Gardaí in Galway are joining forces with refugees, asylum-seekers and members of the Catholic and Protestant communities in the city this week in a show which explores the issues of war, peace and equality through the eyes of "spiritual giants" such as Martin Luther King.
The views of US pacifist and journalist, Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker, and Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was assassinated in El Salvador, will also be covered in the production by the various participants in the "Gather Music Project", which was established as a multicultural venture in Galway last year.
The project involves up to 100 singers, including members of the Galway Garda Choir, choir members from Catholic diocesan parishes and members of the United Methodist and Presbyterian Church. Father Frankie Lee of St Patrick's parish in Galway city, who established the project with Tina Lally, Aidan Larkin and Deirdre Newell, said the idea was to promote multiculturalism through a shared interest.
"We felt that something should be done to promote this ethos, but we also knew that we wouldn't have an awful lot in common, both culturally and socially," Father Lee explained yesterday. "This seemed like a good place to start."
Contact was made last autumn with refugees and asylum-seekers in the Eglinton Hotel in Salthill and the Great Western Hotel in Eyre Square, and rehearsals in earnest began after Christmas on a weekly basis.
The production, entitled Agape, the Stories and the Feast, by Marty Haugen, is described by Father Lee as offering " a fresh perspective on Christian ritual". In dealing with the "big issues" of war, peace, justice and poverty, it was "very timely", he said, given the current situation with the US and Iraq. The show will be performed for three nights, from tomorrow in the Black Box Theatre, Galway, but Father Lee said that the most rewarding aspect had been the preparation.
"It has provided an invaluable context for listening and learning about life as experienced through the eyes of those who now share our community," he said.
Also in Galway this week, Galway County Council is marking European Week Against Racism with the initiation of three community festivals in the north, west and east of the county to promote cultural awareness. The council's arts office and community and enterprise unit have worked in partnership with the Asylum-Seekers Ireland - Galway group to develop the project, which will be jointly financed by the local authority and the Combat Poverty Agency.
Entitled "Celebrating Cultural Diversity", the project involves hosting festivals this summer in Clifden, Tuam and Headford, involving music, song, dance, exhibitions, readings, film and theatre events, sport and food displays.
The background of asylum-seekers living in rural areas will be focused on as part of the initiative. Full details will be announced by the deputy mayor, Councillor James Joyce, in Galway's County Hall tomorrow to the beat of Irish and African traditional music.
Mr Frank Dawson, director of services, community and enterprise with Galway County Council, said the initiative would celebrate the various cultures within a "culturally vibrant county", while Mr Paul Osikoya of Asylum-Seekers Ireland - Galway said that it would contribute towards a "balanced and successful relationship amongst communities in Co Galway".
On Friday, International Day Against Racism/European Week Against Racism is to be celebrated in Richardson's Hotel, Eyre Square.
