A series of memorable events will take place in Mayo on May 20th and 21st as part of a Famine Walk week-end, organised by Afri.
On Friday, May 20th the 3rd annual ‘Food Sovereignty Assembly’, bringing together people involved in many aspects of growing, distributing and cooking food, will take place in the Town Hall in Westport from 2pm to 6pm.
On Saturday May 21st the Doolough Famine Walk will take on added significance, one hundred years on from the 1916 Rising. Remembering and commemorating acts of resistance in Ireland and abroad have been key themes of the Walk since its inception.
Solidarity has also been a central element and this continues this year as the Walk is led by the extraordinary Palestinian poet and activist Rafeef Ziadah, described by film Director Ken Loach as “powerful, emotional and political…whose poetry demands to be heard”.
Another Walk leader will be José Francisco Calí Tzay, a Kaqchikel Maya from Guatemala, founder of several indigenous, peasant and human rights organizations in his native country. Francisco spent a number of years in exile in Canada during the 1990s due to his work as an indigenous leader and human rights defender.
Dunnes Stores Striker against apartheid, Cathryn O’Reilly, and environmentalist and activist Clare O’Grady Walshe complete the line-up of Walk leaders this year.
Finally, a rare musical treat is in store for Walk patrons and others on Saturday evening, when renowned traditional musician and multi-award winner Mairtín O’Connor and his family perform a special charity gig in the Derrylahan in Louisburgh at 8.30 pm.
Friday, May 20th 2pm to 6pm: ‘Food Sovereignty Assembly’, Westport Town Hall
Saturday May 21st 1pm: 29th annual Famine Walk, Louisburgh
Saturday, May 21st 8.30pm: Derrylahan, Louisburgh, an intimate musical evening with Máirtín O’Connor and family.
Published by