Arts and peace

Northern Ireland is a society still emerging from a history of conflict, dating back four centuries to the Plantation of Ulster and stretching into the modern era with the period known as the ‘Troubles’. The political situation has gradually moved away from the most intense period of violence to one of relative peace. Nevertheless, if peace is to progress and succeed on a long-term basis, the fear and lack of understanding of the ‘other’ needs to be addressed so that communities in Northern Ireland can move forward.

The Good Friday Agreement recognised that the transition from conflict to peace would be a difficult democratic journey. To build confidence and trust, a number of measures were incorporated into the agreement, one of which centred on equality issues. As a result, the Equality Commission was established with statutory powers linked to legislation such as Equal Opportunities, the Race Relations Act, Fair Employment and Disability. From a cultural perspective, commitments were aligned to the Council of Europe Framework Convention on National Minorities in respect to the linguistic and cultural diversity of both the indigenous and minority communities in Northern Ireland.

The arts can be a powerful tool in tackling difficult issues as well as helping to create a sense of belonging

An important outcome of the Good Friday Agreement was the statutory obligation for government departments and public bodies to develop equality schemes that identify how equality of treatment is mainstreamed through their work. The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is one of those public bodies covered by the legislation and reflects its equality commitments in its strategy for the development of the arts.

Northern Ireland society faces the challenge of creating a shared future based on respect, tolerance, peace and equality. Arts play an important role in understanding the variety of our own identities and celebrating the diverse cultures that exist today. The arts can be a powerful tool in tackling difficult issues as well as helping to create a sense of belonging by providing opportunities for individuals and communities to come together to express their life histories and cultures through a range of artistic mediums.

We have a history of promoting and supporting intercultural arts. An early pilot programme provided support for minority ethnic groups to develop capacity, engage in arts projects and assist in promoting greater awareness of their traditions within wider society. This programme also encouraged collaborative working between indigenous and minority ethnic groups.

More recently, we have developed our first Intercultural Arts Strategy (2012−17). This area of work was established as a priority for a number of reasons. The dynamic balance of the population is shifting: Northern Ireland today is more diverse than the two historic ‘imagined’ communities (Protestant and Catholic communities). Paul Nolan, author of the Northern Ireland Peace Monitor Report¹, points out how contemporary Northern Ireland is “drawn to the mobile, fluid identities of a globalised world”, even though as a region it is geographically isolated from the rest of Europe. However, it is important to note that while there is a significantly smaller minority ethnic community here than the rest of the UK, Northern Ireland society has increasingly become more diverse, particularly since the accession of the A8 countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The reduction in sectarian violence over the last two decades, coupled with economic opportunities during the immediate post-conflict period, has contributed to this increase in minority ethnic immigration.

For some within the indigenous working-class communities the growth in immigration has led to feelings of tension and mistrust, with some commentators suggesting that racism in Northern Ireland is now the ‘new sectarianism’. While we have witnessed a reduction in the number of recorded racially motivated attacks, this issue tenaciously remains and still needs to be urgently addressed, particularly in light of disturbing incidents. Tensions erupted in south Belfast during the summer of 2009, when around 20 Roma families were forced to flee their homes having come under racial vitriol and physical attack. Such racially motivated incidents represent the visible violation of human rights.

So why did the Arts Council of Northern Ireland feel the need to develop a dedicated intercultural arts strategy? It was developed in response to the intercultural tensions and the changing characteristics of Northern Ireland society. The strategy sets out how we seek to foster the expression of cultural pluralism, build dialogue and promote understanding, through interchanges within and between communities and their cultures. It looks for ways in which the arts can contribute to developing intercultural engagement, promote good relations and community cohesion on both inter- and intra-community levels.

Northern Ireland faces the challenge of creating a shared future in a post-conflict society, particularly in terms of achieving social, economic, political and cultural outcomes. The arts can be an effective tool in tackling such issues which helps to bring people together in creating a cohesive society. The strategy and dedicated investment programme will assist in the development of the arts and in tackling difficult issues with both the indigenous and new communities in Northern Ireland.

And by way of a postscript to the work we have pursued through the dedicated programme, we have also been engaged in the Corners Project, an intercultural exchange that aims to promote the shared values of being ‘citizens of Europe’, by encouraging artist-led exchanges and building cultural bridges. Being part of this wider dialogue helps develop an awareness of the multiple views and challenges that exist when dealing with issues around cultural identity. Such work is also supported at the community level through projects that use the arts as a vehicle to explore diversity and identity with programmes such as Building Peace through the Arts: Re-imaging Communities.

The Strategic Development Department of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland
www.artscouncil-ni.org