Belfast Invests In Peace Through Culture

Belfast is to target an easier transformation to a more peaceful city - by tackling sectarian and racist attitudes through the medium of culture - writes Carla Liébana.

Using a £250,000 investment, Belfast City Council (BCC) is to fund ten creative projects.

These projects, which match art with community groups, have been given funding as part of BCC's 'Creative Legacies' programme.

The initiative pursues the objective to turn Belfast into a shared cultural space as well as a welcoming city to everyone.

Lord Mayor Naomi Long said: "Our past investment in community based arts activities has demonstrated that creative projects are a really effective way of reaching and engaging people living in disadvantaged areas of the city – or those who have been marginalized from society."

The projects receiving funding are varied and are spread across the city.

North Belfast will receive some of them, as 'Hewitt in the Frame', which will express the Shankill community's history using the poetry of John Hewitt or 'Learning to Share', which will try to increase knowledge of the Orange tradition to increase its appreciation.

This intention of accepting different cultures is also present in 'Belfast East' and 'Heritage of the Hills' - which aim to transform part of the Belfast Peace Wall (pictured here) into a shared cultural space.

Teenagers will be encouraged by several projects, like 'Grow How' - which will create shared green spaces and public art - or 'All of Arts' - which will allow the creation of an animated programme, a 3D sculptural wall frieze and an intergenerational storybook.

Also, a series of workshops and a three-day festival will be directed towards teens.

Other projects are the production of a documentary exploring the heritage of the community arts sector and digital media projects, a learning group to explore identity and difference to create art and 'Open Arts', a music and dance programme developed by disabled people.

Creative Legacies will also include six more pieces of public art and a research about the impact of artistic activity on community development.

It will also produce an educational resource and a conference, exploring the impact of the arts in communities.

This programme is part of the Belfast Peace and Reconciliation Plan, funded by the Peace and Reconciliation Programme for Northern Ireland and the Border Counties of the Republic of Ireland, a plan from the European Union to reinforce progress towards a peaceful and stable society and to promote reconciliation.

(CL/BMcC)