VIEW FROM THE PEW
If the part of the brain that stores memories is like a shelf of scrapbooks and photo albums, this week’s would be the volume that is overflowing, so packed with images, thrills and happiness that it’s not possible to close the cover.
The spectacle of elated, excited young athletes parading behind the flags of their 166 countries and embraced by the cheers of thousands of people highlighted a week in my life that qualifies for that overworked adjective, awesome. It was personal excitement for my cluster of friends in the crowd, with our own special athlete to cheer, and awe at the unfolding events of the week of June 21, 2003.
Pause: Do I need to write a footnote of nostalgia for the traditional hands-on memorabilia-keeping devices for people who now store stuff electronically and have to squint at a tiny screen to recall them?
It was the week of the 2003 Special Olympics World Games in Dublin, Ireland. It was the first time that the multiple-sport competition was held outside the United States.
On reflection, having a neutral country as the venue probably eased some political tensions and made it possible for some of those teams to attend.
I also believe that the traditional Olympic games can’t help but be shadowed by the political edginess of our world. A country counts its medals versus the other nations instead of just celebrating great athletic performances.
But the special people who compete in Special Olympics are embraceable and supportable by everyone. The program for intellectually challenged people was founded by the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of the late President John F. Kennedy, in honor of their sister Rosemary.
“You are ambassadors of the greatness of humankind. You inspire us to know that all obstacles to human achievement and progress are surmountable,” the special athletes were told by keynote speaker Nelson Mandela at the opening ceremony in Croke Park soccer stadium. “Your achievements remind us of the potential to greatness that resides in every one of us. May you continue to grow as individuals and persons. And may the world learn from your example.”
Yes, it was THAT Nelson Mandela, whose battle against racial discrimination in South Africa led to the end of apartheid and the establishment of a true democracy. He was elected his country’s first Black president in 1994 in the first fully democratic election and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He died in 2013.
Hearing him speak was a highlight of that week 20 years ago. The opening ceremony attended by 75,000 people also included performances by the Irish rock group U2, and a thunderous drums and dance show by 100 members of Riverdance. We had glimpses of dignitaries galore including Muhammed Ali and actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Shriver in-law who marched in with the American team.
The Irish welcome
Some 177 Irish towns and villages hosted the 6,500 athletes, their coaches and family members. Irish newspapers said that more than 30,000 citizens of the host country worked in multiple roles, running the sports competitions, security, transportation, programs in towns and more. A facet of the hospitality was thorough medical checks of the athletes, some of whom came from countries with limited medical facilities. Some had previously undiagnosed conditions.
The Irish volunteers “may have elevated the legendary Irish welcome for a new level of graciousness and goodness. They have given Ireland a burning pride in the profound generosity and genius of her people,” said Mary McAleese, then-president of Ireland.
“You brought all the cultures of the world to Ireland and you made us a better place for simply being here. Your inspiration, your spirit will endure,” she told the contingents from 166 countries at the closing ceremony June 24.
“You came to us as strangers, you leave us as much loved friends. Whether you won a medal or not, you did your heroic best and brought out the best in us.
“Thank you for giving us the time of our lives.”
Nothing can top seeing people from 166 countries waving their flags in one place as a sign of togetherness, not separation. But I have to say, the display at the closing was out of this world. It was the time of Summer Solstice so of course the land of the Druids had to celebrate the solar system, with huge lighted balloons representing the planets floating over our heads. Those ancient believers-naturalists-astronomers figured out the movement of our planet around the sun, which we perceive as the longest day of the year at this time every June. Druids are one of my favorite story themes but I’ll save it for another time.
Back to the subject of flags. Dozens of bright red, green and black flags waved from poles and window flowerboxes were repainted to match, which we saw when we drove into Ballygar, where my mainland friends and I stayed. The village, population 1,200, in County Galway, was hosting the olympians from Afghanistan. It was a scene that played out in all the host towns. American athletes were housed in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
We were not part of the town hospitality, alas. I found a story in the Irish Times 10 years later with villagers reminiscing about the visitors. Afghanistan mustered a team of three boys and a girl, all teenagers from orphanages, said the town’s olympic chairwoman. They came with nothing but the clothes they were wearing, she told the Times reporter. The teens visited several schools, took part in a school concert, were taken shopping and on a river trip. Crowds turned out to watch them train in their sports.
Money raised in Ballygar was used to fund a new kitchen and dining area in the central orphanage in Kabul. But when the Taliban insurrection began, the Irish village abandoned potentially dangerous outreach to Afghanistan.
The black stripe
The Afghan flag’s color had symbolic interpretation: a black stripe representing the troubled 19th century period under foreign rule, red for the blood of those who fought for independence which came with a 1919 Anglo-Afghan Treaty and green representing hope and prosperity for the future. A central emblem depicted a mosque and stalk of wheat. That traditional flag dated back to 1928.
When the Muslim extremist group succeeded in the overthrow of the Afghan republic in 2021, it jettisoned the traditional banner in favor of the Taliban’s white flag with calligraphy of the Shahada. That is the Muslim creed declaring that there is only one God (Allah) and Muhammad is the messenger of God.
It doesn’t seem that those Irish hosts had the time to do any philosophical pondering, but if they had, they may have found similarity between Afghan and Irish flags.
Both the black, red and green and the green, white and orange reflect historical strife and hope for the future. To the Irish, green represents Catholic Ireland, orange is the color of the English Protestants who invaded the island in the 1600s. The white stripe between them indicates hope for peace on the island, a large chunk of which is still ruled by the British after 400 years.
The Irish won control of the southern territory in 1921 and the Irish Republic adopted their striped flag. But when those Ballygar folks were making Afghan flags to wave, it was only 10 years since a peace truce went into effect after years of deadly warfare, known as “The Troubles” when Irish guerrillas killed Brits and the British Army and constabulary fought back. So in Northern Ireland, the British flag still flies.
Hawaii residents are familiar with the British banner — it’s part of our state flag.
It has historical roots, leading back to Kamehameha I, who was presented with a mariner version of its red, white and blue stripes by British explorer Capt. George Vancouver.
The Hawaiian monarchs who followed Kamehameha were enamored of British culture, some traveling to England as guests of the British monarchs. The finery of Iolani Palace. from the throne to the tableware, was adopted and adapted from the English. I always feel sorry for the Hawaiian queens who embraced the hot, smothering formal clothing meant for a colder climate.
But to detour from the subject of flags. Much as I love seeing the lei draped on the statue of Kamehameha each year for June 11, I thought that the Honolulu Star-Advertiser covered the Hawaiian holiday in a historically significant way. There on the front page was a photo of a Hawaiian man and his grandchildren at the Pali Lookout.
Battle of Nuuanu
They read the plaque about the Battle of Nuuanu where in 1795, Kamehameha and his troops killed hundreds of Hawaiian warriors. His victory over Oahu chiefs led to his unifying the islands.
Even though the conqueror of the islands had previously been given the British flag, it did not feature in the bloody conquest. But British firearms did.
It’s always ironical to see the Hawaiian flag with its Brit bit being flown beside the Stars and Stripes which American colonists so proudly hailed as the symbol of independence from British rule.
I don’t have my Stars and Stripes out on a pole everyday. If I lived near a military base, I might. But I do unleash it over the front steps on Memorial Day and I’ll do it again July 4. Usually not on Statehood Day in deference to sovereignty advocates’ sensitivities.
There have been many other columnists who have written about perceptions that the American flag has been preempted. Some say displaying it can be taken as a political statement, sending a message about who or what you support or oppose. God forbid that I would ever hang it out in admiration or support of a certain citizen who uses a wall of oversized flags as a backdrop for hate speech and lies.
I applauded the Memorial Day column by the Rev. Richard Walenta, a retired United Church of Christ minister in Hawaii. In the daily paper, he wrote:
“It is a desecration of the flag to declare daily that one is more American than others. It is a desecration of the flag to suggest it represents one political party over another. The pandering of the American flag for financial gain, for ideological discrimination or for personal profit undermines the character and vision of America the Great.”
Amen to that, Kahu.
It was brilliant of our forefathers not to use the brand new flag to reflect old hostility. It is a statement of independence and like some of those other flags, also of hope.
I raise my flag with a prayer. Actually, it’s the prayerful words of “America, the Beautiful”:
“America, America, God mend thy every flaw. Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law.”
