War and Peace mural, Ballymacarrett, Belfast. Credit: © Albert Bridge - geograph.org.uk/p/2986909. CC-BY-SA/2.0.
The Northern Ireland peace process was once held up as a model to the world, but given the current impasse in the region’s politics and the cultural conflicts that replaced the violence this model has inevitably been tarnished. In reality, the popular, male-centric version of the model was never a true representation of a process that involved other groups, especially women. On the anniversary of the Good Friday agreement it’s time to acknowledge the contributions of these groups and consider the alternative visions and aspirations they put forward for a new and better society.
