As in previous years, Prisoner Day at the West Belfast Festival proved to be one of the most popular events of the Festival. Hundreds of people braved the sweltering heat and crammed into the Felons Club in Andersonstown to meet former and current prisoners and view an exhibition of their artwork. Gerry Kelly, who opened the day's events, reminded those present that ``prisoners come from the community. They are not a different breed''.

He also announced the launch of a book, Executed: Tom Williams and the IRA, published by Beyond the Pale and written by serving prisoner Jim McVeigh on the life and death of Tom Williams, who was executed by the British in 1942 for his part in an IRA operation. Also present was Joe Cahill, himself famously sentenced to death with Tom Williams, and who assisted Jim McVeigh with the book.

The launch was chaired by Carol Cullen of Tar an Nall and began with a rendition of Tom Williams by Maria Cahill, granddaughter of Joe, who sang to a hushed audience.

She was followed by a series of readings by and about prisoners given by a number of leading republicans, beginning with Marie Moore, who had chosen Bik McFarlane's account of hearing of the death of Bobby Sands:

``It was a sleepless night for the most part and the next morning the screws were sounding quite chirpy. Everyone was totally shattered but it was essential to ensure that spirits didn't flag. It was difficult to keep the chin up. Apart from a very brief note to Brownie, I did practically nothing for the following couple of days - just lay back and drifted for most of the time. Any my family visit was an extremely testing and emotional affair which did little to help matters. But we simply had to battle on''.

Hunger striker, Laurence McKeown, now Dr McKeown, read Portlaoise prisoner Gerry Hanratty's brilliant and witty rallying poem to republicans and Leo Green, who also took part in the hunger strikes, chose as his reading the horrific account by the youngest prisoner on the blanket protest, 16 year old Ciaran McGillicuddy, of being forcibly body searched. As he read, several members of the audience could be seen swallowing hard and listening with dismayed disbelief as the awfulness of his experience unfolded.


 

Recently released prisoner Rosie McCorley read out Carol Cullen's beautiful poem of solidarity to a fellow prisoner:

By yourself, alone with your dread, but not for long.
Eight in all held you down.
We couldn't hear you calling for us
But we share, we share your anger,
Those of us spared the degradation this time.
Each of us individually comfort you,
Our comradeship consoling you,
Each of our hands making a fist,
Showing our white knuckles,
Our strength, our sisterhood.''

Then it was Jim McVeigh's turn. He spoke about his inspiration for writing the story of Williams' life and death. He compared him to Bobby Sands, saying: ``Tom Williams was a young man, full of life, with everything to live for who laid down his life for his friends. It is a story which never fails to humble me.

``My greatest hope is that everyone who reads this book is similarly moved and that Tom is not just an inscription on a monument, but a real person with hopes and dreams and with weaknesses, and that people come to know him as a comrade and friend, as I have.''

Human Rights Debate

GAA Club, Ardoyne, Thursday 5 August

The Frank McCallum memorial debate on human rights was held in The GAA Club in Ardoyne on Thursday evening, 5 August - a highly appropriate setting given the disproportionate level of violence to which the area and its residents have been subjected over the last decades.

Taking part were Sinn Féin's Gerry Adams, ubiquitous Presbyterian Minister John Dunlop and Geoff Martin and Noel Doran, editors of The Belfast Telegraph and The Irish News respectively.

To begin with, Geoff Martin shifted uncomfortably in his seat and laughed nervously at the gentle teasing he received from the audience about the fact that his newspaper is not available in that part of Belfast. He had relaxed considerably by the end of the proceedings, however, telling the audience that the evening had proved to be something of a ``revelation'' to him, although he did blot his copybook by declaring ``I employ Catholics'' with something of a flourish, as though expecting a round of applause for such a great act of liberal magnanimity.

Not surprisingly, the panelists agreed that human rights for all are A Good Thing. How human rights are to be achieved, and what precisely they consist of was less certain. The unionist members of the panel in particular were eager to claim that all sides of the conflict have been equally intent on denying human rights to the others, constantly emphasising to the audience how the loyal community is being denied its rights, with the implicit claim that the recent denial of the ``right'' to walk where they like (in law non-existent) to Orangemen is qualitatively similar to the denial of homes, work, education, social and political rights to the nationalist community throughout the history of the Six Counties.

Also implicit was the suggestion that nationalists' rights are for unionism to bestow, at its own pace and in its own time once it has managed to come to terms with the painful idea of equality with Catholics. It took Gerry Adams to point out to that human rights have to be grasped, reached out for and taken by those to whom they have been denied.

``In order to get rights, you have to struggle, you have to actually go and take them and that places a huge responsibility on those of us who want a better society. I certainly don't want to live in an Irish republic which is nominal and which is a 32-county version of the Six-County state or a 32-county version of the 26-County state.''

As ever, decommissioning raised its ugly head and Gerry Adams was told yet again, this time by Geoff Martin and John Dunlop, that it is his responsibility to come to the rescue of the poor, beleaguered David Trimble. Finally, and showing only the merest hint of exasperation, he told them that responsibility for Trimble lay elsewhere:

``The peace process isn't about saving David Trimble. It doesn't matter to me who the leader of the Unionists is in terms of personality. The Unionist leadership will behave in the way they behave if they are allowed to get away with it. The British government is not a referee, is not a sponsor or a facilitator. They are participants and they have to start implementing those parts (of the Agreement) over which they have responsibility.''

John Dunlop adopted his persuasively avuncular style, making jokes about coming into the ``lion's den'' of Ardoyne and referring to it as an ``away match''. He spoke of the time he spent in Jamaica - presumably saving heathen souls for the Lord (perhaps he sees events such as this in a similar light) before reverting - at the end of the debate when he could not be challenged - to slights against his audience, questioning, as he has done on so many occasions, whether ``there is a place for me and my people here''. It seems that no matter how much he is told, without any qualification, that there is, the man refuses to be reassured. Suddenly the avuncular mask slipped and a rather less appealing paternalism appeared beneath it.

Cuban companeros in belfast

BY FERN LANE

One of the many foreign delegations to the Festival was that from the Cuban Communist Party, which set up a stall in the entrance of the Cultúrlan Centre on the Falls Road to enable them to meet and talk with as many festival-goers as possible, as well as introducing many of them to the delights of the Cuban rum which they had brought with them.

The party was represented by Teresita Trujillo, a member of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist party and local community activist in Havana. Teresita told me over coffee on Friday afternoon about her party's identification with the Irish people, its desire to forge international links, and about the difficulties in maintaining the integrity of the revolution in the face of the continuing embargo and spread of disinformation by the USA.

``For us, this is a very important festival,'' she said, ``because we are trying to develop our relations with Ireland, north and south, and this is the biggest community festival in Ireland and possibly in Europe.''

``Here, there is the possibility of talking to people about our situation in Cuba. There is so little information - and sometimes people don't even know where Cuba is! And then the information is distorted. But here, we can try and explain in the broadest possible way what is going on in Cuba. We talk to trades unions, women's groups and community organisations to get our message across. We believe that from year to year we have been improving the knowledge of Cuba.

``The Cuban support group in Ireland is doing a very difficult job in promoting issues around Cuba. They are the ones who are permanently here and promote solidarity with Cuba.''

Teresita also spoke about the case, currently going through the Cuban courts, which the party is pursuing against the U.S. government. The tale sounds like the plot of a cheap novel, but is depressingly true.

In 1980, in an attempt to create civil panic and destabilise the Cuban government, the U.S. secret services released the haemorragic dengue bacteria into the water system in the hope of creating an epidemic. In the event, some 100 people died, mostly children, before the bacteria was contained and the epidemic prevented.

The Cuban government is now demanding material damages from the US of $181 billion dollars. Teresita explained that the legal action is being taken to counter U.S. allegations that the dengue epidemic is merely communist propaganda. However, she says, with a philosophical shrug and smile, she is not optimistic that the U.S. government will either admit its wrongdoing or pay reparations for it.