Times Change

Despite the quote “Times change; we need to change as well” (attributed to Nelson Mandela, though perhaps only from Francois Pienaar in the film Invictus) the riot going on in black-and-white is not from the past (as in this east Belfast mural) but the present, and in particular from the 2021 riots on Lanark Way (BelTel) which is the site of this new mural. Similarly, the mural depicted in the background of the riot scene is not from the past – it was refreshed in 2022 and continues to loom over Mount Vernon and the off-ramp from the motorway – see Prepared For Peace, Ready For War.

The mural thus asks young people to decide between two visions of present-day life: the grey world of violence and the colourful world of programmes from R-City – Communities Integrated Through Youth (www.rcitybelfast.com), including “one-one mentoring”, “leadership for life” (QUB), and “SHE” [Supporting Her Empowerment].