Along the Peace Wall in West Belfast
One of the most interesting phrases we learned about the conflict in West Belfast is “recreational rioting.” Daniel, who lives on the (Nationalist) Falls, is part of a mobile phone network that acts as rapid response to any trouble. If a neighbor reports stones thrown from the Shankill (Unionist) side, he’ll call his Unionist counterpart, who will defuse the trouble. The same applies if the rocks come from the Falls.
They call this “recreational rioting,” when young people born after the 1994 cease-fires engage in some sectarian skirmishing. What’s most interesting about this is that it is pretty friendly. The young people decide on a time to “riot” via Facebook, MySpace or Bebo (popular with Belfast kids, Bebo is also where they recruit for football or flute bands). Protestants and Catholic pelt each other for awhile. Then they rest and share a joint (this was confirmed by mobile phone network volunteers on both sides of the Peace Line).
William "Plum" Smith and Stevan Budi, a Duke student
That doesn’t mean that the peace wall is coming down any time soon. William “Plum” Smith, an ex-prisoner who helped found EPIC, a Shankill community group that my Duke students are working with, says the wall will come down only when the people who live on it ask for it to be dismantled. He’s one of the smartest people I know on what it really takes to dismantle such a long-standing conflict. You can’t do it by decree or because politicians (or tourists) think it is time. The people themselves have to feel confident that their safety won’t be sacrificed.
It’s not pretty. No matter how many murals and wishes for peace go up on that concrete (and corrugated steel and barbed wire and rebar and steel netting), it is one ugly blight on any concept of living in some semblance of harmony. Yet the people of Belfast, admirably and with great difficulty, are making their way toward peace. It’s thrilling (and sometimes a bit frightening) to watch. In the end, though, it is some of the most difficult and important work I’ve ever seen. I’m so glad my students are able to experience it!