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<DIV class=RTE>Peaceful greetings to all !</DIV>
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<DIV class=RTE>A few weeks back, I was with my nephew and niece at the Bretton Hall Sculpture Park, a place which I am sure many of you are already aware of, and if you aren't, then you probably should be! While there we had great fun darting in and amongst the trees (and beautiful trees they are)- coming across strange and unexpected structures, battling our way, Legend of Zelda style, through a quest where random sticks became mighty swords and carved lions became the most formiddable foes. What struck me was what could be made, what could be imagined, from so little.</DIV>
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<DIV class=RTE>The General Cemetery reminds me of this space. This space too owes itself to exploration and to discovery. We must make the most of this oppertunity and have surprises in store for all of those who are willing to explore. Magicians, Jugglers, pixies, lost Victorian folk arsien from their graves; all amongst the trees. A hunt to find 'treasure'. Hide-aways, storytellings, sculpturing. Tribal dancers swooping enigmatically from tree to tree. Flags flying in the sky, exotic plants made from shreds of material arising from the ground, friendly dragons patrolling the grounds, and lots and lots of colourful signs and pictures, giving people directions and paths to new areas, new delights.</DIV>
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<DIV class=RTE>Next year, I would like to see Peace in the Park taking on a new dimension. As a born and bred Sheffielder... I would love to see the young people of my city being engaged into a visionary and creative event... Taking on many different strands, I would like to see kids being able to create and to play music which they never thought possible in front of an audience of their friends and famalies (nothing fancy, just a short set no matter how awful it may sound to trained ears)... To read aloud some poetry about their city and about war and about peace... To be able to have a fun and game-orientated forum about local and global politics... to make decor for a festival which their famalies will be coming to visit... To design the logo... To make a film, to write an indymedia article about the day, to be able to get some sense of what it is like to be exposed to the one hundred
ways of thinking, of seeing, of doing, that I have had privilege to witness since I broke free of my council estate in northern Sheffield- a forgotten world in which there is only one way of seeing and doing, one of complacency and conformity, attractors of despondancy and helplessness in a landscape where there is so much still left to fight for... If I have anything to do with it, Peace in the Park will one day truly break free of the leafy suburbs, and will become accessible to all of those who live and work in Sheffield, no matter their faith and their background. I love all of my city. But I want everyone to enjoy it. This is why I will only focus on the outreach next year.</DIV>
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<DIV class=RTE>But for now, we must concentrate our efforts on turning this festival into a day filled with good sounds, good feelings, and good people. Come help make it look like a wonderful leafy wonderland. Let's treat the place with great respect for it's natural beauty and its history, but extend on that.. come to the decor making workshop on the bank holiday weekend. And let's go and communicate our passion for the place and the event at the university on the publicity stall on Monday. </DIV>
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<DIV class=RTE>Some people ask me at work how and why I manage to do all of this 'activist' stuff outside of working hours. Well, I happen to be more concerned that the real Big Brother is going to be arriving in town in a months time then I am that Channel 4 is going to be submitting us to mind numbing crap at about the same time. I also know that the neo-liberal agenda setters will not be getting out of bed on the 15th of June pondering whether they can be bothered to take the tiresome stroll down to their waiting chauffer, to their conference rooms (after polishing off their exquisite banquets of course) and setting guidelines which will sustain and strengthen their injust and imbalanced measures further and further... We must ensure our energies meet or exceed theirs.</DIV>
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<DIV class=RTE>So we must really pull of something special on the 11th.</DIV>
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<DIV class=RTE>And with a careful balance of talk and play, scheming and clowning... </DIV>
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<DIV class=RTE>Show ourselves and others that another world is possible</DIV>
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<DIV class=RTE>Is possible.</DIV>
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<DIV class=RTE>If...</DIV>
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