Occupy Amsterdam 11.11.11

We then headed into the City centre to the Peace Rally. Tents were huddled together on the pavement fenced off and banners mast high. It was quiet and peaceful. I sat down by the information stand and a guy, who I am assuming was one of the organisers, saw my ukulele on my back and said, ‘Music, now that’s what we need.’

I said that I could play if he liked and sat at the entrance of the site doing my thing. I felt an enormous sense of collective, of meaning, so privileged to be a tiny spec in the huge picture that will undoubtedly create change. People Power! There was a TV crew filming and they interviewed the chap that had asked me to play so that’s when I twigged that he must have been instrumental in organising the march later that week.

A song written by Cheryl Beer whilst at Occupy Amsterdam

If you want peace

Then you gotta

Work for Justice

You gotta work for justice

If you want Peace

And if you want love

You gotta work for Peace

You gotta work for peace

If you want love

So stand up

To the 1 in a 100, To the 1 in 100

You gotta stand up

And I will stand up

To the 1 in 100,To the 1 in a 100

I will stand up

Stand up for peace

When I got home I recorded this in my studio and made a little film for Youtube in support of Busk Against the Cuts in Cardiff and Disability Arts Cymru made it their Video of the Day.

We had to leave to catch our bus onto Germany and so did a quick whiz around the shops to buy little gifts for our friends and family back home. The obligatory clogs key rings!