The editors of an irreverent Belfast magazine are accused of having too much sympathy for the devil, writes Finola Meredith
Beelzebub must be tickled to bits. In a society increasingly indifferent to the religious polarities of heaven and hell, he's demonstrated that he can still cause outrage and dissent. In fact, he's right there gleefully rubbing his hands at the centre of a row over an allegedly "satanist" publication by Belfast arts and culture magazine, the Vacuum. Last month, the Vacuum produced twin issues on the themes of "God" and "Satan", subsequently condemned by unionist members of Belfast City Council - which co-sponsors the paper to the tune of £5,000 (€7,500) a year - as "filth".
"This publication encourages devil- worshipping, attacks Christ and is blasphemous about the very Saviour I love and worship . . . it is nothing more than an attack on Protestants and Catholics throughout this city," said Democratic Unionist Party councillor, Eric Smyth. Smyth's party colleague, Nelson McCausland, said the "bizarre material" was "gratuitously offensive, crude and vulgar". Ulster Unionist Jim Rodgers called for the withdrawal of funding for the Vacuum, describing the magazine as "absolute trash . . . a waste of rate-payers' money". He said, "You'd have to be sick of mind to read this."
The Vacuum, a free magazine produced by the arts collective Factotum, has a monthly circulation of around 15,000. It enjoys a growing reputation in Belfast and beyond for its off-centre, innovative comment, polemic and reviews.
Contributors include academics, writers, artists and journalists. The visually dynamic magazine is well known locally for its irreverent and iconoclastic approach to Northern life, liberally laced with acerbic - and sometimes provocative - humour.
Articles in the current issue include a comparative analysis of the churches of Belfast under the criteria of "chandeliers, ornate hats, redemption and euphoria"; an interview with an exorcist Anglican priest and a photographic account of "entrances to hell around the United Kingdom".
However, most outrage has been reserved for a particular article entitled "I Peed in Church". Has the Vacuum gone too far this time? Its editors, Richard West and Stephen Hackett, expressed surprise at the scandalised reaction of the councillors. They remarked: "The article 'I Peed in Church' is one woman's recollections of her time as a church musician and being caught short at the age of eight. It's not about an act of desecration. The current issues of the Vacuum represent a serious discussion of the ideas of God and Satan in our culture and include essays on church architecture by a retired professor from the University of Ulster and a humorous piece by the respected novelist John Morrow."
But Hackett and West believe the real issue is about councillors seeking to stifle cultural debate by withdrawing funding from activities they do not personally like: "Nowhere in the original funding application did it say you shall not upset Councillor Jim Rodgers as a condition of the grant. Do we really want our cultural life to be dictated by the divisive political whims of the day, or would we like our representatives to take a longer view of the importance of artistic expression and free speech?"
Sinn Féin councillor Eoin O'Broin, chairman of Belfast City Council's arts sub-committee, warned of the dangers of censoring artists' material: "The council has no mechanism to interfere with the content and if we do withdraw funding I believe we would be facing a legal challenge." He later commented: "The real issue is not whether this particular production is good or bad, but who decides what cultural activity is deserving of council support. Thus the battle over the funding of the Vacuum - which will continue in council in August committee session - is a much bigger political issue, the outcome of which will have a significant impact on the future development of Belfast as a city. Do we want Belfast to be an attractive and exciting city to live in and visit, which has a space for all forms of arts and culture? Or do we want our city to be a dull, monochrome town, strictly adhering to Victorian principles of evangelical acceptability?"
While stating her opposition to censorship, the vice-chairwoman of the city council's arts committee, Alliance party councillor Naomi Long, expressed serious reservations about the magazine: "This publication had the potential to cause offence to Christians and non-Christians; it bears the city crest and, therefore, the magazine and the opinions within it could be assumed to be endorsed by the council, which carries a risk." Yet the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, which also co-sponsors the publication, sees no difficulty in continuing to provide financial support. "We are not proscriptive or censorial with respect to [the Vacuum's] content. It is our intention to ensure the artistic integrity and freedom of expression of client organisations and individual artists," it said in a statement.
Hackett and West believe the Vacuum performs a unique and necessary role. "The mainstream media here in Northern Ireland is so stodgy. There is a massive gap in the market for incisive and intelligent commentary. We produce a vital forum for cultural debate, and if Belfast City Council withdraws our funding it will compromise its role as a custodian of democracy and free speech - and that amounts to censorship."
The novelist Brian Moore once defined Belfast through its "dearth of gaiety and surfeit of order".
The clash between the particular brand of gaiety and disorder offered by the Vacuum and the conservative religious stance of some Belfast city councillors is perhaps symptomatic of the North's painful cultural evolution. In more secular societies Satan has effectively been sent packing, tail between his legs, but in Northern Ireland he still hasn't lost the power to shock.
www.thevacuum.org.uk