YOU ARE NOW ENTERING CITY OF CULTURE 2013.
On Thursday night the winner of City of Culture 2013 was to be announced at 7pm on BBC One during the One Show. Having to sit through an entire episode of the One Show is a nightmare at the best of times, however, tonight it doesn’t seem to matter because at around 7.25 the announcement is made and the Maiden City is crowned the UK’s first City of Culture. Mayor Colm Eastwood and deputy first minister Martin McGuinness are among the representatives from the city in Liverpool and as the news is streamed live to Derry-Londonderry the Guildhall erupts with cheers and applause for the second time in the space of a month – albeit for two different reasons.
The eyes of the media are on this Northern Irish City yet again, this time it’s about what we’ve done in the past combined with a hopeful, ambitious and expectant outlook for the future.
So, what does being titled City of Culture 2013 mean for Derry-Londonderry? There’s already talk of the Turner Prize, BBC Sports Personality of the Year and the Brit Awards all being held here. There’s believed to be job opportunities a-plenty in the next few years and hundreds of millions of pounds being injected into the local economy with flocks of tourists descending upon the City to see what the big fuss is about.
In my opinion, the most important factor of this win is that the copious amount of talent hidden behind bedroom doors and that remains secluded in practice rooms, art studios and school class rooms will be given the chance to shine and will hopefully have the vital platform from which the city’s young and gifted can kick start their careers.
One point I firmly believe that Mayor Colm Eastwood would agree with is that the second largest city in Northern Ireland needs a proper high spec and large capacity venue. Already members of the media and general public have been speculating that, if and when the Brit Awards arrive here, they can only effectively and efficiently be held in Belfast. However, many frustrated young people have been crying out for Derry/Londonderry’s own version of the Odyssey for a long time and I reckon the time is now for the City of Culture 2013 to be given it’s own arena to hold the bigger events that come with it’s new title!
This isn’t really the place to discuss the negative publicity the City and the North has received in the past week. It has to be mentioned though, if only to outline that this time of celebration is the kick in the rear we need to let the violence and hatred of the past rest in history books. This is the chance the City has to set an example to the rest of Northern Ireland by showing that we can integrate all types of cultures in the city and we can accept each others differences that have acted as a division for too long.
More to the point, this is about positivity and creativity, and when walking through the City on Friday afternoon you could see pride in the faces of the young and old. You could feel a sense of excitement and anticipation for what’s in store in the years to come. So let’s not waste it, let’s take on this challenge, let’s get ambitious and let’s get creative, let’s set the standard high because you are now entering City of Culture 2013.
TJ, Belfast Rocks
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