I never made it to the grand launch of Valletta 18 on Saturday. I intended to go but when I saw the size of the crowd on FB live I decided to stay home with a glass of red and watch it on my computer. The attendance estimate has been reported as 110,000, a quarter the size of the entire Maltese population.
The build up to the event buzzed on the streets of Valletta since before Christmas when the Republic Street lights went up and remained in place. The lights were beautiful even though, as someone pointed out today, they were recycled from some other European country. The banners for the Feast of St Paul also went up early and most of the streets in lower Valletta were dressed in the colours of the local feast. The workers on Triton Square raced the clock to have the restoration complete in time and the day before the opening I chatted with a young woman who was the operator of the right foot of the giant humanoid figure that lay on its back next to the fountain. A few weeks ago, I had completed the form applying to be part of the Triton event but heard no more probably because there was no place in the flying acrobatic event for a 74 year old with concern about heights!
In squares across the capital, enormous sound and light towers were put in place, barriers and stages went up, wires snaked across pedestrian routes under yellow rubber conduits. Some residents pointed out the dangers for their children that lurked in the unattended scaffolding platforms and the tangle of electrical junction boxes hanging in the back streets. Some of the workers who come into Valletta every day grumbled because they were excluded from their usual lunchtime seat in the sun on Pjazza San Gorge. Photographers took whimsical photos showing how the huge stage and mobile toilet crowded out the 7th June statue and how the scaffolding in Castille square imprisoned the statue of Manuel Dimech.
The preparation for the opening of Valletta 2018 was a mammoth task and the organisers must be congratulated for pulling it off. The spectacle has been praised by people across Malta and beyond. The Maltese diaspora has found something more to be proud of in their heritage. One of my neighbours shared a meme created by Daniel and Yleria that included the words, "We are not just 'hamalli', 'injuranti', 'Keshin', we are normal people who love our city and are proud of its history and its people." A powerful outcome indeed in terms of community cultural development.
In the wash up, there have been mutterings about the inadequate supply of public transport to get 110,000 people home in the middle of the night. Some are also mutterings about circuses for the masses. I walked around the streets on Monday and was impressed by how clean everything was and how the vast collection of scaffolding, lighting and staging was already coming down. Now I am looking out to detect evidence of a concern on the part of Valletta 18 organisers for the vital aspects of public space that enable the cultural exchange between people in support of creative change: safe and pleasant walking routes, accessible public squares and gardens for sitting and dreaming, public transport and commercial delivery systems that keep vehicles to a minimum. Otherwise, the spectacle remains just that.
Tuesday, 23 January 2018
Tuesday, 9 January 2018
Small and Nimble. Forget about Great.
In 2017, the earth was trampled in the clash of the greats. Everyone wanted to make their nation great again. We were promised great experiences if we just purchased this or that. We would feel great if we just did this or that. I have lost interest in great. I think the world, and Malta in particular, would benefit from the cult of the small and nimble.
Next week, I have three friends, Michael, Ludmila and Ella Doneman, visiting me from Australia. They are founders of Edgeware, a company that supports skills development for small, creative startups in the arts or social spheres. They will be in Malta for two full days only and have offered workshops for anyone involved with creative or social startups and looking to brighten up their business. Ella and Ludmila also offer a workshop called Creating Stories for Resilience aimed particularly for carers, supporters and mothers of people living with disability.
I have known the Donemans for decades and have participated in small projects with them, including community theatre for older women. Whilst I was in Brisbane recently in 2017, one of my first ventures was to attend the launch of Ella's website for her new small company working with the families of people with a disability. Michael, Ludmila and Ella decided they could come to Malta at the last minute because one of the booked workshops on their European tour fell through. They are currently in Belgium giving workshops and have completed sessions in Eastern Europe and Vienna. The possibility of visiting Malta emerged just before Christmas and I jumped at the opportunity. After all, I am small though perhaps not as nimble as I was. Their available dates were 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th of January, including travel to and from Malta. People who live in Malta cannot help but notice that this timing coincides with the opening week of Valletta 2018!
My first reaction to the dates was that this was exciting serendipity. Surely this alignment of great and small would be beneficial for all. My view is that the much flaunted legacy of Valletta 2018 would lie not only with the revamped cultural buildings but in the small, collaborative undertakings of artists and cultural workers given a boost of confidence by a year long celebration of their work.
Amongst my small, immediate circle of friends, I found enough interest to justify running at least one, three hour workshop. Most people particularly liked the sound of Rethink your Business based on tools for transformation and growth. I set off to locate suitable venues and see if there was interest in the wider cultural sector. Of course, everything immediately went quiet over Christmas and New Year. When 2018 arrived, I still had no venue and no wider interest.
I don't want to dwell on my sad round of quest as I visited established cultural organisations and tried to track down the right person to talk with about our small venture. Applications were required months in advance and/or on-line. Venues were already booked out and/or decision makers had the flu. But I'm happy with our small outcome:
Thursday, 18th January, 10.00-1.00, Rethink your Business, Upper Space, Fortress Builders, Valletta
Friday, 19th January, 10.00-1.00, Extending the Rethink (subject to expressed interest), Volunteers Centre, Melita St, Valletta
If you want to find out more, visit our facebook page, Rethink your Business
If you're interested in joining our workshop, email joburden@bigpond.com
We don't promise great things but we do support small, nimble efforts to build a better world!
Next week, I have three friends, Michael, Ludmila and Ella Doneman, visiting me from Australia. They are founders of Edgeware, a company that supports skills development for small, creative startups in the arts or social spheres. They will be in Malta for two full days only and have offered workshops for anyone involved with creative or social startups and looking to brighten up their business. Ella and Ludmila also offer a workshop called Creating Stories for Resilience aimed particularly for carers, supporters and mothers of people living with disability.
I have known the Donemans for decades and have participated in small projects with them, including community theatre for older women. Whilst I was in Brisbane recently in 2017, one of my first ventures was to attend the launch of Ella's website for her new small company working with the families of people with a disability. Michael, Ludmila and Ella decided they could come to Malta at the last minute because one of the booked workshops on their European tour fell through. They are currently in Belgium giving workshops and have completed sessions in Eastern Europe and Vienna. The possibility of visiting Malta emerged just before Christmas and I jumped at the opportunity. After all, I am small though perhaps not as nimble as I was. Their available dates were 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th of January, including travel to and from Malta. People who live in Malta cannot help but notice that this timing coincides with the opening week of Valletta 2018!
My first reaction to the dates was that this was exciting serendipity. Surely this alignment of great and small would be beneficial for all. My view is that the much flaunted legacy of Valletta 2018 would lie not only with the revamped cultural buildings but in the small, collaborative undertakings of artists and cultural workers given a boost of confidence by a year long celebration of their work.
Amongst my small, immediate circle of friends, I found enough interest to justify running at least one, three hour workshop. Most people particularly liked the sound of Rethink your Business based on tools for transformation and growth. I set off to locate suitable venues and see if there was interest in the wider cultural sector. Of course, everything immediately went quiet over Christmas and New Year. When 2018 arrived, I still had no venue and no wider interest.
I don't want to dwell on my sad round of quest as I visited established cultural organisations and tried to track down the right person to talk with about our small venture. Applications were required months in advance and/or on-line. Venues were already booked out and/or decision makers had the flu. But I'm happy with our small outcome:
Thursday, 18th January, 10.00-1.00, Rethink your Business, Upper Space, Fortress Builders, Valletta
Friday, 19th January, 10.00-1.00, Extending the Rethink (subject to expressed interest), Volunteers Centre, Melita St, Valletta
If you want to find out more, visit our facebook page, Rethink your Business
If you're interested in joining our workshop, email joburden@bigpond.com
We don't promise great things but we do support small, nimble efforts to build a better world!
Thursday, 4 January 2018
Is-Suq tal-Belt. It's all done with mirrors.
Today, the restored market on Merchant Street was opened to the general public. This is the first Valletta 2018 flagship project to be launched. Sufficient time has elapsed since the closing of the old market for the stories of the former market traders to become part of the nostalgia for an old Valletta that no longer exists. The old butcher who had a framed letter from the King of England has re-established in a modern new shop round the corner from my flat, the other butcher who lives in my block has found a place near Freedom square, the old Deli has set up on Archbishop Street and the old fish shop moved to Gzira but may return somewhere in Valletta.
The process of restoration of the old market has been marked by complaints from Valletta residents whose sleep was destroyed by all night drilling and concrete laying. The whole block has been a mess of parked cars, lorries, construction bins and heavy machinery. The confusion on Merchant Street has been exacerbated by new restaurant outlets riding on the back of the promise of gentrification offered by the new market and by established restaurants grabbing more public space for tables and plastic tents. In the evenings, the cars of restaurant diners joined the government vehicles parked in the square and down the side streets next to the market so that it became impossible to walk through without feeling threatened by cars looking for a park or opening doors in your face.
Further outrage erupted when a large aluminium and glass covered area sprouted at the front of the roof level, masking the old lines. I was even more concerned about the cantilevered structure at the back jutting onto St Paul's street so that the traffic lane was narrowed, the local bus stop disappeared and pedestrians were forced to cross the road on rapidly fading crossings originally painted for Malta's Presidency of EU at the start of 2017. When the railings appeared on this cantilevered construction, it became obvious that we would no longer be able to walk through the market from Merchant Street to St Paul's Street. This walk through had been one of my delights in the old market.
As we got closer to opening, a ramp appeared on St Paul's Street and I thought perhaps pedestrians would have a safe covered footpath past the back of the market with an entry to the food shops at the basement level. But no, this was to be for truck delivery and unloading. I adopted the Maltese practice of "We'll see" with a slight inclination of the head. I determined that my interest lay in how the new market would work in practice. Would there be benefits for the local community in the convenience of supermarket shopping?
And today was the big day! I walked down St Paul's Street after the declared opening time of 10.00am. Two restaurant workers in black aprons stood on the cantilevered projection smoking cigarettes. I called out a cheery, "What time do you open?" They stood on their cigarettes and went inside. I walked down the ramp, thinking I might be able to get into the basement food shops but the back door was closed. At the other side of the ramp, three more workers were smoking cigarettes and dropped their ends on St Paul's Street as I approached. I walked down the side street to Merchant Street.
The front of Is-Suq tal-Belt was vibrant and busy. Outdoor heaters were on in one of the front open air spaces with mostly Maltese people sitting over coffee. Others were coming and going at the entrance gathering in small groups to chat. I felt heartened. Perhaps people will make this renovation into a community space after all.
Inside, the food hall was as busy as any other shopping mall anywhere in the world. The only difference was the line of wine bars down the centre. I made a circuit and then headed down on the escalator to the food market. I was hoping for individual outlets but was not surprised by the kind of upmarket supermarket that I found. Most people were doing the same as me, walking around to check things out without buying anything. Mirrors covered the back entrance that I had hoped would offer a route through the market from Merchant to St Paul's street. The up escalator wasn't working so I walked up and then discovered the lift. Maybe I could explore the upper levels that were scheduled as art and social spaces. The lift was limited to the basement and ground floors. The upper floors are not yet complete. I had to be content to gaze up from ground level at the beautiful iron supports and ceiling and try to imagine what might go on up there. The internal wall of the roof level verandah on Merchant St is also covered in mirrors. So I will have to wait to see how this will work in practice. As I looked up, a young restaurant worker came out of one of the food stalls dragging a huge black plastic bag. He got into the service lift and presumably went down to the basement and up to the side street where I spotted a large collection of black plastic rubbish bags waiting for collection when I was walking home.
I will continue to wait and see how Is-Suq tan-Belt will work out in practice. It is clear that it has opened before it is finished and that systems for disposing of rubbish and enabling employees to smoke their cigarettes without polluting St Paul's street with smoke and cigarette ends have not been put in place. It is also clear to me that we have allowed a supermarket into Valletta streets without really considering the unique heritage of individual traders that the old market had nurtured. But other people in the housing block where I live are already saying how nice it is and how they are glad they have somewhere to buy fish again. I want to see it work out in practice and hope that it is not the nail in the coffin of small local businesses.
The process of restoration of the old market has been marked by complaints from Valletta residents whose sleep was destroyed by all night drilling and concrete laying. The whole block has been a mess of parked cars, lorries, construction bins and heavy machinery. The confusion on Merchant Street has been exacerbated by new restaurant outlets riding on the back of the promise of gentrification offered by the new market and by established restaurants grabbing more public space for tables and plastic tents. In the evenings, the cars of restaurant diners joined the government vehicles parked in the square and down the side streets next to the market so that it became impossible to walk through without feeling threatened by cars looking for a park or opening doors in your face.
Further outrage erupted when a large aluminium and glass covered area sprouted at the front of the roof level, masking the old lines. I was even more concerned about the cantilevered structure at the back jutting onto St Paul's street so that the traffic lane was narrowed, the local bus stop disappeared and pedestrians were forced to cross the road on rapidly fading crossings originally painted for Malta's Presidency of EU at the start of 2017. When the railings appeared on this cantilevered construction, it became obvious that we would no longer be able to walk through the market from Merchant Street to St Paul's Street. This walk through had been one of my delights in the old market.
As we got closer to opening, a ramp appeared on St Paul's Street and I thought perhaps pedestrians would have a safe covered footpath past the back of the market with an entry to the food shops at the basement level. But no, this was to be for truck delivery and unloading. I adopted the Maltese practice of "We'll see" with a slight inclination of the head. I determined that my interest lay in how the new market would work in practice. Would there be benefits for the local community in the convenience of supermarket shopping?
And today was the big day! I walked down St Paul's Street after the declared opening time of 10.00am. Two restaurant workers in black aprons stood on the cantilevered projection smoking cigarettes. I called out a cheery, "What time do you open?" They stood on their cigarettes and went inside. I walked down the ramp, thinking I might be able to get into the basement food shops but the back door was closed. At the other side of the ramp, three more workers were smoking cigarettes and dropped their ends on St Paul's Street as I approached. I walked down the side street to Merchant Street.
The front of Is-Suq tal-Belt was vibrant and busy. Outdoor heaters were on in one of the front open air spaces with mostly Maltese people sitting over coffee. Others were coming and going at the entrance gathering in small groups to chat. I felt heartened. Perhaps people will make this renovation into a community space after all.
Inside, the food hall was as busy as any other shopping mall anywhere in the world. The only difference was the line of wine bars down the centre. I made a circuit and then headed down on the escalator to the food market. I was hoping for individual outlets but was not surprised by the kind of upmarket supermarket that I found. Most people were doing the same as me, walking around to check things out without buying anything. Mirrors covered the back entrance that I had hoped would offer a route through the market from Merchant to St Paul's street. The up escalator wasn't working so I walked up and then discovered the lift. Maybe I could explore the upper levels that were scheduled as art and social spaces. The lift was limited to the basement and ground floors. The upper floors are not yet complete. I had to be content to gaze up from ground level at the beautiful iron supports and ceiling and try to imagine what might go on up there. The internal wall of the roof level verandah on Merchant St is also covered in mirrors. So I will have to wait to see how this will work in practice. As I looked up, a young restaurant worker came out of one of the food stalls dragging a huge black plastic bag. He got into the service lift and presumably went down to the basement and up to the side street where I spotted a large collection of black plastic rubbish bags waiting for collection when I was walking home.
I will continue to wait and see how Is-Suq tan-Belt will work out in practice. It is clear that it has opened before it is finished and that systems for disposing of rubbish and enabling employees to smoke their cigarettes without polluting St Paul's street with smoke and cigarette ends have not been put in place. It is also clear to me that we have allowed a supermarket into Valletta streets without really considering the unique heritage of individual traders that the old market had nurtured. But other people in the housing block where I live are already saying how nice it is and how they are glad they have somewhere to buy fish again. I want to see it work out in practice and hope that it is not the nail in the coffin of small local businesses.
Sunday, 31 December 2017
A year in the life of the City, Valletta 2018. The Story begins.
The bells are ringing out the old year and we are promised a mighty celebration throughout Valletta to bring in 2018 when Valletta will be European Capital of Culture along with Leeuwarden in Holland. We are promised a year of festa, hundreds of cultural events, involvement for all across Malta and a legacy to make us proud. So I have promised myself a year of story-telling via this blog about how the year unfolds on the streets and in the culture of the residents of Valletta.
I have lived in Valletta now since before the bid for the title was made. I was involved with the community consultation process that was undertaken in drawing up the proposal. Since then, the community consultation dried up for a while but I kept my finger in the pie by attending the annual conference for Valletta 18 and getting deeply involved in the community consultation process undertaken for the proposed Valletta Design Hub at the Bicceria, the old Knights abattoir in Lower Valletta. The Design Hub is one of four flagship projects undertaken for Valletta 2018: MUZA is the recreation of the museum of Fine Arts as a museum of Community Art located in the Auberge d'Italie; Is-Suq tal-Belt will open its doors next week to a new life as the food and art hub of Valletta; and Strait Street has been "rebranded" as an upmarket night spot with some interesting alternative venues including the old Splendid Hotel.
Over the years, as lines of suited men announced this and that, I struggled to keep abreast with all the organisational changes at Valletta 2018. I observed how the gentrification of the city was speeding up, how restaurant tables and car parking were taking over the spaces that I loved to stroll, and Boutique hotels were mushrooming so that rents for ordinary residents were becoming impossible. I toyed with the idea of becoming a volunteer with Valletta 2018 as a way of staying engaged. In the end, I decided to remain independent and participate wherever and whenever I could. In 2017, I've been to workshops with TimesUp, Gewwa Barra, Transparadiso, and Orfeo and Majnun. I'll write more about all of these projects as the year progresses.
Here is the start of my year in Valletta. I hope it will be a creative and inspiring story but I'm not going to gloss over the tension.
I have lived in Valletta now since before the bid for the title was made. I was involved with the community consultation process that was undertaken in drawing up the proposal. Since then, the community consultation dried up for a while but I kept my finger in the pie by attending the annual conference for Valletta 18 and getting deeply involved in the community consultation process undertaken for the proposed Valletta Design Hub at the Bicceria, the old Knights abattoir in Lower Valletta. The Design Hub is one of four flagship projects undertaken for Valletta 2018: MUZA is the recreation of the museum of Fine Arts as a museum of Community Art located in the Auberge d'Italie; Is-Suq tal-Belt will open its doors next week to a new life as the food and art hub of Valletta; and Strait Street has been "rebranded" as an upmarket night spot with some interesting alternative venues including the old Splendid Hotel.
Over the years, as lines of suited men announced this and that, I struggled to keep abreast with all the organisational changes at Valletta 2018. I observed how the gentrification of the city was speeding up, how restaurant tables and car parking were taking over the spaces that I loved to stroll, and Boutique hotels were mushrooming so that rents for ordinary residents were becoming impossible. I toyed with the idea of becoming a volunteer with Valletta 2018 as a way of staying engaged. In the end, I decided to remain independent and participate wherever and whenever I could. In 2017, I've been to workshops with TimesUp, Gewwa Barra, Transparadiso, and Orfeo and Majnun. I'll write more about all of these projects as the year progresses.
Here is the start of my year in Valletta. I hope it will be a creative and inspiring story but I'm not going to gloss over the tension.
Thursday, 29 June 2017
Endings and beginnings
I have discovered that blogger will not allow me to write beyond a certain number of words so I am unable to edit the ending of my last blog. This is a pity because the post ends in the middle of a sentence and it is the ending that I intended to bring me back to the personal. So here I am, starting with the ending of my previous post. If you want a theoretical perspective, read 'The politics of growing things.'
I told the story of my friend in Brisbane, Australia, who grows endemic plants on the verges of the footpath outside her home. Further north on the Sunshine Coast, local people have joined together to grow food in public spaces. Local authorities worry about loss of control, about public liability, about registering these personal initiatives. Instead of working with communities to determine the boundaries of projects that seek a pathway linking care for people with care for ecological parameters, the authorities have stepped in to bulldoze those gardens that are not registered. It is a sad example of the tension between government and citizen even in democratic systems. The rule of law is not always the best way to determine boundaries.
Which brings me to my personal ending of seven weeks in Brussels as a citizen journalist with the Maltese Presidency of EU. Yesterday I packed up the household that has nurtured me during my stay in this fascinating and contradictory city. I gathered my herbs, flowering plants bought on a whim, ferns saved from death in the foyer of Justus Lipsius, which has been my workplace across town in the European quarter. I carried them through the backstreets of my local community where men sat in cafes on the footpath or hurried in their robes to the local prayer room. I left them with Juliette in her atelier, Orbany (see previous posts), so that she can pass them on to the Start Up in Les Tanneurs who are planting a community garden in the park across the road. Juliette is interested in visiting Malta, perhaps after the birth of her baby and sometime during 2018 when Valletta is European Capital of Culture. She would have a lot to contribute. My plants perhaps won't survive long in the robust environment of communal space but I like to imagine that my action is part of a wider pathway that helps to maintain safe pathways through our troubled world.
Last night was also the final cultural event of the Maltese Presidency. It was a concert of high culture held on the other side of town in pleasant suburbs. I walked, grappled with the metro, took a bus for eight winding stops and arrived at the huge community hall with time to spare before we were expected to be in our places. I spoke to no-one as the foyer filled with women in evening dresses and men in suits. The foyer continued to fill long after the time we were due to be seated. Outside, the driveway filled with large, black cars. In the end, I decided that my job was done and I got back on the bus. I have learned a lot about Malta whilst I have been in Brussels but that will need some reflection and perhaps another blog.
I told the story of my friend in Brisbane, Australia, who grows endemic plants on the verges of the footpath outside her home. Further north on the Sunshine Coast, local people have joined together to grow food in public spaces. Local authorities worry about loss of control, about public liability, about registering these personal initiatives. Instead of working with communities to determine the boundaries of projects that seek a pathway linking care for people with care for ecological parameters, the authorities have stepped in to bulldoze those gardens that are not registered. It is a sad example of the tension between government and citizen even in democratic systems. The rule of law is not always the best way to determine boundaries.
Which brings me to my personal ending of seven weeks in Brussels as a citizen journalist with the Maltese Presidency of EU. Yesterday I packed up the household that has nurtured me during my stay in this fascinating and contradictory city. I gathered my herbs, flowering plants bought on a whim, ferns saved from death in the foyer of Justus Lipsius, which has been my workplace across town in the European quarter. I carried them through the backstreets of my local community where men sat in cafes on the footpath or hurried in their robes to the local prayer room. I left them with Juliette in her atelier, Orbany (see previous posts), so that she can pass them on to the Start Up in Les Tanneurs who are planting a community garden in the park across the road. Juliette is interested in visiting Malta, perhaps after the birth of her baby and sometime during 2018 when Valletta is European Capital of Culture. She would have a lot to contribute. My plants perhaps won't survive long in the robust environment of communal space but I like to imagine that my action is part of a wider pathway that helps to maintain safe pathways through our troubled world.
Last night was also the final cultural event of the Maltese Presidency. It was a concert of high culture held on the other side of town in pleasant suburbs. I walked, grappled with the metro, took a bus for eight winding stops and arrived at the huge community hall with time to spare before we were expected to be in our places. I spoke to no-one as the foyer filled with women in evening dresses and men in suits. The foyer continued to fill long after the time we were due to be seated. Outside, the driveway filled with large, black cars. In the end, I decided that my job was done and I got back on the bus. I have learned a lot about Malta whilst I have been in Brussels but that will need some reflection and perhaps another blog.
The politics of growing things
On my final week in Brussels as a citizen journalist I extended my curiosity beyond my local community at the bottom of the lift next to the Palace of Justice. I experimented with routes through the fashionable quarters of the upper level.
That's how I stumbled on a lunchtime seminar at the External Cooperation Infopoint. Did you know EU are the largest donors of official development aid globally? In 2013, Member States provided €56.5 billion or 52% of the total amount donated from around the world.
I'm not sure what that means, but one thing I learned is that there is at least a large roomful of bureaucrats in Brussels who are concerned about human rights, electoral observation, governance and crisis resolution. At first, development aid in EU was regarded as a moral responsibility following decolonisation. Aid focused on former colonies of Member States. Today, millennial goals for reduction and elimination of poverty have broadened the scope.
The presenters at the seminar were Francois Busquet and Aurelie Boffa, Senior Researchers with an organisation called Cirad (www.realliance.org/resilience). The seminar was entitled 'Resilience and Development: from households to social and ecological systems.' The two academics shared theoretical perspectives emerging from a recent conference, and illustrated with examples of two development projects that they are working on. One of these involved the use of community theatre to bridge the tension between government and local knowledge. The other examined the idea of diverse trajectories when managing land use conflicts.
The projects were fascinating but it's the theoretical perspective that extended my own ways of thinking about my world in terms of individual and system resilience, and potential for change. What was new to me was the visualisation of diverse pathways to the future winding their way through twin boundaries of ecology and human rights. In hindsight, I recognise that the Futuring workshops run in Malta by TimesUp as part of our training as citizen journalists was informed by this perspective. If a particular pathway to the future breaches either boundary, then it is unsafe and requires change. The difficulty is that the boundaries are determined by human deliberation, although sometimes explained by divine intervention, and may change over time as we become more aware. Many of the pathways that humans have chosen in the past have already breached ecological boundaries yet climate change deniers still insist that the path is safe and the system does not need to change.
The example that rings in my head is the tragic shock of the Grenfell Tower fire, where authorities chose the pathway of dressing up high rise social housing using combustible material. The resilience of local people is told through stories of communities working together, of neighbours supporting each other, of heroism amongst local helpers and fire fighters. But anger against the system also emerged when stories were told of how the authorities had ignored the warnings from local people who advised that the people living in that volatile block had been placed on an unsafe pathway. Thankfully, the national government is now taking steps to change the cladding on multiple other high rise buildings in UK. To what extent will the system that allowed this to happen also change? The political debate is ongoing about the role of austerity, privatisation of public service and the divide between rich and poor.
But I want to finish with a few personal examples of how chosen pathways can work to connect people within safe boundaries. In Australia, a good friend has made a community garden on the verge outside her home in a suburb of Brisbane. Every morning at daybreak she is on the footpath tending to the endemic plants. She chats to her neighbours as they hurry to the train or take their children to school. She is part of a supportive community and she tells people about the importance of the local environment. But local authorities are anxious about residents assuming control of public space. They worry about insurance, about loss of uniformity, about risk. On the Sunshine Coast to the North of Brisbane, where local residents have linked up to create community food gardens
That's how I stumbled on a lunchtime seminar at the External Cooperation Infopoint. Did you know EU are the largest donors of official development aid globally? In 2013, Member States provided €56.5 billion or 52% of the total amount donated from around the world.
I'm not sure what that means, but one thing I learned is that there is at least a large roomful of bureaucrats in Brussels who are concerned about human rights, electoral observation, governance and crisis resolution. At first, development aid in EU was regarded as a moral responsibility following decolonisation. Aid focused on former colonies of Member States. Today, millennial goals for reduction and elimination of poverty have broadened the scope.
The presenters at the seminar were Francois Busquet and Aurelie Boffa, Senior Researchers with an organisation called Cirad (www.realliance.org/resilience). The seminar was entitled 'Resilience and Development: from households to social and ecological systems.' The two academics shared theoretical perspectives emerging from a recent conference, and illustrated with examples of two development projects that they are working on. One of these involved the use of community theatre to bridge the tension between government and local knowledge. The other examined the idea of diverse trajectories when managing land use conflicts.
The projects were fascinating but it's the theoretical perspective that extended my own ways of thinking about my world in terms of individual and system resilience, and potential for change. What was new to me was the visualisation of diverse pathways to the future winding their way through twin boundaries of ecology and human rights. In hindsight, I recognise that the Futuring workshops run in Malta by TimesUp as part of our training as citizen journalists was informed by this perspective. If a particular pathway to the future breaches either boundary, then it is unsafe and requires change. The difficulty is that the boundaries are determined by human deliberation, although sometimes explained by divine intervention, and may change over time as we become more aware. Many of the pathways that humans have chosen in the past have already breached ecological boundaries yet climate change deniers still insist that the path is safe and the system does not need to change.
The example that rings in my head is the tragic shock of the Grenfell Tower fire, where authorities chose the pathway of dressing up high rise social housing using combustible material. The resilience of local people is told through stories of communities working together, of neighbours supporting each other, of heroism amongst local helpers and fire fighters. But anger against the system also emerged when stories were told of how the authorities had ignored the warnings from local people who advised that the people living in that volatile block had been placed on an unsafe pathway. Thankfully, the national government is now taking steps to change the cladding on multiple other high rise buildings in UK. To what extent will the system that allowed this to happen also change? The political debate is ongoing about the role of austerity, privatisation of public service and the divide between rich and poor.
But I want to finish with a few personal examples of how chosen pathways can work to connect people within safe boundaries. In Australia, a good friend has made a community garden on the verge outside her home in a suburb of Brisbane. Every morning at daybreak she is on the footpath tending to the endemic plants. She chats to her neighbours as they hurry to the train or take their children to school. She is part of a supportive community and she tells people about the importance of the local environment. But local authorities are anxious about residents assuming control of public space. They worry about insurance, about loss of uniformity, about risk. On the Sunshine Coast to the North of Brisbane, where local residents have linked up to create community food gardens
Friday, 23 June 2017
What is a citizen journalist?
The question has been asked often during the past six months and since I arrived in Brussels to perform the role.
Last night, at the Summer Breeze drinks at Orybany Atelier Boutique (see my previous post), I met young people who were artists and designers and parents and teachers and managers. What brought them together in this suburb of Brussels where social housing bore the tags of graffiti, where the tracks of the metro clattered through, where children played wildly in the concrete space and community garden across the road?
I struggled with my French to learn about the practice of these creative people. I admired the ease with which Juliette, our host, explained difficult concepts to me in English. She introduced me to three young entrepreneurs who had attended start up courses with her or who had completed management training in France. One young woman was working towards establishing a circus cafe, another was a chocolatier, a third was planning a health food establishment. They talked about how they were linked in to a group of people who supported their ideas and helped them to realise their visions.
Brussels and the region through various NGOs and, in particular, Les Ateliers des Tanneurs (www.AteliersDesTanneurs.be) actively supports ventures like these. The old winery building, now beautifully restored, offers interesting space in the heart of Brussels at a competitive price, as well as a dynamic, creative environment including services and advice. I know a few people in Malta who dream of such a space!
One of the guests asked me the question. Luckily, she asked in English so I talked about the Maltese Presidency of EU, now winding down for the end of their tenure. I mentioned the Arts Council, the training of citizen journalists in Malta in Futuring workshops with the European arts group TimesUp, the interviews we conducted for the Beehive in which we asked about the future of the EU, even our watering of the plants in the foyer of the Maltese office building in Justus Lipsius. In most situations, the formal explanation would have been enough. But here, in this creative community space, I knew that I needed to give more.
"For me, the emphasis is on 'citizen'. Being a citizen journalist is about finding the stories linking people within their communities and telling those stories. I also try to research something of the stories of the powerful because they shape many of the boundaries within which ordinary citizens live. But I'm most interested in the stories of people in local areas and how their stories can shape their own lives. That's why I'm excited to find Les Ateliers Des Tanneurs because here government works with community to create a space in which stories are told and heard in conversation."
I thought about it further as I walked back to my flat three blocks away. By placing the word 'citizen' in front of an established profession like journalist or scientist we recognise that some knowledge resides within a community and is of value to the more powerful who shape the parameters of our world. The citizen journalist tries to make those stories heard so that the voices of diverse citizens help to shape the trajectory of our pathways to the future. I didn't know that when I first came to Brussels.
Last night, at the Summer Breeze drinks at Orybany Atelier Boutique (see my previous post), I met young people who were artists and designers and parents and teachers and managers. What brought them together in this suburb of Brussels where social housing bore the tags of graffiti, where the tracks of the metro clattered through, where children played wildly in the concrete space and community garden across the road?
I struggled with my French to learn about the practice of these creative people. I admired the ease with which Juliette, our host, explained difficult concepts to me in English. She introduced me to three young entrepreneurs who had attended start up courses with her or who had completed management training in France. One young woman was working towards establishing a circus cafe, another was a chocolatier, a third was planning a health food establishment. They talked about how they were linked in to a group of people who supported their ideas and helped them to realise their visions.
Brussels and the region through various NGOs and, in particular, Les Ateliers des Tanneurs (www.AteliersDesTanneurs.be) actively supports ventures like these. The old winery building, now beautifully restored, offers interesting space in the heart of Brussels at a competitive price, as well as a dynamic, creative environment including services and advice. I know a few people in Malta who dream of such a space!
One of the guests asked me the question. Luckily, she asked in English so I talked about the Maltese Presidency of EU, now winding down for the end of their tenure. I mentioned the Arts Council, the training of citizen journalists in Malta in Futuring workshops with the European arts group TimesUp, the interviews we conducted for the Beehive in which we asked about the future of the EU, even our watering of the plants in the foyer of the Maltese office building in Justus Lipsius. In most situations, the formal explanation would have been enough. But here, in this creative community space, I knew that I needed to give more.
"For me, the emphasis is on 'citizen'. Being a citizen journalist is about finding the stories linking people within their communities and telling those stories. I also try to research something of the stories of the powerful because they shape many of the boundaries within which ordinary citizens live. But I'm most interested in the stories of people in local areas and how their stories can shape their own lives. That's why I'm excited to find Les Ateliers Des Tanneurs because here government works with community to create a space in which stories are told and heard in conversation."
I thought about it further as I walked back to my flat three blocks away. By placing the word 'citizen' in front of an established profession like journalist or scientist we recognise that some knowledge resides within a community and is of value to the more powerful who shape the parameters of our world. The citizen journalist tries to make those stories heard so that the voices of diverse citizens help to shape the trajectory of our pathways to the future. I didn't know that when I first came to Brussels.
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