At a Make Poverty History debate I attended at Greenbelt the panel were unanimous that ending poverty was about giving people faith; faith in themselves and faith that they can change their own future. Although ‘empowerment’ is an over-used cliché within UK-based charities, it still seemed radical in the context of some of the poorest countries in the world. Yet isn’t this justice; that every person knows that they have the right and ability to change their own future?
What excites me about Greenbelt is that it asks these questions in the context of the arts. The organisation I work for runs a free art workshop. Watching withdrawn and marginalized people transformed by the simple act of painting or sculpting, I have seen the incredible power of art. Even if it is just for a few hours a day the man at his easel can think of himself as an artist, rather than just as homeless. By giving people the faith to believe in themselves again, art has the power to engage, inspire and revolutionise. Perhaps one role for us in seeking to end poverty will be to help people find faith in themselves through art?
