Some months ago I joined a local community project which was calling for people to help organize an event to celebrate International Peace Day on 21st September. Founder Mel Larsen was inspired by the movement Peace One Day and the documentary film ‘The Day After Peace’ and having brought a team of willing local folk together, The Little Big Peace Event was born.
A big part of my decision to get involved was the desire to have more of a connection with my community; I’ve lived here for nearly eight years but I don’t know members of the community well, with the exception of close friends. I’ve been planning to write a blog about the festival for a few weeks and something else always comes up, but after the recent events I felt the time was right. Sitting at home on the evening of 8th August virtually mainlining twitter’s ‘#riotlondon’ news whilst the helicopters circled above Streatham, I felt both fearful of, and inspired by my community. The stories of devastation were peppered with amazing tales of bravery and acts of kindness.
I woke with a start the following morning to sounds of that menacing helicopter, but what brought me close to tears was seeing the way the local and wider community came together for the already legendary ‘#riotcleanup’. It was no surprise to see the way Londoners mobilised to help one another and start to piece this city back together - one of the enduring images will be operation Clean Up Clapham Junction, brooms held high in solidarity.
The handwritten message ‘peace+love’ that I saw taped to various surfaces in Brixton the day after the riots made me smile but it also got me thinking about our forthcoming celebration of peace with a renewed sense of responsibility. The Little Big Peace Event “sets out to explore the culture and concept of peace in a fun, friendly and open-minded atmosphere. The event aims to draw in the local community, both as participants and event-goers, and at its heart is the idea of inclusiveness and acceptance. This is peace in its widest sense - not just political but personal too."
Whilst the focus won’t shift away from its original aims, I’m mindful about what we can hope to bring to the community following the riots. How can we engage as wide an audience as possible? How can we create a space where, after recent events, those who may still feel angry, scared or isolated can find a little peace? I don’t have the answer yet but I do feel excited at the prospect of what we might be able to achieve. #Riotcleanup has been truly heart-warming and I hope we can bring that same spirit of peacemaking to Streatham in September.
The Little Big Peace Event is…
…a free mini-festival in Streatham celebrating the idea and culture of Peace, taking place from 19th–25th September 2011 London, SW16.
This festival is not affiliated to any one religion or politics and you don’t have to be a hippy to enjoy it. People of all faiths and cultures are welcome.
The Little Big Peace Event has been created by local volunteers and was originally inspired by the
organisation www.peaceoneday.org, who are working towards a day of global unity.
For more information including complete event listings please visit www.littlebigpeace.com
Zoe Robinson
Streatham 23/08/2011
First published on : http://eco-age.com
