This Light that Pushes Me – Exhibition at St Edmundsbury Cathedral

An astonishing exhibition that showcases the work of African peacebuilders, all of whom have experienced some form of mental or physical violence.

The exhibition, entitled ‘This Light That Pushes Me’, uses photographs and personal testimonies to trace the journeys of ordinary African men and women whose lives have been transformed by suffering into a force for social change.

The exhibition, which was created by the Quaker Peace Network – Africa, has been brought to Bury through a joint initiative between the Cathedral and Bury St Edmunds Quakers.

“This exhibition features Quakers or those involved in Quaker peace work. Each story is not intended to encapsulate a person, but rather emphasise an aspect of their journey from violence, to healing, to activism,” explained Quaker exhibition coordinator, Jenny Chantler.

“Taken together they tell a collective story that stretches beyond these individuals to countless others for whom the drive to build peace comes from deep within, who feel ‘this light that pushes me’ to do good.”

The exhibition is free and open to all and can be viewed in the Cathedral Cloisters any day between 23 January – 6 February.

The exhibition has also been seen in New York (June 2014) where the Quaker United Nations Organisation hosted an evening reception at Quaker House in New York, and at Friends’ House in London during April and May of this year to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide.

Listen to some of their stories at www.quaker.org.uk/peacebuilder-stories

A visitor’s comment “I visited the exhibition, Peacebuilding in East Africa, yesterday in Bury St. Edmunds. I found it very remarkable, emotionally stirring and very inspiring.”

See the general leaflet here.

See the leaflet for this exhibition here.