THURSDAY Is International Woman’s Day, celebrated on March 8 every year since 1910, commemorating the movement for women’s rights around the world – and when it comes to international women, I have my own personal favourite: Kathryn Baird.
Her life is steeped in the pursuit of human rights be it in building homes for Habitat for Humanity in Romania, festivals Greece and India, producing television documentaries back home in Ireland, some in Irish, and most recently in America filming in Philadelphia and Washington with director Mal Marken, and cameraman Blane Scott of Image Media, making The Man Who Told The Truth for BBC
This is the little-known story of Maghera-born Charles Thomson, one of America's most significant Founding Fathers, who kept the minutes of all sessions of Congress, including listing state secrets. An oil painting on Capitol Hill shows the signing of the Declaration of Independence with Thomson alongside Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.
Kathryn’s list of television credits include The Shirt Factory Horn, a historic account of the women who worked in Derry’s shirt factories, and her documentary Mackies – Built To Last, the story of James Mackie and Sons, once the world's largest producer of textile machinery. No matter what else is going on, she’s always planning her next production.
Boat Refugee Foundation
The last time I wrote about Kathryn was in 2016 when she travelled to the Greek island of Samos, a mile from the Turkish coast from where thousand of refugees made a brave break for freedom and a new life in another country escaping persecution in their homeland.
She’d became a volunteer with the Boat Refugee Foundation and, having studied Ancient and Modern Greek, and speaking the language, she was able to work effectively, especially with the women and children.
Her stories are dreadful and it was an emotional time and with the frustration of no camera or notebook allowed, the images are seared on to her mind’s eye.
She recalled comforting one woman who’d been punished for speaking out against the regime – beaten, raped and tortured – then, like other girls, she'd had her arms tied behind her back and been hung naked from a wall.
Kathryn’s experiences were harrowing and her memories bleak so, on returning home, she established contact with a number of refugees and still does what she can to help them.
Irish Wings Festival
Perhaps some day she’ll document Irish Wings, an exciting festival of Irish and Greek arts held last year on the island of Paros. As one of the producers, Kathryn explains: “It explores ways in which artists transcend disciplines and national and geographical boundaries and showcases the dialogue of Irish culture and Ireland’s connections with Greece.
"Having studied my undergraduate degree in Classics at Cambridge, played the title role in the original Greek in Sophocles’ Electra and won the university’s Greek Reading prize, I found the subject compelling.
"But it was when we first holidayed on Paxos 30 years ago that the island spun its web and captured me so I left my full time job as a BBC producer to do a Masters in Modern Greek and Byzantine Studies at Queen’s.”
Her fascination goes back to schooldays at Methodist College when one of her teachers, Mr Harrison, spoke to the class in Greek and talked of the lifestyle and the hospitality of the people. There and then she knew she’d have go and see for herself.
Now the family have a holiday home on Paxos and she plays an important part of the island’s culture, having come up with the idea of blending the Greek and the Irish traditions in music, verse, art and cuisine, featuring chef Paula McIntyre and many of our best writers.
India
In January this international woman visited the Jaipur Literature Festival where around 61 per cent of the total number of people taking part were below the age of 25 and from an underprivileged background.
“We were delighted to be involved in the workshops where the aim is to entertain, teach and improve self-esteem. Cathy McCullough and I attended as representatives of the John O’Connor Writing School and Literary Arts Festival and we found many parallels.”
They brought home some ideas to incorporate into the very successful annual John O’Connor Festival in Armagh each November, produced and directed by Kathryn and O’Connor’s nice Cathy, with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon as patron.
“Like the Jaipur Festival, the idea is to involve people in the art of writing fiction, creative non-fiction and commercial communications.”
Known as Armagh’s Steinbeck, O’Connor is the heart of this major literary event featuring the very best in the business – Barry Devlin of Horselips, Glenn Patterson, Michael Longley, Anne Enright, Lemn Sissay, official poet of the 2012 London Olympics, and Robert McCrum, the Observer’s associate editor, who knows all about penalty shoot-outs when soccer teams are drawn at full time – his great great grandfather came up with the idea.
And, typically, the young are encouraged to realise their abilities.
“Last year 240 children from multicultural schools participated in our writing programme and saw their work exhibited in local libraries,” Kathryn tells me, adding: “This year again will be exciting and challenging.”
Just a taste of the talents of Kathryn Baird, wife and mother of three young men and my International Woman of the Year.
:: GETTING DRESSED
I’LL never again think of putting my clothes on as a routine operation, not after seeing what the Second Hand Theatre Company get up to. As part of the 20th Children’s Festival, which openings on Saturday, the actors celebrate the art of dressing; so parents, take your children along to the MAC Saturday at 2.30pm and 5pm or Sunday 2.30pm to see a 45-minute lesson on Getting Dressed.
The company promise joyous movements, exploration and daftness for four to seven-year-olds. This is just one of many shows for young people of all ages happening in and around Belfast. You’ll find a list of excitement and venues at youngatart.co.uk
