At this year’s Imagine! Festival of Ideas and Politics (between Monday 12 – Sunday 18 March), over 80 events will reflect, consider and challenge the, ahem, somewhat interesting political environment that surrounds us in Northern Ireland and further afield. Ahead of its launch, Northern Slant Editor Connor Daly spoke to the Imagine! Director, Pete O’Neill about what the festival means to him, how its events down the years have evolved with the changing political context of the day, and what to look out for this year.

 

Tell us about the festival, and what it means to you.

The festival, Pete said, has been a labour of love! “It’s been great to watch it develop over the past 4 years to become one of the largest festivals of its kind on these islands. When I set it up in the run up to the UK General Election in 2015, it was designed primarily just to encourage debate and voter registration, particularly from people not engaged in politics. However, the festival really took off and projects such as the Alternative Manifesto and the engagement of young people, in particular, encouraged us to run the festival as an annual event.”

Four years on, he continued, the festival is still about supporting and celebrating the role of the citizen in political life. With talks, workshops, theatre, film, tours, humour, and lots of theatre, it provides a unique opportunity for people to have their say and engage with some of the big issues of our time.

“The mission of the festival is to stimulate people’s minds and passions by organising an inspiring annual programme of discussion and debate. Our aim is to provide a high-quality showcase for new ideas on politics, culture and activism in Northern Ireland and we hope we have achieved that in our current programme of over 80 events taking place 12-18 March.”

 

How has the festival evolved over the years – say, in the political context and environment in which it has operated, the topics of events, and the people involved.

“The sceptics among you may think ideas and politics are mutually exclusive, particularly at this time!” Pete said, “but we think there has never been a better and more urgent time to discuss innovative ideas and ways of bringing these into the mainstream of our political and cultural debates.”

At last year’s festival, a record 4,580 people attended the wide-ranging programme which attracted very positive media and audience feedback. The team measured and recorded this feedback through an audience survey involving a 10% sample, which found that 95% of respondents felt the festival satisfied their expectations.

Pete told us that it was particularly pleasing to find that 58% were attending a festival event for the first time and 37% of the sample had never been to a festival venue before – suggesting the team is able to reach new audiences and introduce them to new venues and partners.

In these straightened times, he continued, the vast majority of events (92%) were free with many oversubscribed. A number of commentators also applauded the quality and diversity of the programme and the quirky, innovative range of events put together.

 

What does the Director of the Imagine! Festival of Ideas and Politics think of the current direction of ideas and politics in Northern Ireland – and elsewhere?

“In the face of widespread public apathy and disenchantment with the political process, the very legitimacy of our political institutions is threatened as public confidence in our systems of government and local politician ebbs away. We risk a low turnout in any forthcoming elections, particularly from younger people who appear to be increasingly alienated from political life. However, it’s too easy to blame the politicians for all our ills – now’s the time for ordinary people to contribute and spark some new ideas on transforming the way we live together.

“Across the world, citizens are taking control of their political destiny by coming up with new ideas and ways of implementing change. Perhaps it’s time we joined this movement? When you think back to the excitement in Scotland over the independence referendum, with more than 90% of the electorate casting a vote in some areas, is this the sort of civic participation in political life we should be aiming for?”

 

As we approach the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, what are your reflections?

As someone who campaigned for a Yes vote in the 1998 referendum, Pete said it’s disappointing that the idealism and momentum of that period wasn’t built upon as political leaders implemented the agreement. “The recent failure of the DUP and SF to restore the institutions reflects the lack of trust and innovation in our political culture. I believe we need to reset the mechanics of devolution and devolve more to local government and civic society.

“We should experiment with the model of a Citizen’s Assembly and look at participatory budgeting – all of which we will examine in Democracy Day on 14 March. It would be great if we could stimulate a wide-ranging debate and consultation on the future of government here and give some hope to the thousands of people who are alienated from what currently passes for politics. Hopefully initiatives like this festival can assist in promoting debate on the future of politics and culture and we will be examining the legacy of the agreement in a number of our events such as this event on 14 March on the future of the Good Friday Agreement – Is It Still Fit for Purpose?”

 

Tell us about some of the events you’re most looking forward to at this year’s festival.

“We think there’s something for everyone in our programme – so I would encourage people to take a chance of discovering something new in a talk or a performance. It’s a great opportunity to attend a debate or explore a theme which you may disagree with and to challenge yourself!

“I’m really pleased this year to have such a strong film strand and also to have 10 drama productions from new and emerging theatre companies. It’s also great to have so many speakers and performers from Derry/Londonderry in the programme as I don’t think there is enough collaboration between our main cities

“We don’t have much funding to play with, so our programme is quite experimental with quirky events such as the Public Pulpit, the Bare Necessities and a short film showcase. And most of the events are free to encourage attendance from people feeling the pinch. The organisers are all doing this in their free time – no one is paid and we’re not for profit – so hopefully people will come out and enjoy live debate and performance.”

 

The Imagine! festival runs from 12-18 March with tickets available at imaginebelfast.com. Most events are free! Northern Slant will feature on the opening evening of the festival, hosting the event: “Control, Alt, Delete: Resettling How We Tell Northern Ireland’s Story”. Tickets are sold out, but you sign up to our waiting list here.

Also published on Medium.