Well if I haven't got you to ignore the title and say your not interested in politics I suppose it's progress. Last night CQAF had the David Ervine memorial lecture, I wish they had of explained it better in the festival programme but Sir Hugh Orde was giving the talk. That explains the police presence. I have a few David Ervine stories, the first time I became aware of him I was watching TV (oh back in the days) and suddenly this man came on screen and he was saying something different, it was a different voice. What! I thought not the same old s*** a different more reflective voice of loyalist. Is that progress?
The next time I came across him I went into the PUP offices on the lower Newtownards road there was a Wider horizons programme going on for young people and they were looking for East Belfast males to go on it. Explaining to the people in the office they were delighted that I had come in as they said so many people are just scared to. The next time I was working on a women's development programme with the Engine Room gallery. I noticed a banner going up across the road about an exhibition of loyalist prisoner art. Mental note to self, go in and have a look. One day quite casually I had a bit of time so I dandered in, as I was walking up the steps (no disabled access) I noticed that there were bars across the front door and a man in a prison wardens uniform waiting to greet me. As he opened the prison gates and slammed it closed behind me ( no escape ) I realised as I looked around that I was actually at the private view and the room was filled with ex loyalist prisoners and there was David Ervine preparing to give a speech.
First thoughts, just have a look at the art, it is a private view after all. David Ervine did an introduction and them there was a short theatre piece about living in a cell and who is more of a prisoner the warden or the prisoner. It was very passionate, played by a man who had served time. Next was a duet, a love song sang by a husband and wife, who had stood by her husband while in jail. Next my phone rang ,s*** I thought as everyone looked around at me, panicking I answered the phone, told the person where I was and quickly turned it off, just as the prison warden approached me.
Next David Ervine gave a speech and I will never forget what he said, after talking about the art he said that the loyalist community had turned a corner, started realising things for themselves and "no longer were people going to come down here to preach at us in loud voices to try and call us to do their dirty work"
As I looked around the prisoner art I was struck by how juvenile it was here were boys and men who had done unspeakable things, been locked up and the art was so juvenile. So sad. I though that many more people should get to see it and hear what they said because it is one side to the over all "story" that often people are too scared to look at.
There was one women on the development programme from West Belfast who had a thing about David Ervine, (something to do with the mostache) she was developing a website and decided she was going to ask him for sponsorship. Off she went to the PUP offices to arrange a meeting and he happened to be in. She explained the project, the cross community element and he gave her a cheque for £100. Delighted she raved about him for weeks after and
revelled in telling all her neighbours about the experience. It's all those little pieces of magic that happen on a good cross community project that are hard to quantify.
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