a white woman I literally felt Dominic pushing my perspective and agenda just by listening and being alongside him, so I miss him both professionally and personally.  I will remember him, always.

Peter Beresford

In a world and in relation to an issue – Madness and distress – where Black people have been particularly marginalised and oppressed, Dominic for me was always  a powerful, articulate and helpful voice.  There was something special and unique about Dominic, his humanity, his thoughtfulness, his critical ability and his capacity to help – in discussion and action. I’ve seen Dominic chair a meeting in such a helpful way, you could overlook his presence. I’ve been involved with him in making presentations where i never forgot lessons I was learning from him. He was lively, kind, fun, full of energy as I knew him and a natural self-effacing leader. His involvement in different cultures and societies meant that he had particular insights and understanding. As a fellow survivor I found him fun, energising, cheering and loveable. He was a real ray of light. I was shocked to learn he was no longer with us, one of too many great pioneers of our lived experience taken too early. I shan’t forget you Dominic, I wish we had worked more together, but many may say that and I mustn’t be greedy. Rest in love xxxx Peter

Liz Sayce

Dominic was a member of a Mental Health Action Group set up by the Disability Rights Commission (DRC)  in the 2000s. I was their Director of Policy and Communications and helped set up and support the group and ensure the group had channels to advise the Commission, so that the rights of people with mental health challenges were fully reflected in the DRC’s work to promote and enforce disability rights. Dominic made great contributions to agenda setting publications – like Working Together, mental health service users and disability rights – and advising on a formal investigation into inequalities in health and health services. The latter contributed to a change in national policy, bringing greater attention to physical health inequalities faced by people living with mental health challenges. Dominic brought deep insight into intersectional inequalities and influenced everyone’s thinking with his wise and thoughtful approach. 

Melba Wilson

I read with sadness the news of Dominic’s passing.  Although our paths had not crossed in years, he was always someone I held in high regard.

I always valued his energy and commitment. When we did work together more closely, he was one of the people I depended on to help ensure that the efforts in relation to the Delivering Race Equality in Mental Health Programme (DRE)  and also Diverse Minds – remained focused and grounded in terms of what service users and survivors wanted and needed.

May he rest in peace.

Terri Warner

I had the pleasure and privilege of working with Dom and others over the last six years, exploring what in Australia we’ve come to refer to as ‘lived experience’ leadership. Honestly, that’s a poor summary of what we did, because within that we built a space where the personal, professional and political blended together (as they must and should) and we never really came to the edge of what we could do, think, and talk about together. With due respect to the rest of us, I think it was Dom who most made that possible for me.

With Dom, I couldn’t just get by, craft a response, and decide what I really thought and felt about it all later – I had to get in touch with my radical self in the moment, and I had to learn to be comfortable doing it. Dom talked a lot about my ‘mic drops’ -how he waited for them and appreciated them. I don’t think he realised, or maybe he was too humble to mention, how many of those came about because I was building on his ideas or because something he had said made things come together for me. One way or another, he drew me out.

In setting out to write this, I tried to find concrete examples, things I could point out and say ‘Dom changed this’ or ‘this was Dom’s impact’, and in the end I feel the best thing I can do is point at myself, and then gesture broadly at a body of work that I hope people will engage with, learn from, and see him in.

Stephanie Stewart

I knew Dom for what turned out to be last six years of his life. We talked weekly, and sometimes more than that. I am lucky to have known Dom. It is privilege and honour to be his friend.

Oddly, there is a lot I won’t ever know about Dom. To give a striking example, I will never know what it is like to be in the same room with Dom. We never met in person, and never will. 

At the same time, I am forever changed for knowing Dom. We worked together as part of a team, on a project about lived experience leadership. By his example, and as part of this work, Dom helped to teach me what it looked like to value people as a priority and live that out in practice. To consistently reflect on who is being left out, and to uncompromisingly correct for that. To think collectively, in a much broader sense than I had previously considered.

It is hauntingly ironic that Dom carved out his own space in which to exist with us, even after his passing. He coined the term “the Hamilton Factor”, after one of our team stepped away from the work for a time, to represent the sense – the acute awareness – of that person’s presence in their absence. Dom later expanded that term to refer to all people who are not but ought to be physically present with us and in decision-making, including not only living but dead members of the lived experience community (inclusive of people who identify as survivors, service users, ex-patients, and a myriad of other identifiers), and with whom we maintain spiritual connection and a deep sense of accountability. I am a more spiritual person for having known Dom, and feel at peace for having sustained such a connection with him, despite my anger at the prematurity and fact of his death.

Dom had a beautiful and powerful mind. His thoughts were not often translated into the written word. A collection such as this is therefore a treasure, and I look forward to glorying in the legacy – the legend – this collection represents. 

Hamilton Kennedy

I felt as though Dom brought the best out of me and others. He believed that I had something important to contribute and this encouragement made it possible for me to contribute something of value. Dom was also genuinely enjoyable to work alongside, brining light and energy to our conversations. His insights into the politics of race, madness, and distress were incredibly valuable. This, combined with his relentless commitment to understanding other people’s perspective, ensured each discussion we had was a learning opportunity. Dom has had an impact on the survivor movement for almost as long as I have been alive. His loss is substantial, as was his impact on myself and others. We are collectively stronger and more enlightened for having him as a friend and colleague. I hope that I too might be able to support people and the collective as he did.

Rest in peace

Raza Griffiths

I had the privilege to work with him whilst at Social Perspectives Network and witnessed first-hand his infectious energy and dedication to the cause. I later encountered him through various mental health initiatives, and believe I last met him at an event he helped to organise in Northampton, I believe.

It was in May or June 2017. He was his usual high octane, bubbly self.

Dominic’s dedication to mental health and racial justice in particular are causes that he fought for and inspired us for.

At this troubling and tumultuous time when voices of hate and racism have been given a prominent platform in society, we sorely need the energy and vision of people like him to continue the work he so believed in.

May he rest in peace, and may his family, relatives and friends find comfort and consolation in their loss. 

Frank Keating

I met Dominic about 24 years ago when I was leading the Breaking Circles of Fear project. He was so full of energy and inspired the team, so we invited him to facilitate the focus groups with service users (the terminology in use at the time). He was always full of laughter, but did not shy away from challenging people when he spotted injustice. I trained him in general interview techniques, but it was he who taught me so much about running focus groups and interviews with people with lived experience. Even though we used the term group facilitator, I now know that he was one of the first Peer Researchers in our community. I salute a comrade!

Slideshow: photos and video clips

Links and references

• The King’s Fund: Dominic Makuvachuma-Walker, a patient interested in improving mental health care, spoke at our conference, Patient voice and power in the new NHS. Dominic gave an impassioned speech to encourage the audience to involve patients in the delivery and strategy of mental health care, explaining that the emotional support he received from his peers had a huge effect on his own recovery in the 1990s. Listen to the speech or read the audio transcript here.
• Inquiry into the Schizophrenia Label: read more here.
• Survivor History Group: see the entry about Dominic here.