The Price of Peace

In 2008 New York Mayor Bloomberg spoke at a Northern Ireland Investment Conference discussing upcoming potentials for US investment into the 'new Belfast' saying, 

The fact is, the best and brightest don‘t want to live in a city defined by division. They don‘t want to live behind walls….The historic cultural barriers between the two communities are slowly coming down, and the sooner they do—and the sooner the physical barriers come down too—the sooner the floodgates of private investment will open.

In the same year Tony MaCaulay, Belfast born writer, consultant and community worker wrote a position paper outlining a process for bringing down the walls in Northern Ireland, identifying community-engagement approaches and specific to this discussion here, a 'tipping-point' by which the walls coming down would be of more benefit to the residents living beside the walls than the walls standing tall (http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/segregat/docs/macaulay200708.pdf).

So I wonder, what comes first? Foreign investment to catalyse the 'tipping point' or bringing down the walls to promote foreign investment?

Just a couple hours drive from Belfast lies Derry/Londonderry, or 'the stroke city,' home to different demographic dynamics than Belfast but rife with many similar issues- peace lines, historic walls, and deep seated divisions. This year a £13.4 million 'peace bridge' was built across the River Foyle connecting the divided water-side to the city-side, two parts of the city divided not only by water but also by ethno-religious identities.

The old site of the Ebrington barracks lie across the river on the historically Protestant side of the river. The protected buildings are undergoing extensive renovation and plans are in place for a massive development made up of open space for concerts and events, a shopping centre, dining facilities ect; funded and inspired in part by the investment from the city's 2013 City of Culture award.

'Peace bridge' Derry/Londonderry with view of the old Ebrington barracks (2011)

A city councillor explained to us that the bridge, curved in such a way to symbolise two hands reaching across the divide, was built not only to make communication and mobility easier for the two communities but to encourage investment and provide access to the new Ebrington development.

Here we can clearly see the relationship between peace and investment. The tipping-point for the stroke city to build bridges in place of walls has come at the cost of hundreds of millions of pounds of investment. This has transformed the city-centre, developed new opportunities for the city to become a cultural hub for the island, and promoted tourism for the city to encourage even more revenue.

Well happy days, there you have it! Foreign investment and bridges that symbolise and actualise cross-community (in this case cross-river) connections. There are cases of this from Victoria Square to Castle Court to the Odyssey Complex in Belfast and now to Ebrington in Derry/Londonderry.

But before we end the story, it's important we don't forget the poorest parts of these cities, suffering from the highest levels of deprivation and coping with the most violent legacies of the Troubles. Out of the spotlight of these investment triumphs and victories of peace, there are new walls. A short walk from the new 'peace bridge' plans have been approved for a new peace-line at the Lisnagelvin recreational fields. Although the peace-lines are downplayed on walking tours and these new walls are described as related more to 'anti-social behaviour' than sectarian conflict, a blind eye is turned on enduring legacies of conflict and money is pumped into a new image for the future.

Peace-line on hill above Bogside  (2011)

Security Gates Derry/Londonderry (2011)

What do the people in these interface areas and conflict zones have to say about the potentials of investment?

In the same year of MacCaulay's discussion paper and Mayor Bloomberg's speech (2008), the US-Ireland Alliance and Millward Brown Ulster group conducted an interface poll on attitudes towards the peace lines. In some areas, 50% of people felt tourism and investment would not change if the walls were to come down and 14% felt tourism and investment would decrease (http://www.us- irelandalliance.org/user-assets/Documents/Graphs.pdf).

Taking this into consideration we can see how investment is disproportionately benefiting the people and places of Northern Ireland. The billions of (insert any currency here) may promote regeneration and peace, but not for everyone affected by the conflict.

It is important to view any and all investments as having great potential to promote tourism and regeneration for Northern Ireland; however, it's essential too that the image of peace sold to the world does not overshadow the many divisions, disadvantages, and disparities outlasting the peace-treaty and displacing investment.

Peace is expensive to buy and will be extremely costly to maintain if the many long-standing peace initiatives across Northern Ireland continue to lose funding over the next few years while division is downplayed and shopping centres and romantic symbols of peace act as the bandages of conflict.

Development site, Belfast (2009)

Time for a new Ulster Covenant (on the 99th anniversary of its signing)

ULSTER, or in Irish- Cúige Uladh or in Ulster Scots- Ulstèr but understood in English- Ulster (the anglicization of the Irish mixed with the Old Norse staðr meaning something along the lines of 'land') is a dynamic and multi-dimensional term for an ever-changing place and people. It's sometimes hard to see it this way when the word 'Ulster' is so often hijacked for one sided politics and bigoted rhetoric. But I'd like to redefine the term if I can to emphasize what it means to me.

The Red Hand of Ulster is a brilliant myth with relevance in both Catholic and Protestant communities. The symbol of the Red Hand flying on flags (whether on gold fabric for the Ulster Province of Ireland or white fabric for the place Ulster has in the United Kingdom), represents this northern territory of the island and rejoices in its myths and history and progress. Whether you define it as 6 counties or 9, the culture of this space does not change and the self-definition of an individual or a place is not infringed upon.

I guess what I love about Ulster is that you can see it and define it however you like! You want to be British? OK! Are you Irish, that's OK too! And now a days, you can be both (or neither).

The Ulster Covenant certainly stands for something strongly loyalist. Signed 28 September 1912 by nearly 1/2 a million people, it reads

we, whose names are underwritten, men of Ulster, loyal subjects of His Gracious Majesty King George V, humbly relying on the God whom our fathers in days of stress and trial confidently trusted, hereby pledge ourselves in solemn Covenant, throughout this our time of threatened calamity, to stand by one another in defending, for ourselves and our children, our cherished position of equal citizenship in the United Kingdom, and in using all means which may be found necessary to defeat the present conspiracy to set up a Home Rule Parliament in Ireland.

The women's covenant is slightly different but encompasses the same sentiment (the disparity in covenants for men and women is an issue for another time...).

This is powerful language, it inspired marches and riots and hateful feelings and activity. It encompasses a lot of things associated with loyalism- the Crown, the United Kingdom, God. However, even further so it diminishes the Home Rule Movement into a subversive 'conspiracy'. It negates any potential for democracy. It threatens 'using all means' to defend that very right.

Next year, on the centenary of the signing of this covenant, I wonder if there can be a movement where the people who feel themselves to belong to Ulster in any form and capacity, sign a new covenant and celebrate a new Ulster Day that will reflect the positive elements of this part of the world. A covenant that breaks down the myths that the Titanic was built by only Protestant shipbuilders. A covenant that is proud of the military sacrifices Ulstermen and Ulsterwomen have made--coming from Protestant, Catholic, and other communities. I wonder if we can all sign a statement that says we are loyal to one another, that we will defend one another and the rights of our children to chose their own identity. That we will benefit from employment opportunities that value skill and education. That our education system will provide equal learning and opportunities for every student, regardless of background! That we will do whatever it takes to have a healthy, happy and successful Ulster that promotes tolerance, welcomes diversity, and sees the true benefits of cooperation. An Ulster that will not ignore sectarianism, that will not empower bigoted politicians, that will not go backwards--but only forwards.

There will be marches and bands and speeches and music, but it will not be of the variety you may well know and remember. Ulster Day 2012 will be neither Orange nor Green. It will not chose to define itself in the limited confines of past memories.

Ulster has the potential to clarify its definition to encompass whatever it sees for itself in the future. From the earliest peoples to Neolithic farmers to Celtic Kingdoms to Vikings to Normans to Ulster Plantation to partition to consociationalism. From invasions and battles to civil war and peace. From myth to history to present. This land has seen many different people, been ruled by many different types of authority.

Change will not stop. It is only right that Ulster embraces these changes and defines itself in a language we can all speak. We, all of us who live here in this wonderful part of the island, are people of Ulster and we deserve a covenant that reflects us all.

Happy International Peace Day

Today was an interesting day where a lot of different elements of my life in Belfast came together.

Falls Road Peace Wall

I took the number 10 bus up the Falls and hopped off by the International Peace Wall on the Falls Road, adorned by images of struggles across the world from Basque country to the Palestinian movement to equality movements in the United States. It's one peaceline that I find myself visiting often because of its tourist draw and its proximity to other projects I've been involved with.

Cupar Way Wall

For the Shankill community the Cupar's Way murals reflect similar images of international struggles uniting Belfast to the world. It was in this part of the city where I did a great deal of research during the year of my MA and made a number of memories that make me smile when I walk down the road.

Between the Falls and Shankill, which run parallel to one another, there is a linking route called Northumberland Street that is controlled by two large access gates. It was on this spot in Augut of 1969 where the most violent inter-community violence took place in the streets leading to the emergency erection of barriers. Busses, burning cars, and furniture were used by civilians as make-shift blockades to defend one community from the other. Overtime these types of blockades were fortified creating the normalised use of physical barriers to manage physical violence in Belfast. It was here where the new mural, created in honour of International Peace Day, would be unveiled.

I walked in between the barriers through a pedestrian entrance way and saw a big red hop on hop off bus acting as a cover to the mural (as it would have been £700 to hide the image behind a sheet). Community worker Jackie Redpath introduced journalist Ivan Lyttle who introduced the mural.They spoke of the violence of the Troubles that had led to the creation of the walls. They spoke of the long history of intercommunal strife during which time the place where we stood was a dangerous hotspot.

In order to remember the past in a positive way and promote a peaceful future, this mural was made up of photographs that marked the glory of neighbourhood and connected the two separate traditions of the Falls and the Shankill together. In the middle of the mural in large letters read 'IMAGINE', designed from the images themselves, looking optomistically at what the cooepration of these two legacies and these two groups could produce.

At this event there were 2 interviewees from my dissertation, my first ever mentor in community work, and a girl I worked with at the call centre. They had been brought together, uniting for me so many different elements of my life here, all at the peaceline.

Later that evening I finished the book Trinity by Leon Uris that I re-read for the first time in years. It meant so much more to me after having lived in Belfast and in Northern Ireland for these past years. The book speaks of the communal division, the working class people of Belfast, and the struggle for many different types of equality and justice from 1898 to 1915. It also spoke of a legacy of industrialism, the passion of people, and the potentials for the future. All of these themes, both positive and negative, followed me throughout my day.

The memory of the past, both positive and that slightly darker together with the ongoing efforts for peace define this amazing city I love so much. It is with these different elements of conflict, working class roots, human genius and lasting peace that Belfast will continue forward.

A Wall Memorial: Berlin

Visiting Berlin in August 2011, exactly 50 years after the construction of the Berlin Wall began, was something incredibly moving for a girl who has a strange love for walls. We had to seek out the fragments of the wall that remained, and in the end we missed seeing the most famous section with the most popular artwork (as it was that much off the tourist trail..well for the directionless anyway).

We happened upon a fascinating photo exhibit with very detailed views and descriptions of the Wall taken from the perspective of the East. They had made up documentation by guards in East Berlin, marking the scope of the wall, escape attempts, and normal activity. The detail of the photos, the quotes used to describe each one, and the absolute expanse of the wall left me a bit shocked. I stood staring at one particular panorama and I felt like I stood in front of the Wall itself, running as far as the eye could see in each direction.

While there are drastic differences between the Berlin Wall and the peacelines of Belfast, there is something about division that feels so universal. I thought about the mapping and detailing processes occuring at the minute in Belfast to better define and identify the scope of the peacelines here. It helped me to see how important those projects are.

The next day we traveled to Bernauer Strasse to the Wall Memorial. I couldn't help but look forward to the day when Belfast is made up on wall memorials rather than walls. I looked from the cement slabs to the watchtower to the metal slates--all as a tribute to the memory of the walls. It was an excruciatingly hot day but looking around at the buildings and the cement, even with the green of the trees and the blinding sunshine, it felt like the coldest day of the winter.

I was reading a book on the Wall, trying to place it in the very limited European history in my mind. After my trip I finally finished the book, written beautifull by Frederick Taylor (The Berlin Wall: A world divided, 1961-1989, p.449). The closing sentiment shook me hard as he describes present day Berlin with its delightful cafes and carefree cyclists and eccentric culture saying 'sometimes we can believe...that the Berlin Wall was just a figment of somebody's mad imagination.' It gave me the chills to think that in my lifetime people died trying to cross the very short expanse between the two sides of the wall that I passed without even realizing. If you're my age and have very little historical recollection of Europe, Taylor's idea seems eerily spot on.

It makes me think that 20 years from now the landscape of Belfast or Jerusalem could be vastly different. It makes me think that one day, young people like myself can think about walls as unimaginable. As so cold and divisive, that they could not possibly exist in the world we have today.

But for now, I have to think if walls can come down in Berlin, then the work we're doing here and the work ongoing in other parts of the world are not for naught. I laugh to think that one day it may be difficult for a tourist in Belfast to find the peacelines. I sure hope so!

''No More''

On the morning after the first night of rioting I posted this image in support of the many peace efforts that have been on-going in Belfast for decades, and making tremendous strides in the face of a devastating past. It can be found on the Lower Newtownards Road, just beside where the rioting took place.

No more bombing no more murder
No more killing of our sons
No more standing at the grave side
Having to bury our loved ones

No more waiting up every hour
Hoping our children, they come home
No more maimed or wounded people
Who have suffered all alone

No more minutes to leave a building
No more fear of just parked cars
No more looking over our shoulders
No more killing in our bars

No more hatred from our children
No more. No more. No more!

Murals can say 1,000 words

New Mural on the Newtownards Road

The re-imaging project supported by the Belfast City Council has changed the face of murals and gable walls across Belfast. By engaging with local community stakeholders (eg: organizations, politicians, and residents) artists, either from the area itself or at least with the blessings of the local community, begin their work drafting up a new piece of work, promoting hope, history, and culture. This project is working to help the 'new Belfast' envision itself as such and portray itself as such.

Other projects have been ongoing prior to the formalized re-imaging project to develop new ideas around community art, remove hateful or sectarian imagery, and promote community action. They have been largely successful.

New Mural on the Newtownards Road

In East Belfast there are a number of said murals. There are images of the Titanic, WWII, famous footballers like Georgie Best and famous football moments that are engrained in the hearts and minds of the community for years to come. However, there are some murals that are just as important and historical for East Belfast that cannot be covered up, 'lest we forget'. Most notably these images can be seen at 'Freedom Corner' at the bottom of the Newtownards Road, and scattered throughout this section of Belfast across the river.

From previous research I've done on walls and murals, people have told me these images become the mundane everyday decoration of the community, that they cease to be seen. Unfortunately, as a newcomer I see these images everyday and they are very much noticeable everyday I walk beside them, or see an open-top bus driving tourists beside them, or when the news has footage of violence occurring beside them.

However, for the resident who may cease to see the images of yester-years, there is something new to redirect attention to the sentiment. Two new murals of masked gunmen with words describing the human right to defend when attacked. When they first went up there was cause for concern, brief debate in the newspapers, and a bit of discussion around what they may mean.

I wish I wrote when my feelings were fresh, about my concern. I printed out the newspapers articles off the internet to keep them for further reflection. I went and photographed them on my walk home one afternoon. However, I failed to see what was to come in the next few weeks.

Re-imaged Mural on the Lower-Newtownards Road beside 'Freedom Corner', became filming location for media at the June 20-22 Riots in East Belfast 2011

We are all Palestinians: A Protest in Northern Ireland

In the wake of the Gaza bombardment of January of 2009 I remember walking in Washington, DC from the Israeli Embassy to the Egyptian Embassy cheering “Free, free Palestine,” as the Irish tricolour blew alongside the Palestinian flag. A similar scene emerged in relation to the Free Gaza flotilla campaign of May 2010 outside the Belfast City Hall and Stormont government buildings in Northern Ireland. The international outcry for justice from D.C. to Belfast may seem similar, however, post-conflict Northern Ireland carries with it important political undertones which seem to permeate many group activities and international ideologies.

The struggle of republicans, longing and working towards a united Ireland to include Northern Ireland, which as of now remains part of the United Kingdom; has been purposefully connected to the movements of Palestinians, black South Africans, Basque countrymen and other self-deterministic underdogs. In an April 2009 report by Gerry Adams, longtime leader of the strongest nationalist party in Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein, was an outline of his visit to the Palestinian Territories and Israel. He describes the stance of Sinn Fein as supporting “the right of all peoples to national self determination and to the exercise of that right without external interference or impediment.”

Conversely, loyalists have united their cause to the security dilemmas of the outnumbered Israelis and white South Africans. Flying Israeli flags and sporting the Star of David, much of the loyalist community of Northern Ireland has condemned the violence of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) by comparing it to terrorist movements around the world, including attacks led by Palestinians.

These international relationships have fuelled the rhetoric of politicians and the symbolism of communities. Nowhere has this been more evident than in the “flag wars” of 2002. Loyalist communities proudly hung the Israeli flag, blue and white with the Star of David while nationalists decorated their homes and streets with the Palestinian red, green, black, and white. Murals depicting a deprived Gaza with proud Palestinian flags and Arabic writing line the strongly nationalist Falls Road. The divisions between loyalist and nationalist Northern Ireland have been mirrored by the schisms in other deeply divided societies and protracted conflicts. 

Given this, I would not take part in the protests and movements this year because by supporting the cause of the Palestinians, I would be inherently supporting a political position in Northern Ireland. I look forward to the day when movements for human rights and justice support only the prospects of cooperation, peace, and hope without the undertones of contentious political division. 

TRI-Harder

Tri-colour flying in Belfast cemetary

My first St Patrick's Day in Belfast (17 March 2010) I wanted to spend in Downpatrick, a town about 30 minutes south of Belfast. A mentor of mine explained that it was a very nice family day out with an ecumenical vibe. Catholic and Protestant churches held services on St Patrick's Day and inclusive events were planned throughout the week. Unfortunately, I didn't make it out of bed early enough to get to make it down last year and this year I found myself working (on a public holiday??). It wasn't late into the day when I heard the reports of this year's St Patrick's Day celebrations; a Sinn Fein Councillor flew an enormous tri-colour in the Downpatrick parade, which led to some DUP representatives leaving the event in disgust. That councillor knew protocol and made an unnecessary statement at an important day for inclusion and cooperation.

July bonfire, tri-colour burning in Belfast

Flags in Northern Ireland are powerful symbols to say the least. The Belfast City Hall flies the Union Jack to represent its connection to the United Kingdom, however, it would not take anyone long to note the identity-crisis of the country. Tri-colours and union jacks (alongside other flags representing allegiances to the UK OR Ireland, not usually both) mark individual homes, collective streets, and the wider communities of Northern Ireland as either Protestant-Unionist-Loyalist or Catholic-Nationalist-Republican.

The 12th of July marks a Protestant victory over the Catholics in the infamous/famous Battle of the Boyne of 1690. This past July (2010) was my first time in Northern Ireland for the Twelfth parades, marches, and bonfires. While I have a number of questions and thoughts springing from that experience, my primary focus at present is the burning of the tri-colour atop the bonfire, symbolically lit at midnight on the 12th of July. The crowds were having fun drinking and singing, but I couldn't help feeling on edge as the flames rose closer and closer to the Irish flag. When it finally engulfed in flames and the crowd cheered my heart sunk and I felt sick. I kept thinking, why isn't this made illegal? Would it matter?

With these two holidays and celebrations, one celebrating the victory of Protestantism in Northern Ireland and the other representing St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, both sponsored by government funding, the tri-colour has been an important symbol involved. Is it worse to burn or fly the tri-colour? Which action is harmless?

Angels of Hope display in Victoria Square, City Centre

For loyalists the existence of the tri-colour is a constant reminder that an united Ireland is a possibility and for nationalists the union jack is a constant reminder of the present arrangement where Northern Ireland is an integral part of the UK. Northern Ireland's limbo status makes symbols contentious. Flags present Northern Ireland with a challenge, as there is no official Northern Ireland flag to unite the 2 million people living together in this part of the island. Off the bat it may seem as though burning a tri-colour is more offensive than waving around a large one in a parade--but if we take a second look, one is both as negative as the other in that they both threaten the identity and feelings of security of the other.

I'd love to see a Northern Ireland with a flag that incorporates the rich culture and identity of Ireland with the legacy and prestige of the UK. For communities to live side by side as they do is a triumph in the face of oppression, fear, and legacies of violence and hatred. However, to truly share in the future, flag burnings cannot be tolerated and boisterous flag-flyings cannot be ignored. It is with great sensitivity that Northern Ireland must continue moving forward. This should not mean that flags are banned and that identities are hidden and repressed, but it should mean that the norm of flag burning and intentionally overt flag flying should be addressed and strongly challenged by both communities. 

Welcome to Belfast

A year and a half ago I moved to Belfast and fell in love. The people here make me laugh and the scenery makes me smile. I can think of nothing better than the way I feel when I step outside and look into the grey sky, green hills, and yellow cranes!

I came here to study comparative ethnic conflict at Queen's and to hopefully understand why Northern Ireland has become such an important symbol of peace for the world. What I've found is that Belfast, like many other places in the world, is a work in progress. Some days I'm confused and some days I'm frustrated. Some days I'm really upset and sometimes I'm thrilled. Everyday, without fail, I am hopeful that life goes on and that people can make a difference.

Nearly everyday I take photos and jot down wee notes and ideas about what I see and experience, just as a way of processing some complicated realities. I've decided to share some of these things to challenge myself to take a stance on some issues, generate some discussion, and to remind myself why I'm here.