The recently published Bulldozer zine, produced by IWOC prisoners, has now been made available on audio files.
A spokesperson for IWOC Ireland said that "This is a much welcomed addition to the Bulldozer Zine as a new publication. Bulldozer was published by IWOC Ireland members and written by prisoners themselves. For some time members have been considering other ways of how best we can reach out and interact with prisoners directly or their families, so the idea of turning the articles and poems into spoken word audio files came about.
"It's actually a great tool to have at a time when we have books and other forms of publications effectively banned by the Northern Ireland Prison System. Since the lockdown and the pandemic restrictions, the Prison System in the North has halted reading materials for prisoners entering the prisons and the closure of prison library facilities. This in turn has increased the isolation prisoners are experiencing already quite dramatically. Despite several calls from the Northern Justice or Prison Systems rejecting book-ban concerns, just doesn't wash.
"Since the beginning of the pandemic, restrictive measures on books and other publications have been reported directly to us by prisoners themselves. This has impacted greatly upon prisoners already being locked up for 23 hours a day due to staffing levels, which is increasing isolation even further. This is a concern that needs to be addressed immediately. It's all well and good for the likes of individuals such as Naomi Long telling us that there "is no book ban" but that doesn't mean that there isn't one operating within the Norths prisons. The facts are there and the ban, or restrictions or whatever they would like to call it, simply has to end."
The spoken word audio version of the BULLDOZER is now available on the following link HERE - to listen to at random and to share with fellow workers, friends or family.
To find out more about the IWW and IWOC or to contribute to Bulldozer write to:
Bulldozer P.O. Box 346 Derry City, BT48 4FZ, Ireland.