peace walls
Posted on Monday, September 29, 2008 at 10:53pm
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We’ve just got back to the hotel from the day’s TN2020 session today in Belfast. We met with youth groups from the Shankill area of Belfast and from the Republican community for a day of activity. Although it was hectic at times we managed to get down to work- asking people around Belfast whether they thought it would be a good idea to have a flag to bring Belfast together as a city, and what unites them. The young people asked these questions, and videoed the answers. We will be editing this tomorrow- and creating a wall of flags made up of the young people of Belfast and our TN2020 team.
Its all yet to come together for a performance for parents tomorrow, but with 20 leaders in one room I’m sure it will be fine!
I can’t get over the irony of the peace walls here in Belast. We walked for about 40 mins around the communities of Belfast- the peace walls separating deprived communities- loyalists on one side and republicans on the other, with political murals as true territorial markers- although there is more funding available for cross border mural making now…!
In the evening, we had a fascinating discussion with Anne Carr and Bronah Hinds who were both active members, and founders in fact of the Women’s coalition in the North, and both played key roles in the Good Friday Agreement negotiating process. An inspiration to any woman in politics, that’s for sure.
I look forward to tomorrow, and another day in the heart of Belfast.
