Join us on Wednesday, November 15th from 10am to 4pm for this year’s Hedge School organised in partnership with third-year students from the Community Development and Youth Work course in TU Dublin – Blanchardstown.
The Rights of Nature
Afri supports the call by the Citizen’s Assembly on Biodiversity Loss to insert the ‘Rights of Nature’ into the Constitution, which was recently discussed at a meeting of the |Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action. Continue reading “The Rights of Nature”
A New Year Message from Afri to coincide with the burial of our patron Archbishop Desmond Tutu
We in Afri join with the world in expressing our sadness at the passing of our hero and patron, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Continue reading “A New Year Message from Afri to coincide with the burial of our patron Archbishop Desmond Tutu”
Reflections from Féile Bríde 2020
©Photo by Derek Speirs
Afri’s Feile Bride event for 2020 was entitled ‘Rekindling; Revitalising; Rewilding and Restoring’ and was set in the context of the need for urgent action on climate change. Over recent years, many people, of all ages, are getting actively involved in fighting for change. This was reflected at the conference, where we heard from a number of mature activists who have been around for some time but also from Ruby Jo, who set up “There is no planet B” as an 11 year old activist! This shows that we can all be involved in action to tackle climate change – as Greta Thunberg says ‘no-one is too small to make a difference’. This was the 28th year of tending the Brigid flame in Kildare, which as Rita Minehan explained, was lit at the first Afri Conference in 1993 and burns as a “beacon of hope, peace and justice.” It was noted, that one of the trademarks of those who attend Féile Bríde is a spirit of positivity and hope, and a determination, no matter what, to keep on working for a better world for all.
Reflections from Carlow Famine Walk 2020
Climate Change was the theme of the 2020 Famine Walk which began in IT Carlow and concluded in the nearby Famine graveyard. Approximately 70 young people attended from schools including Gaelscoil Eoghain and Tyndale College. Each year an oak tree is planted as part of the ceremony of remembrance and solidarity and this year the tree was supplied by two Transition Year students – Eimear and Abbie – who had set up a company to grow and sell trees as part of their course. Thanks to Eimear and Abbie for this excellent initiative and generous gift.
Hedge School 2019: Food, Fashion & Fuel
Organised in partnership with third year students from the Community and Youth Development course in TU Dublin – Blanchardstown.
This year’s participants will look at the issues of food, fashion and fuel, how they contribute to climate change and what we can do about it!
Speakers include Saoirse McHugh, who describes herself as an environmentalist, a democratic socialist, and a grower.
Eddie Mitchell of Love Leitrim and North Leitrim Sustainable Energy Community
& renowned actor and activist Donal O’Kelly, who together with Brian Fleming and Ellen Cranitch will perform an intriguing piece called “Roxy’s Head is Melted”.
To register for this free event please go to: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/afri-hedge-school-2019-tickets-76758006263.
Public Meeting: Nicola Peel – Amazon Activist and Solutionologist
Nicola Peel
Amazon Activist and Solutionologist
Venue: the Teacher’s Club, Dublin
Date: Monday, August 13th
Time: 7.30pm
(Admission free, donations welcomed)
Nicola Peel is an award winning environmentalist, filmmaker, speaker and solutionist. Nicola has been working in the Ecuadorian Amazon for 18 years on a number of environmental and social projects. Finding solutions to oil spills with fungi, building rainwater systems for indigenous people suffering from contamination due to the oil industry, training farmers in agroforestry to prevent the slash and burn of tropical rain forests and cleaning the beaches of tons of plastic, turning rubbish into a resource.
Nicola’s focus has been to find practical solutions to respond to those in need who are suffering due to resource extraction, poverty and climate change.
She believes that ‘nature is our greatest teacher’ and during her presentation she will give examples on some of the solutions found in Nature.
During her visit to Ireland Nicola will be speaking in:
- The Teacher’s Club, Dublin 1, Monday August 13th at 7.30pm
- The Pavilion, The Green, Edgeworthstown, Longford, Tuesday August 14th at 8pm,
- Secret Garden, William St West, Galway, Wednesday August 15th at 7pm
- WeCreate, Cloughjordan, Thursday, 16th August, 7.30pm.
Dáil calls time on fossil fuel exploration in historic vote
Bill to end offshore drilling licences passes first legislative hurdle
The Stop Climate Chaos Coalition has described the Dáil vote in favour of the Climate Emergency Measures Bill on the 8th February 2018 as “historic”. The Bill, proposed by People Before Profit TD Brid Smith, would end the issuing of licences to explore for oil and gas in Irish waters. It passed the second stage debate and was referred to the Climate Action Committee by 78 votes to 48, with cross-party support emerging to overcome Government opposition to the Bill. Continue reading “Dáil calls time on fossil fuel exploration in historic vote”
Date for your diary – Féile Bríde 2018
Féile Bríde 2018: Light out of Darkness
Saturday 3rd February 2018
Solas Bhríde, Kildare Town
Registration at 10.20am
or download a booking form and return by post
“Life has given me many challenges, which I choose to take as opportunities to learn and grow. This is my choice. I learned this on death row. I chose life, health, forgiveness, and love. That choice saved me from bitterness and hatred that would have destroyed me from within. I have dedicated myself to an end to violence – in all its forms. This is the way I honour the lives that were sacrificed along the way. This is the way I give back to the universe. Love is the answer. Fear is the enemy. We must choose the world we want and work towards making it happen every day in our own lives.”
These are the inspiring words of death row survivor, Sunny Jacobs, whose life reads like a Shakespearean tragedy, with injustice heaped upon further injustice, creating circumstances that would have crushed many people. An innocent woman wrongfully convicted of murder, her husband was executed, she lost other family members and she spent many years awaiting her own execution. But Sunny came shining through it all with dignity, strength, courage, compassion and hope. She is the perfectly encapsulation of this year’s Féile Bríde’s theme: ‘light out of darkness’.
Sunny and Peter Pringle, the last person to have been on death row in Ireland, have devoted themselves to promoting healing, peace and reconciliation. Together they have established The Sunny Centre – a sanctuary for others who suffer injustice, especially people who are wrongly convicted of crimes they did not commit and have spent time under sentence of death. We will hear their extraordinary stories at Féile Bríde this year.
Other speakers include the distinguished academic and activist Peadar Kirby, who plays a leading role in the Cloughjordan Eco-Village; UCC Professor Emeritus and life-long peace activist John Maguire; Hanny Van Geel of La Via Campesina, which promotes the rights of peasant communities around the world, and who describes herself as ‘rooted in farming’; and Rose Hogan who has a life-long commitment to agro-ecology and sustainable agriculture.
In a world marred by war and the woeful destruction of our exquisite planet, Féile Bríde is but one example of the many, many people and groups throughout our world who hope for and work towards a better future, a more just world and for the light to overcome the darkness.
And as the Spring birdsong heralds the end of another winter, we will also have music because, as Hans Christian Anderson said, “where words fail, music speaks”.
Clár
10.20am Registration
10.45am Fáilte, Solas agus Ceol: welcome, light & music
11.00pm Caring for our Global Village – Peadar Kirby
12.00pm Food for Life – Hanny Van Geel & Rose Hogan
1.00pm Lunch and tree planting
2.00pm Peace Meal Change– John Maguire
2.50pm Tea break
3.05pm Music
3.15pm Light out of Darkness
Sunny’s story
Peter’s story
The Sunny Centre
4.45pm Music
5pm Conclude
To book tickets online go here or download the booking form and return by post
To see who’s going on facebook go here.
Afri’s Féile Bríde conference is part of a week long events being held in Kildare organised by the Brigidine Sisters and Cairde Bríde. For information about the other events that week visit the Solas Bhríde website or download their programme Feile Bride Programme.
Date for your diary – Féile Bríde 2017
Among the issues to be explored at this year’s conference will be forced migration – the inevitable consequence of war and climate change.
Speakers will include distinguished peace activist and author Kathy Kelly and Scottish writer and campaigner Alastair McIntosh. Find out more in our brochure.
To book tickets online go here or download the booking form and send to Afri by post.
To see who’s going on facebook go here.