Overwhelmed…

I’m feeling quite overwhelmed… Firstly the news this morning that a ceasefire has been achieved in the two year long war on Gaza… And secondly, an hour or more this morning looking through the absolutely incredible collection of art assembled by Mich Maroney for the Palestine Postcard Project.

Today is truly a historic day of both Peace and Art.

Putting the fantastic news of a ceasefire to one side for a moment, I’ll write first about the art. And let me say first of all that every postcard gathered together here is a masterpiece. They are sincere letters to the future. Every one is a message of hope.

Artists express themselves in different ways, and that is abundantly clear in this collection. For some, peace is a still life of flowers. For others it is a misty coastal landscape. And for still others, it is a cry for freedom. We see all of that in this collection, and yet so much more.

Abstract art, figurative art, dada-inspired collage, sci-fi fantasy… it seems every school of art has taken to the wing and flocked to Ireland to make its voice heard. The forthcoming exhibition is going to be truly breathtaking thanks to Mich and the team’s hard work and vision and the involvement and commitment of so many talented artists across the globe.

And now the ceasefire… As someone who has been constantly protesting against the genocide in Gaza for the past two years, the news today of a ceasefire comes as a huge relief. Friends in Gaza are writing to me of their happiness and thanking me for my support. But we all know this is just a first step. We don’t let our guard down. The ceasefire of January 2025 exposed the lack of honesty in Israel’s dealings with Palestinians. So for now, we wait and see and keep supporting our Palestinian friends who have suffered so much.

I’ll end with a thought: The true measure of human strength rests in what a human can create, not what they can destroy.

Jonathan Wonham (author of poetry books Ceasefire Now! and Dystopia Persecutia)