Hedge School 2016

Afri

hedge-school-poster-2016In our history, Hedge Schools were places of learning, continuity and resistance, emerging out of the draconian Penal Laws that forbade formal education to most Irish people. Learning about and resisting the causes of poverty is at the heart of Afri’s work and the Hedge School symbolizes the kind of resilience and creativity needed to address the crisis facing our world as a result of climate change and the obscenity of the war industry.

One of the major consequences of war and climate change is forced migration and what has become known as the ‘refugee crisis’. The 2016 Hedge School will explore this theme and will include input on Roger Casement, the great internationalist, humanitarian and executed 1916 leader as well as provide an opportunity to hear from refugees & asylum seekers in Ireland.

This year’s Hedge School is organised in partnership with the students from I.T. Blanchardstown.

To register for the conference, please email admin@afri.ie.  

One Earth, One Chance: Afri Hedge School 2015

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ITB students call for action on climate change during the Afri Hedge School 2015
ITB students call for action on climate change during the Afri Hedge School 2015

The 2015 Hedge School was held in IT Blanchardstown and the focus this year was on climate change and its impact on human rights.  Students from the Social and Community Development Course, with the guidance of their lecturer, Liam McGlynn, had been preparing for the Hedge School for several weeks and students were actively involved in contributing to all aspects of the day – including workshops on the theme of climate change and human rights as well as registration of attendees, creating a short film on climate change and organising the above action: “act now or pay later”.

As well as the students’ contributions, Maitet Ledesma from IBON International, spoke eloquently about the impact of climate change in the Philippines as well as the lead into the Paris conference on climate change.  This was followed by a debate between Oisin Coghlan of Friends of the Earth and Harold Kingston from the Irish Farmers’ Association on the impact of Irish Agriculture on the climate.   Harold was arguing that the Irish climate is best suited for growing grass – which is then used in dairy or beef farming.  He also maintained that the targets set by the EU were unrealistic.  Oisin on the other hand, refuting this, stated that targets are essential to drive action to tackle climate change and held that the government weren’t even trying to meet the 2020 EU targets in order to get easier targets for 2030.  Oisin also held that Ireland needs to do its fair share to tackle climate change and should not be looking for special exemptions.  The debate was chaired by Afri chair Nessa Ní Chasaide.

After lunch Donal O’Kelly drew parallels between the nonviolent environmental activist Ken Saro Wiwa and Frederick Douglass, a freed slave, in a dramatic piece.  The day of the Hedge School itself coincided with the 20th anniversary of the hanging of the Ogoni 9 – of which Ken Saro Wiwa was part – by the Nigerian military dictatorship with the collusion of Shell.  At the beginning of the day a candle was lit by one of the IT students – who is from Nigeria – in memory of the Ogoni 9.

The day concluded with a world cafe – an opportunity for all participants to reflect on how they felt about climate change – hopeful, angry, despairing and so on – and a chance to mingle with those who felt differently.

Afri would like to thank ITB and in particular Liam McGlynn for hosting the 2015 Hedge School

Hedge School 2015: One Earth, One Change – Climate Change & Human Rights

Afri

Hedge School 2015_WEBAfri Hedge School 2015: One Earth, One Chance – Climate Change & Human Rights

I.T. Blanchardstown, Room A57

Tuesday 10th November 2015, 9.30am – 4pm

In our history, Hedge Schools were places of learning, continuity and resistance, emerging out of the draconian Penal Laws that forbade formal education to most Irish people. Learning about and resisting the causes of poverty is at the heart of Afri’s work and the Hedge School symbolizes the kind of resilience and creativity needed to address the crisis facing our world as a result of climate change and the obscenity of the war industry.

The 2015 Hedge School will explore the themes of climate change and human rights.  This year’s Hedge School is organised in partnership with the students from the Social and Community Development Course from I.T. Blanchardstown.

The 10th November 2015 is the 20th anniversary of the execution of the great nonviolent environmentalist Ken Saro Wiwa and the Ogoni 9.  We will be marking this event at the Hedge School.

To book tickets go here and visit our facebook page here.

Impressions from the 2014 Hedge School

Afri
Cathyrn O'Reilly (standing) and Vonnie Munroe of the Dunnes Stores Anti-apartheid strikers speaking at the Afri Hedge School in ITB.
Cathyrn O’Reilly (standing) and Vonnie Munroe of the Dunnes Stores Anti-apartheid strikers speaking at the Afri Hedge School in ITB.

By coincidence, the Afri Hedge School 2014 took place on the 96th anniversary of the official ending of World War 1.  I say ‘official’ ending as of course a monstrous machine of that size and ferocity doesn’t suddenly come to a halt all at once. Active battling in which several human beings lost their lives continued well after that iconic moment of the 11th hour, on the 11th day of the 11th month on which the leaders cried ‘stop!”. And signatures were made on a piece of paper.  I say ‘official’ as the fallout, the ramifications of that horrific war, ironically titled in the recruitment propaganda as ‘the war to end all wars’, is still to this very day having its devastating impact. The battles continue long after Armistice. The trauma has traversed generations in the many insidious ways that trauma can. Palestine is just one of many, many ongoing casualties that continues to bleed and die.

The lives of those men who had chosen to become or had been forced to become soldiers and were sacrificed in that war are traditionally remembered by silence and ceremony on this iconic day.

The Afri Hedge School chose not to hold the silence, but rather to facilitate the raising of voices. It invited the testimony of witnesses and casualties beyond those in active combat. It welcomed the awkward questions. And it framed all of this within the matrix of conscience. Continue reading “Impressions from the 2014 Hedge School” →

Date for the Diary: 2014 Hedge School

Afri

Hedge School poster

The 2014 Hedge School will be held on Tuesday 11th November in Room A57, Aontas Block on the I.T.B. campus, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.  

Registration is at 9.30am and the Hedge School will run from 10am to 4pm.

This event is organised in partnership with the students from the Social and Community Development Course in I.T. Blanchardstown.

You can book a ticket and find out directions for the 2014 Hedge School via our Eventbrite page here.