International Peace Day, 2020, falls on the same date as it did in 2011, namely September 21st. To celebrate the event, the Imagine mural from 2011 between the security gates has been extended in three directions. The new panels (printed by Alexander Boyd Displays (web) on aluminium) now take up the whole space between the gates, blocking out, on the left, Mark Ervine’s Global Commodity, on the right, (Manchester) United’s Big Lily, and below, a space used recently by Shankill graffitists to support Donald Trump and Israel and to attack the EU. Since the new panels are the usual whitewashing of history in favor of landmark buildings and people in black-and-white (i.e. before the Troubles) – though the bottom panel does appear to include a bonfire or riot image (see final image) – this is arguably a net loss.
The City Council held a 45-minute Zoom event of poems and music called ‘Shaping Peace Together‘.
“In understanding, all walls shall fall down” – Kahlil Gibran
“A further shore is reachable from here” – Seamus Heaney
Click image to enlarge
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