'All They Draw Is The Wall'

We visited the 'Bethlehem Unwrapped' exhibition on Saturday.

It was a dark damp day in London, and people were scurrying along Piccadilly to try and spend as little time as possible outdoors.

As we stepped from the pavement into the courtyard of St James church, the 8m high wall, built as a replica segment of the wall that surrounds Bethlehem, loomed large in front of us. You couldn't see the church behind the wall - but people can't see the holy sites and historic places behind the wall in Bethlehem. You couldn't see much sky behind the wall either, not without craning your neck to look up - but that's the same for the people living in Bethlehem - all around them a wall, blocking out views of anything far away.

There was an art exhibition inside the church entitled 'All They Draw Is The Wall'. Some of the art was done by school children from Bethlehem when visited by UK artist Meg Wroe, and the title was a comment that the teacher had made to Meg mourning the fact that once the children get to about 9years old, "all they draw is the wall". Their imagination doesn't run further than having a wall in every picture that they draw; a barrier between them and the rest of the world seen in every direction.

Back outside, there was a poem that had been written by Robert vas Dias. It didn't say who he was, but I am presuming, from his name, and the sentiments of the words, that he is an Israeli. The words were very challenging, about the wall, about 'other', about one's view of those on the 'other side'. Here they are, and as you read them, ask yourself if there are any 'others' and any 'walls' in your life:

Every Wall Has Two Sides
by Robert vas Dias

Let us consider the forming of walls, the mortar
of words I use to form my walls, to make my side

a better side, the other side is where the other side
resides, I'm on the right side and your are not, the

side you're on is undesirable and my side is right
because I am right and your are wrong, you disturb

my side with your words, your words spread fear 
and mine bind my wall with the mortar of reason

you're unreasonable, you disturb me, raise un-
reasonable questions about sides, your living

space, my living space which is mine by right and 
yours which is not yours by right, you have no

right to be where you are, because I am here and
because I am here you cannot be, you cannot be,

you're on my other side, the other side of me.


I didn't know I was on a side until a wall was built
and then I knew I was on a side, the wrong side

I didn't know I'd created a disturbance until you
told me I was creating a disturbance so then I 

decided to create a disturbance because you told
me I lived on the wrong side, I'd always lived on

this side even though I didn't know it was a side
of anything, much less the wrong one, it's wrong

because my side is a wall of shadows, the shadow 
side, the wrong side, I shadow you, you who live

on the light side, I'm a disturbance for each one
of you, I am a shadow, I form a wall within you

although you cannot see me I will disturb you
I am here, I am here, and I will never leave you

you're on my other side, the other side of me

Thought provoking.

The wall is symbolic of walls all over the world that divide and confine peoples. restricting free movement and dominating the imagination of those who live behind them.

Oh for the day when people start taking down the walls and building bridges instead. Big walls yes, but also all the little walls that are within people, within their attitudes and responses to others. May those walls be taken down as well.