As this years ‘biggest community festival in Europe’ approaches once again, 28th July – 7th August 2011.
Allow me to highlight some of the events which ‘showcase’ this community and take place in the ‘biggest community festival in Europe’.
As well as receiving £30,000 of sponsorship from Belfast City Council in 2010, ( it will be interesting to see if this increases in 2011 with a Nationalist council), this ‘community festival also received sponsorship from The Arts Council £123,000, The Lottery £23,000, £50,000 from the creative industries innovation fund to name but a few.
Other sponsors/partners of this ‘Community Festival include household names such as Tennent’s NI, Sainsbury’s, Children In Need, DCAL, Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Community Relations Council, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Translink, The Daily Mirror, among many others.
It was quoted in Belfast City documents that:- Feile makes a significant contribution to the cultural experience of those living, working and visiting Belfast. Féile score highly in Good Relations. Their commitment to widening access is evidenced strongly through provision of a wide variety of free events and policy of price capping. Their commitment to audience development and Good Relations and cultural diversity are demonstrated well in their targeted work with children and young people, a variety of ethnic communities and their disability access programme, Oscailt. Their engagement with marginalised groups and communities is excellent. Féile’s contribution to Belfast’s cultural infrastructure is strongly evidenced through a wide range of partnerships in the cultural and community section and they demonstrate a strong commitment to cultural tourism… Their policies are wide ranging, appropriate and up to date.
The festival is well known for bringing some big name musicians to Belfast but what else does this ‘community festival’ organise that makes a ‘significant contribution to the cultural experience of those living, working and visiting Belfast’ ?
These activities include:- • Ballymurphy Walk of Truth On Saturday August 7, the Ballymurphy Internment Massacre families and their supporters held a Walk of Truth. • Prisoners Day held in Felons’ Club On Friday August 6 the annual Ex-PoWs’ Day was held in the Felons’ Club • Bobby Sands Cup Also on Saturday August 7, the Bobby Sands Cup was played out in front of a large crowd in the Valley Park in North Belfast • Joe McDonnell/Kieran Doherty Memorial Tournament Junior Minister Gerry Kelly presented winning team St Theresa’s with the award at the GAA under-16s football Joe McDonnell/Kieran Doherty Memorial Tournament on Saturday August 7 • Palestine function Several west Belfast Sinn Féin cumainn organised tables for the Friends of Palestine fundraiser • ‘The Great Escape’ recounted The Andersonstown Social Club (PD) was completely packed out on Saturday August 7 for the ‘Great Escape’ talk on the 1983 mass escape of 38 IRA prisoners from Long Kesh • The Bobby Sands Shield held on Saturday August 7 The seven-aside tournament played by dozens of young republicans and community activists was held at the Twinbrook Activity Centre. • Kieran Doherty anniversary marked Hundreds of people turned out in Andersonstown for a series of events from July 31-August 2 to commemorate the 29th anniversary of the death on hunger strike of Volunteer Kieran Doherty • Kidso Reilly Commemoration Around 150 people turned out on Sunday August 8 to mark the anniversary of the murder of Turf Lodge man Thomas ‘Kidso’ Reilly • Ballymurphy Volunteers remembered On Saturday August 7, more than 400 people turned out in memory of Volunteers Dorothy Maguire, Maura Meehan and Anne Marie Petticrew. The event was part of the project organised by the Ballymurphy Remember Our Volunteers committee, which aims to celebrate the lives of every single person on the Greater Ballymurphy Roll of Honour.
It may come as a surprise to some of you but not all of these great community events are advertised in the Feile Programme of events, (I wonder why).
Some of this ‘community festivals’ purpose and aims are to, ‘…celebrate the positive side of the community, its creativity, its energy, its passion for the arts, and for sport, and ‘…to continue to demonstrate, promote and celebrate the experiences, culture, creativity, skills and potential of West Belfast and its people’.
One can’t help but wonder if is was the other side of West Belfast holding this festival would we have so many sponsors queing up to fund the activities you see above?
Would our friends in the press have anything to say about these activities being funded?
I wonder if there would be any political pressure from sponsors or indeed organisations such as the Arts Council or the Community Relations Council to cease holding events and activities which celebrate the lives of murderers. People who terrorised, bombed, destroyed financially and commercially the city of Belfast and this country.
But now in celebration of these people they claim Feile makes a significant contribution to the cultural experience of those living, working and visiting Belfast.
Would there be any pressure on PUL politicians to speak out against or at least not to support these types of activities as part of a festival?
Gerry Adams has stated after the 2010 festival, “I wish to pay tribute to the staff and organisers of the Féile for their work in showcasing the West Belfast community and delivering a magnificent programme of events in this year’s programme.”
You shall know them by their actions We in the PUL community continually read negative stories about our community. We are being pressurised into accepting Sinn Fein’s re-writing of history. Yet we continually hear Sinn Fein MLA’s, and councillors speaking in glowing terms about the ira at Easter Commemorations, see ira members employed in Stormont and hear how they celebrate activities as outlined above while being funded to the tune of millions of pounds…and people still wonder why it is difficult to take Sinn Fein at their word when they say they want to reach out to PUL’s.
Lets see if they will cease these activities in this the ‘largest community festival in Europe’, as a way of showing if they have any genuineness in what they say publically about reaching out to our community.
Or do they say one thing while acting as they always have done?
I know what I think.
I ask you to take a moment and think about this situation if it was the PUL community holding events such as this, receiving Belfast City funding, funding from Sainsbury’s, The Daily Mirror, The Northern Ireland Tourist Board etc. and ask yourself Would there be any outcry from the press, journalists, tv or radio etc etc?
I think sadly we all know the answer…who was it that once called for ‘parity of esteem’? obviously this was equality for one section of our community only…
And as a side note, the position of Director of this festival was recently advertised. The Directors role is to manage, consolidate, support and promote the aims and objectives of the organisation in order to contribute to the economic, social and cultural regeneration of West Belfast. With a salary of £29,236 per annum and funded by the Arts Council Of NI. I wonder if this post was open to cross community scrutiny as most posts are these days. What if the Director thought it unwise to celebrate ira terrorists?
Lets see who gets the post…
FOR YOUR REF:-
£30,000 funding from Belfast city council http://minutes.belfastcity.gov.uk/Published/C00000115/M00009450/AI00005308/$MultiAnnualandAnnualFundingAppendix4.docA.ps.pdf
Sponsors http://www.feilebelfast.com/sponsors/
http://www.westbelfastsinnfein.com/news/17384
NI Assembly questions re funding
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/ni/?id=2010-06-29.7.13
