Lockdown is right time to mark freedom
AS SPRING turns to summer the decimation of 2020 gathers pace.
Arts, cultural and sporting events lie scattered at the wayside as organisers have bowed to the inevitable and either cancelled or postponed.
With no end to the nightmare in sight, even plans for large public gatherings at the end of summer and autumn must be at risk.
Many fundraisers, wary of racking up costs that will never be recouped, are erring on the side of caution and cancelling early.
Better that than spend months in preparation only to face disappointment and financial ruin.
One event, however, cannot be just wiped from the calendar. Liberation 75 is too anchored to its date, too symbolic of hard-won freedoms to be allowed to just fade away.
Organisers are determined to make the best of what is possible. With less than a month to go, it is inconceivable that the piers and Quay will be packed in the traditional manner, but plans are in hand to mark the islands’ special day.
A church service will be conducted by the Dean, with wreath laying by the Bailiff and a message from the Queen read by the Lt-Governor.
These will be filmed and broadcast either on traditional media or Facebook.
Under the banner of Liberation 75 Together, organisers hope that islanders will join in the online festival and share their celebrations.
The inventiveness that has characterised the communal experience of lockdown will no doubt come to the fore. If people can run half-marathons in their gardens or organise remote Easter egg hunts, they can find clever ways of celebrating our ongoing freedom from Occupation.
Lockdown has brought home how important such freedoms are. The wartime generation understood only too well the value of a life unfettered by physical and mental bonds.
Sadly, it is that generation who risk being left out of this May’s online celebration.
That loss must be redeemed by less virtual delights. The island hobby of decking homes in flags and bunting, homemade or shop-bought, should be extra special this year.
We may be kept at a distance, but the joy of Liberation is something we can share.