Building Bridges Iona Berry
If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner. Nelson Mandela
This body of work has developed from my previous book, Family Ties. The project that led me to create images based around my connection to Northern Ireland and its politics. My grandfather was killed in the 1984 Brighton bombing, the bomb had been planted by Patrick Magee, a member of the IRA at the time. I remember my mum telling me aged six that she was going to Ireland to meet the man who killed my granddad. Straight away my mind was filled with questions and I told my mum “I want to come. I want to tell him, that was a bad thing he did, to kill my mum’s daddy.� Those questions have stayed with me and led to me to the point where I was ready to go to Belfast on my own journey with my camera in hand. During that trip over two years ago, I captured everything I saw, murals, graveyards, memorials, I was just taking everything in. Now I have had more time and perspective, I have a different vision of Belfast that I want to share with people. I met ex IRA members who are trying to make a difference using peace building, working in their own communities and encouraging change. I feel angry that these are not the stories we hear in the news headlines in England. The negative stories will always be the ones focused on, rioting in particular. If these are the stories that people are focused on, how is the view of Belfast ever going to move on unless people hear about the people that are trying to make a difference.
One was once an IRA prisoner, the other is the son of a Loyalist leader. But in the new Northern Ireland, the two have come together over a shared love of art – and they’re covering Belfast’s walls with their vision of a better future. “He still has his loyalist opinions, which I respect,” said Devenny, “and I still have my republican ones, but we found we had so many things in common. We wanted to show people, and particularly young people, that if we could work together anyone could.” In those days, sectarianism was rife and the young Danny, like many of his peer group, joined the IRA in the aftermath of the 1969 surge of violence in Northern Ireland, and the British government’s decision to send in the troops. ‘When you joined the IRA you were told that one of two things would happen to you,’ remembers Danny. ‘Either you’d die, or you’d end up in prison. I was one of the lucky ones: I went to jail. And that’s where I got my education – and as educations go, it was probably better than university.’ The big issue for the IRA and its prisoners, explains Danny, was getting their voices heard. ‘The British government line was that everything was fine in Northern Ireland, that there was just a bit of local difficulty but nothing major,’ he says. ‘But Republican prisoners were being terribly treated, and we needed to get the story out – and one of the ways we did that was to create posters which we’d smuggle out of prison, and they would be used as the basis for poster art outside.’
“You weren’t allowed to send stuff out of the prison, we would rip up card board boxes and send the prints out under clothes. We had very little materials, use a ball point pen and some scraps of tissues.”
“In the past the murals reflected the conflict and its causes – now, our art reflects the peace and the risks to it.”
“We have sought to do is reflect the views of the community, mural artists don’t create the political culture, they reflect it,” he said. In the absence of a clear direction, you cannot reflect the views of a community.”
‘People say what we’re doing these days isn’t political,’ says Danny. ‘But we are political. We’ve come through a revolution, and now we’re reflecting the peace. So if we paint a mural that’s about, for example, golf, it’s still political – because it’s reflecting the peace that we see around us, and that we all have to work to maintain.’
“We cant forget our past, but our main ambition is to reflect the views of our neighbourhood as they are today. Its about issues about the future, about youth, about suicide, unemployment. Those are the issues the kids want us to paint.
‘I always loved art when I was growing up, and there was a man who lived near us who painted murals,’ he says. ‘I started to work with him – I’d help him with whatever he was painting.
‘The reality of peace is that it isn’t something that happens in a meeting room where politicians are talking, at Stormont or wherever – it happens in the community, in people’s houses and in people’s hearts. And we believe we’re taking the message of peace into the community, we’re helping to reinforce that message in the place where it needs to be reinforced.’
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.
‘Everyday Objects Transformed by the Conflict’ is a multiple perspective exhibition on the conflict in and about Northern Ireland. Each of the 79 private and public collections who took part in the Artefacts Audit (2008) have been invited to lend one artefact that responds to the overall theme and to write a label to accompany their object. Collectors have been responding to the theme by suggesting various types of objects for the exhibition such as a bin lid used primarily by women as a street communication tool and as a means of protest, a coffee jar explosive, a quilt produced to communicate peace and healing, as well as a platform shoe used to smuggle items into prison. Other collectors have expressed interest in stretching the definition and challenging the visitors to the exhibition to think about conflict related objects transformed into everyday objects such as a security search device and a plastic bullet.
Throughout the history of the Troubles in Northern Ireland many individuals have been killed and many families and communities have struggled with the aftermath. One area which has been particularly difficult is the issue of the ‘Disappeared’. Abducted, murdered and secretly buried, their families have struggled with the pain and trauma of bereavement in addition to the agony of not knowing where their loved one are buried and why and how they were taken. In addition, the community has often been silent concerning these cases, with an underlying fear of the consequences of speaking out.
“It is the philosophy that drives the storytelling process. Remembering is something we do naturally; as individuals and as a society. Understandably, for some affected by the conflict remembering can be very difficult. But for many this avenue of remembrance allows the healing process to begin. I know not everyone will agree with me on that but for the families of the Disappeared, remembering their loved ones is just something they couldn’t not do. Their family members were snatched from them; gone without a trace. For a long time their plight was never even acknowledged and many of the families felt ignored. They couldn’t even talk about their missing loved ones. There was nowhere for them to turn and no way of beginning any sort of healing process. Listening was fundamental. Knowing that your story is being listened to can also prove to be a therapeutic part of the healing process. To be involved in providing the families with such healing mechanisms has been the most rewarding experience. I grew up watching my grandmother cry almost every day over a young man whose photograph hung on her kitchen wall. A young man that really didn’t mean anything to me at the time. Today at least, I can say that I am completely aware of this young man; frozen in time. Through listening to stories from relatives and working on our own family’s story I can now place Columba firmly on our family tree; recognising traits of his that have seeped down to my own siblings. Although the political will is weak, the families are strong and our campaign will only get stronger as the years pass by, also, as we pass the proverbial torch on to the next generation. We cannot let society forget on about the Disappeared or anyone directly affected by the conflict for that matter; at least not while we still have brothers, fathers, and uncles yetto be returned to us after decades”.
‘We are concerned citizens from different walks of life, different political and religious backgrounds who have a shared commitment to forging a peaceful, shared and tolerant society’
The loss of Nelson Mandela, the global champion of
peace and reconciliation, came during a time of renewed turmoil and uncertainty in Northern Ireland. Once again we are perceived internationally as a society of unrest, extremism and violence. This regressive step toward our troubled past has brought into sharp focus the need for the majority of the people to have their voice heard and to rebuke and marginalise those who seek to destabilize our society. We are concerned citizens from different walks of life, different political and religious backgrounds who have a shared commitment to forging a peaceful, shared and tolerant society. We also share the conviction that Northern Ireland is slipping into the abyss and only by strong civic action can the people make their voices heard to arrest the slide towards more victims and grief stricken families. This is an event which will not only raise both awareness and money for charity but will create an emotive focal point for the people to renew their commitment to the Peace Process and to reconciliation. We believe, as did Nelson Mandela, in the establishment of a shared and equal society. We believe that the Peace Process can no longer be taken for granted. We propose an event which would seek to respectfully mark the passing of Nelson Mandela, celebrate the principles he stood for and strengthen our commitment to the Peace Process. This event is ‘Mandela Belfast’.
The deep well of frustration felt by the people here at the current situation cannot be understated. We feel a responsibility to do what we can to give the people a voice and to renew, loud and proud, our hope and desire to see a peaceful and successful future for us all. Our event will provide a reflection of the real Northern Ireland and a counterpoint to extremism and the sickness of sectarianism. Mandela Belfast will be a significant and successful event and we humbly request your assistance in making it happen. You, the good people. Spread the word. We believe that Mandela Belfast has the potential to be an annual event and to be the prototype event for other such events all over the region. We recognise the ambition of our vision but we passionately believe that this event can be a catalyst for reconciliation and a renewal of the people’s commitment to the Peace Process. There is a deep need, here and now to stand up and be counted, to make sure that everyone here in Northern Ireland is fully aware that the people will not tolerate extremists dictating our political and social agenda. We will not tolerate the reputation of our society being dragged through the mud. We will not tolerate the creation of more victims.
“Now is the time to speak up and empower others to use their voices for good”. Maraed O’Donnel runs Short Strands Community Centre, a safe place that accepts people from all sides. She believes that communication is a powerful tool that can be used to encourage dialogue across all walks of life. “I know what it feels like to live in fear and I don’t want the future generation to see the things I have seen.” I could have ended up bitter and angry but what good is that for my children and the future generation. “It’s important for me to believe in a bright future for Belfast and the people who live here”.
My connection to the conflict has always been a part of me, a pull in the direction of understanding. Working on this project has opened me eyes in many ways, the people I met and the stories they shared will stay with me. Each individual I have met during this project has instilled in me great hope for the future of Northern Ireland and in particular, Belfast. Change is difficult and it takes time to move on. It is not easy to stand up and say something needs to change, it is far easier to accept that things are the way they are and that individuals can not make a difference. Although a conflict might be physically over, the scars left behind are prominent and prejudices are still common place. I find hope in Danny Devenny and Mark Ervine working together, they have made the choice to look past their political backgrounds and believe that everyone has the capacity in them to put aside those differences. The more we make enemies and instill fear into others, I believe we take a step backwards. Someone who taught me that it takes action is Sean Clifford, who is tired of Northern Ireland being perceived internationally as a society of unrest, extremism and violence. He wants the true voice to be heard from the people who care about progression and the move towards reconciliation. The more that people engage, the more dialogue between different communities and every time someone looks beyond political views are the steps it will take. This project would not and could not be possible without Jo Berry, my amazing mum who is my biggest inspiration and has taught me so much. Her journey to understanding has proven to me the capacity of forgiveness. I want to thank her for all the help. I have learnt that blaming others is part of the problem, and that you need to look deeper into a conflict before you can understand it. I am hoping for a non-violent and peaceful future for Northern Ireland, and I hope it will be a catalyst for the rest of the world. It takes building a bridge.
All texts Š Individual authors Iona Berry 2014 Š
It always seems impossible until its done. Nelson Mandela