2/4/13
St. Lawrence Speaker to Present on Conflict, Peace in Northern Ireland
A fighter turned activist will discuss the role he played in bringing peace to his Northern Ireland community during a talk at St. Lawrence University later this month.
Jon McCourt will present a film version of the Theatre of Witness production, “We Carried Your Secrets,” and lead a discussion following the film on Wednesday, February 13, at 7 p.m. in the Griffiths Arts Center, Room 123. The event is open to the public and free of charge.
McCourt has been a community peace activist and a member of the Peace and Reconciliation Group in Derry, Northern Ireland, for more than 30 years. He played a major role in the development of the Community Awareness Training Programme and founded and established the first Victim Support Service in Northern Ireland in 1986. He has also worked with those involved in conflicts in other areas of the world, including Bosnia, the Middle East and Rwanda.
His story is included in “We Carried Your Secrets,”which tells the personal tale of how each individual experienced the conflict, how they remember the past and how they attempt to navigate the future. The play has been performed in some of the most tumultuous regions of Northern Ireland and inspired understanding and unity in many Irish viewers.
Theatre of Witness productions are performed in spoken word, music, movement and cinematic imagery. They put a face and heart to societal issues of suffering and celebrate the power of the human spirit to grow and transform.
