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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| September 1 & 2, 2004 |
Belfast, Northern Ireland – Global University Exposure Program |
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| Streets of Central Belfast |
At first glance the quiet city of Belfast, with its lush botanical gardens and charming European architecture,
may seem like your average state capital. So how did it gain the current reputation as a city famous
for landmarks like the Europa Hotel (the most bombed hotel in Europe) and its infamous groups of hooded
paramilitary? Many people believe that today's tensions are a result of religious difference. Others
cite politics and poverty. After studying intensively about the Northern Ireland conflict for several
weeks, a group of roughly 50 participants, including the Global University and the International Student
program, arrived in Belfast to learn where the conflict and the city stands today. |
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| Phil Whyte of BCDA, shows group around the mixed community of Ballynafeigh |
In 1996 the majority political parties in Northern Ireland called for a ceasefire to end 36 years
of violent conflict. In terms of ending the heavy violence the treaty was a success, but - alongside
the continued political disputes - the division of Catholics and Protestants persists. Over the course
of the two-day exchange, thanks to the help of Peace Boat's partner organization the Ballynafeigh
Community Development Association (BCDA), participants were able to meet with local people, NGO workers,
and politicians to learn about the work being done to end this divide. |
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| Quiet communities today often use extreme murals to pronounce beliefs |
After arriving in Belfast a group of three youth workers from BCDA, previously onboard Peace Boat
from Morocco to Dover, reunited with participants to facilitate the upcoming exchange. Accompanying
the youth workers was Hue Rice, a resident of Belfast, who began the visit with a simplified version
of how the city became segregated. He explained that during the industrial revolution Belfast grew
and many people migrated from the country to the city. Not knowing Belfast, migrants moved to be near
their church, friends, or family, resulting in segregation. This may have led to the beginning of
the division, but the recent conflict is steeped historically in colonialism, wars, and uprisings,
making any simplification too complex or incomplete. |
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| Participants sign message on a large concrete Peace Wall |
Less complex are the results of this violence: human suffering and the existence of the physical barriers
strictly dividing communities. These barriers, unlike the conflict that has been around for generations,
are relatively new with most having been constructed within the last 15 years. According to P.J. McCavat,
a youth worker in Northern Belfast: "Today Belfast is like a patchwork quilt. You'll have a Catholic
area, then a Protestant area, turned back into a Catholic area, with physical barriers of wire, metal,
or concrete in between." These physical divides are referred to as Peace Walls. And these divides
not only make life difficult for many communities, but work against the efforts of BCDA. "The
only way to begin to resolve conflict is by communicating. When there is a barrier where people can't
speak, it becomes even more difficult," said Karen McFarlene. As a BCDA employee working on the
project Mixed Links, it is Karen's aim to change the political policies in Northern Ireland by using
Ballynafeigh (one of very few mixed populations in Belfast) as an example of a mixed community's success. |
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| Mural in the Mt. Vernon community |
In addition to the Peace Walls, throughout Belfast murals are often painted on buildings to let people
know the areas' political or religious affiliation. Many times these murals show support for local
paramilitary organizations, and to an outsider they can be quite intimidating. However, to many people
in the community they have come to symbolize protection. Upon Peace Boat's arrival at the Protestant
community of Mt. Vernon these murals were hard to miss, and seemed to invoke an air of being at once
frightening, unattractive, and slightly peculiar to there quiet surroundings. Many Belfast residents
believe that the paramilitary on both sides now act as organized crime networks and, because of this,
efforts to loosen their control on communities is very challenging. |
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| Red, white, and blue - the British flag colors - symbolize the allegiance of
a Protestant neighborhood |
Flags and political party colors are also used to distinguish a neighborhood's
allegiance. When visiting one Catholic community - to the surprise of Iba Farrah, a Palestinian
International Student traveling with the group, she noticed Palestinian flags were being hung up
and down the street. According to Hue Rice, the reason for this is that Northern Ireland's Catholics
have sympathy for any nation which is oppressed or occupied by another country.
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| Participants walk along the wall in Alexander Park |
Visiting Alexander Park in Northern Belfast, P.J. McCavat and Chris Valente, both local youth workers,
discussed the splitting of the park in 1996. "In a time of peace, they were creating a divide," said
Chris, referring to the 1996 cease-fire agreement: ironically made the same day the wall's construction
began. Chris pointed out that in some areas the construction of the walls was done at the request
of the communities, but as the tensions have gone down, the walls stay up. |
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| Member of Intercom explains his work |
Accompanying the group further along Alexander Park's divide were two members of the organization
Intercom made up of former paramilitary members that work within the segregated communities. The
purpose of Intercom is to link communities with cellular phones in case violence breaks out. Using
this network, members are able to contact each other to find out the cause of violence before the
situation becomes unable to control. |
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| Sean O'Baoill of MIA displays flags of different political factions |
During a lecture, Sean O'Baoill of Mediation Northern Ireland (MIA) explained
the role of his organization in ending outbreaks of violence. MIA takes an active role in conflict
intervention (with over 60 volunteers on-call, some 24 hours a day), while working proactively
to facilitate discussions between communities, politicians, and paramilitary organizations. Mr.
O'Baoill often feels that people within the communities have become the scapegoats in the conflict,
and says that MIA views people within areas of major division differently than many outsiders.
He explained that the people in these areas are at the location of the conflict, but are not the
cause of the conflict. He also noted, "We still haven't resolved the conflict, but today
we are dealing with more mutual respect."
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| Political opponents Ruth Patterson (far left) and Alex Maskey (far right) come
together |
Nearing the end of the exchange, BCDA was astonished to have finalized a panel discussion with Peace
Boat and three prominent politicians from opposing parties: Alex Maskey, a representative for Sinn
Fein, and former Mayor of Belfast; Ruth Patterson of the Unionist Party and High Sheriff of Belfast;
and Paul McGarrity, a representative of the Labour Party. The panel focused on discrepancies surrounding
the Good Friday Agreement, the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons, poverty and class issues,
and party differences. After the panelists left, Phil Whyte of BCDA emphasized the unlikelihood
of this meeting, noting that political leaders rarely come together without mediation. And by the
end of the exchange this meeting symbolized to all hope for the gradual progress taking place within
Northern Ireland.
Link:
www.bcda.net
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