On 27th and 28th March, I had the great pleasure of assisting Rachel Thain-Gray (Mixing the Colours Development Worker at Glasgow Women’s Library) as she hosted a series of creative writing workshops at Brora Community Learning Centre in Brora, Sutherland. The Mixing the Colours project aims to enable women to speak about sectarianism, and to give them the opportunity to make contributions to the dialogue on what sectarianism is, how it impacts on them, and how it can be addressed. This creation of a safe environment for women to own and share their personal histories and insights forms part of a wider national campaign by the Scottish Government to acknowledge, understand and tackle sectarianism across Scotland.
As part of its aim to reach out and listen to women’s reflections on sectarianism, the Mixing the Colours project is in the process of visiting groups of women around Scotland, both to explain the role and purpose of Glasgow Women’s Library and the Mixing the Colours project and to gather together the insights and experiences of these groups. Rachel and I spent a rewarding and stimulating few days in Brora, meeting several groups of women from the area and inviting them to share their views on sectarianism across Scotland. The workshops were geared towards creative writing as a means of articulating and sharing experiences, and we explored a range of exercises including meditating on prompts, free writing and group poetry writing as part of our discussions.
The workshops in Brora were attended by women who varied considerably in age, nationality, background and experience. We heard from women who had lived in many places around the world and have lived very different lives. We met women who are religious, atheist and agnostic; a culturally varied cross-section of women with differing views on a range of topics. We met women who had no direct experience of sectarianism, and women who had very real and violent experience of it. Yet despite their differences, all of these women had something in common – they all had things they wanted to say about sectarianism, but seem never to have been presented with an open and safe forum in which to say them.
As a born and bred Welsh woman with no particular religious belief or culture, my own involvement with the Mixing the Colours project has been quite an education. My experiences of sectarianism have been unpleasant, but they have also been indirect. I have spoken with people (many, though not all of whom, have been women) who come to the subject of sectarianism with a range of experiences and opinions. It is some comfort to me when people express the view that sectarianism is irrelevant in 2014; that it is historic and ‘bygone’. That they themselves have never consciously experienced sectarianism is good news indeed. However, all too many women report horrifying lived experiences which are recent and, in some cases, current. While this is the case, we simply cannot claim to be free of sectarianism in Scotland, however much we wish that were the truth. Those who conclude that intra-Christian sectarianism in Scotland is purely historical often do so because they have not had the opportunity to speak candidly with those who have lived experience of it – not least because many of those who live the reality are not the ones being sought out and listened to by mainstream media and commentators. Through providing women across Scotland with a secure and non-judgemental environment to speak frankly about their own stories, Mixing the Colours seeks to help ensure that they are heard.
On a personal level, I feel very privileged to have met all of the wonderful women who took the time to come and speak with us in Brora. The visit showed us that the negative experiences of women who are affected directly by sectarianism are a source of shock and concern to those who are not – but that they are a source of humanity and fellow-feeling, too. It was profoundly encouraging to find that women across Scotland want to speak about sectarianism. And they want to be heard.
Our thanks go to Trish Matthews and all of her colleagues at Brora Community Learning Centre for facilitating and taking part in these workshops, and to all of the women who came along to them in the spirit of reflection, solidarity and compassion. Thank you for sharing your views, experiences, tea, biccies and sunshine with us!
If you would like to know more about Mixing the Colours, contact Rachel Thain-Gray on 0141 550 2267.
Rebecca Jones
