Football, politics and religion: beyond division

YESTERDAY'S final Festival of Spirituality conversation and Civic Cafe, The Power of Youth and Football to heal a Divided City, proved extremely rewarding, with opinions and perspectives contributed from everyone from teenage actors to Scottish schoolteachers to Italian migrants.

As was said several times over the course of the afternoon, football and sectarianism is a topic which often prompts even the most reluctant of people to open up about their opinions and emotions.

Author Theresa Breslin, playwright Martin Travers and Jenny Marra MSP were joined by actors Liam and Kieran in opening up the discussion.

Ms Breslin emphasised that Divided City, the book upon which a successful community theatre production was based, is about friendship as much as it is about division, and this ultimately set the tone for the rest of the conversation.

Though there were a few dissenting voices, suggesting that whenever religion is involved there can never truly be any hope, it was concluded that the younger generation is in fact very open to change and education as younger people can often see more clearly. It was even suggested that children have a natural sense of 'justice' that adults often lack.

One question that came up several times was whether football is part of the problem or part of the solution. It was suggested that football is, in many ways, 'war by another name', and there was some disagreement over whether or not competitive sports are inherently damaging.

One response was that the difference between winning by being the best and winning by undermining your opponent is vital. Football also includes collaborative and community elements.

There was a strong feeling that it is attitudes to football that are the problem, in particular rampant commercialisation, rather than football itself.

Sectarian attitudes can exist independently of both football and religion. It was suggested that oftentimes it is football getting wrapped up in alcohol and violence, rather than vice versa, that is the real challenge.

Many suggested that 'demonising' football is definitely not the answer and that providing better opportunities and facilities for football among the young could and should help to prevent violence.

Above all, it was agreed that education is key. Sometimes that means even the most minimal learning about the history and culture of the opposing team - including, but certainly not restricted to, Celtic and Rangers.

Ultimately, we all have a responsibility to help tackle sectarianism and other forms of bigotry and hatred in Scotland today. Passing the buck will not do.

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(c) Katie MacFadyen is a media intern with the Festival of Spirituality and Peace. She is studying Classics at the University of Edinburgh, and also reviewing on the Fringe.

Sunday treats at the Festival

THE penultimate day of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace 2012 will open with the last Poetry in the Persian Tent at 11am.

Closing off our series of charity poetry readings will be acclaimed poet Stephen Conn, Scots language writer Eunice Buchanan and  environmental activist-poet Mandy Haggith. They will be accompanied by singer Carole Clarke and pianist George Wilson.

On Sunday afternoon at 2pm Celtic band The Outside Track will be performing. Its five members hail from Scotland, Ireland, Cape Breton and Vancouver and are united by a love of traditional music and a commitment to creating new music on its foundation - using fiddle, accordion, harp, guitar, flute, step-dance and vocals.

Later in the afternoon at 4pm will be the Intercake Great Pudding Party - come along to enjoy a range of cakes from around the world in this interfaith pudding party along with a family quiz. It promises to be a 'strictly savoury-free zone'.

Finally, at 8pm, there is the Festival of Spirituality closing event, Living in Hope, with words, music, dance and story from a range of festival performers and guests to represent our hopes for the world and commitment to working for peace. Ending with a rendition of Auld Lang Syne and followed by a reception in the hall until 10:30pm, this is an evening of community, diversity, and, of course, hope.

There will be few final events on Monday, so stay tuned.

A fabulous Friday at the Festival

THERE is a focus on political issues viewed in a fresh way this Friday, the final one of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace, starting with Churches Own 8% of the Planet at St John's (Venue 127) at 10am.

This conversation discusses the responsibility of churches as major landowners and issues such as environmentalism, co-operation and collaboration. Featuring Martin Palmer from the Alliance of Religions and Conservation and the Rt Rev Dr John Armes, Diocese of Edinburgh.

Two more conversations come lunchtime: at noon, we ask What is Uprising in Syria?, with Sadarat Kadri, international law barrister, Dr Mounier Atassi, Syrian organiser of a Glasgow protest again the regime, and Dr Thomas Pierret, University of Edinburgh lecturer in Contempotary Islam.

At 2pm, a more unusual conversation, Our Friend Death. Join the writer of sitcom 'Roger and Val', in which death features prominently, Arthur Smith, one of Britain's premier comedians, and John Lanchester, author of 'Capital'. Chaired by Richard Smith, international advocate for a better understanding of death and dying.

The final conversation of the day will be Bosnia Twenty Years On at 6pm, the second of our Feature Conversations. On the twentieth anniversary of the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Mustafa Ceric, the Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Rev Donald Reeves, the Director of the Soul of Europe and Professor Hugh Goddard of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World come together to discuss the legacy of the conflict.

Also at 6pm will be the last chance to see The Scottish Six, which has created a really positive stir in Edinburgh. Lesley Riddoch and Andy Wightman discuss land, power, culture and social change in the Scotland of today and tomorrow.

On the literary side of things, there will be another session of Poetry in the Persian Tent at 11am with an all-woman line-up: Vicki Feaver, Jane McKie and Patricia Ace will be sharing their poetry, joined by Irene Railley and her a capella group Just Voices.

After this will come a whole evening of poetry, starting at 8pm with Wolf at the Door – a Collaboration of Eco-Poetry and Soundings between Mairi Campbell and Em Strang. Weaving together word and sound, they will bring a whole new meaning to mouth music.

At 8pm in the Hall will be Duncan Mackintosh's second and final Evening with Rumi, followed by your second chance to see Milosz in Living Pictures.

There will also be two workshops, Henna Workshop for Beginners at 4pm and The Long and Winding Road at 7pm, an informal free session for people in their late teens and early twenties to share their experiences of journeys and travelling.

As ever, a full and diverse day of events and entertainment and one final chance to see some of our great events before the Festival closes.

No longer hidden from history

THE truth can set Scotland free, says Dr Geoffrey Palmer, who first came to Scotland from the Caribbean in 1965, and is at the forefront of reclaiming the complex and sometimes painful history between his two peoples and backgrounds.

He was speaking in the second of two talks and discussions in the Persian Tent at St John's Church as part of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace. The talk delved into the long, damaging history of slavery and the tangible evidences of it in places like Edinburgh, but also the positive relationships that have been developed as people understand versions of the story that binds us together and commit us to commonality.

Dr Palmer has served on the Executive of Edinburgh and Lothian Racial Equality Councils for over twenty years and believes that better knowledge of the historical links between Britain and the Caribbean will improve community relations, increase harmony and - as he said in tongue-in-cheek mode - help Scots reconsider their sense of victimhood!

Poetry in the Persian Tent

fresh

FROM August 22nd to 26th there will be a series of poetry readings in the Persian Tent featuring leading and up-and-coming poets from Scotland and beyond.

Join M.C. Stephanie Green to retreat from the Festival for an hour and help raise money for a great charity.

On Wednesday 22nd the poets will be Liz Lochhead, poet, dramatist, former Poet Laureate of Glasgow and Scots Makar, John Glenday, multi-award winning author of collections Grain and Undark, Stephanie Green, poet, novelist, and playwright, and Ryan van Winkle, Reader in Residence at the Scottish Poetry Library, with music from John Sampson, a virtuoso on various wind instruments including the crumhorn who has worked with poets such as Steward Conn and Carol Anne Duffy.

Liz Lochhead will be back on Thursday 23rd, this time with Jackie Kay, MBE and Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Newcastle, William Letford, roofer by day, poet by night, and Helen Mort, five-times winner of the Foyle Young Poets award and youngest ever poet in residence at the Wordsworth Trust, Grasmere, with music from Shetland folk singer Lise Sinclair.

An fresh, all-women line up on Friday 24th with Vicki Feaver, Emeritus Professor at University College Chichester, Jane McKie, author of When the Sun Turns Green and owner of Knucker Press, and Patricia Ace, founder member of Lippy Bissoms, an all-women poetry collective. The music will be provided by Irene Railley's a capella group 'Just Voices'.

Saturday 25th brings an especially Scottish selection of poets: Aonghas MacNeacail, native of the Isle of Skye and bilingual poet, Niall Campbell, a new poet from South Uist, and Jim Caurruth of Kilbarchan, described as 'Scotland's leading rural poet'. Musical accompaniment from Patsy Seddon, Gaelic singer and clarsach player.

Finally, on Sunday 26th, there'll be one last reading with Steward Conn, described as 'one of Scotland's most skilled and wide-ranging poets', Eunice Buchanan, Scots language poet, and Mandy Haggith, writer and environmental activist based in the highlands. Carole Clarke will be singing a selection of light songs accompanied on the piano by George Wilson.

Money raised will go to Old MacDonald had a Farm for Africa, a project devised by Liz Lochhead and Jim Carruth to set up farms in Africa and provide 'clucking, mooing and baaing livestock'.

Across the five sessions there will be a diverse range of poets and poetry, all in the beautiful and cosy Persian Tent. Come along to hear some of the best of contemporary poetry in an unconventional setting and to raise money for a good cause.

Wednesday 22 to Saturday 26 August, 11am-12pm, in the Persian Tent at St John's (Venue 127). Buy tickets here or at the venue box office.

Cantarina with Alan Forrester

ENCHANTING voices, music ranging from show tunes to sacred music to Latin-American, and the colours black and orange; all of these things make up Cantarina.

Founded in 1986, Cantarina is an all-women choir from Prague that has performed all around Europe.

Tomorrow and Saturday, they will be lighting up St John's Church with their music and spreading a message of positivity in the face of hardship.

With special guest Alan Forrester for an international collaboration, this promises to be an evening of delight, culture and beauty.

Friday 17 and Saturday 18 August, 6pm-7pm, in the Church at St John's (Venue 127). Buy tickets here or at the venue box office.

A Scottish journey and beyond

SINGER Coreen Scott, together with Laverock, will be performing songs from her album A Scottish Journey.

Coreen's love of traditional Scottish music lies at the core of her work; her moving voice captures the essence of all that is Scotland.

A mixture of musical arrangements of Celtic ballads, favourite Scottish folk songs, and the haunting French melodies of Edith Piaf, this promises to be a diverse and beautiful selection of music.

 Beautiful renditions of traditional and modern songs – Scotsman.

Sunday 12 and Saturday 18 August, 4pm-5pm, in the church at St John's (Venue 127). Buy tickets here or at the venue box office.

Khantara colour and sound

KHANTARA blends British and South American performers to create a powerfully visual performance filled with colour and sound.

Led by Colombian multi-instrumentalist Anthar Kharana, whose majestic vocals range from mellow femininity tp growled mongolian throat-song, Khantara weaves together the stunning richness of traditional gaitas - Colombian flutes - and driving tambores percussion with bouzouki, cajon and traverse flute.

Khantara aims not only to provide entertainment but to spread a message of change and help to those in need, with a focus on Indigenous children and communities in Colombia. This weekend, they will be bringing the exhilaratingly brilliant soundscape of Colombia to St John's church.

Saturday 11 August, 9pm-10pm, and Sunday 12th August, 8pm-9pm, in the Persian Tent at St John's (Venue 127). Buy tickets here or at the venue box office.

Calling the muse

INVOKING the muse to guide her harp music, Mio Shapley performs in the enchanting atmosphere of St John's Church.

Mio grew up in the Alps of central Japan, where she discovered her passion for music at the age of three. After moving to the British Isles, she discovered the harp in Ireland after hearing 'the wind dancing through the strings'.

She will be playing a selection of music from Classical through Celtic to her own compositions and jazz songs on the Scottish Clarsach and Salvi concert harp. Her music blends the beauty, tranquillity and splendour of the East with local Scottish culture and flare.

Saturday 11 August, 6pm-7pm, in the Church at St John's (Venue 127). Tickets available here or at the venue box office.

The films on our friend death - an African perspective

THREE films. One continent. Three different takes on death, dying and loss. 

The Africa in Motion Film Festival, in collaboration with FoSP and the Edinburgh University Global Health Academy, presents three films from Ghana, Senegal and Cameroon - plus one native Scottish short - linked by the theme of our friend death.

The first will be No Time to Die, a comedy by pioneering Ghanaian film-maker King Ampaw about 'the romantic travails of a lovestuck hearse driver'.

In only his third film in a quartercentury, Ampaw does his bit to pass on death and funeral traditions to the next generation and explores the colour and acceptance of social ritual - all with a touch of absurdity and farce.

Friday August 10, 5:45pm, at the Filmhouse. Tickets and more information available here.

This will be followed by Guelwaar, a film by celebrated Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene.

Sembene uses creative imagination and the power of cinema to bring to life a story of mistaken identity and religious tension, a detective thriller with deeply rooted political themes.

Saturday 11 August, 8:30pm, at the Filmhouse. Tickets and more information are available here.

Finally, a double feature. Chris Rawlence's short film Twenty Takes on Death and Dying takes to the streets of Paisley, Elgin and Inverness to get to the heart of the views of the Scottish public on death and loss.

Commissioned by the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care and Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief.

The main feature will be Funeral Season, a film by Canadian traveller Matthew Lancit about Cameroon's unique and festive funeral celebrations.

Journey with Lancit as he gains understanding of an extraordinary and threatened culture where the dead are always living and the increasing presence of the modern world looms large.

Followed by a panel discussion moderated by Lizelle Bisschoff, Director of the Africa in Motion Film Festival.

Sunday August 12, 5:45pm, at the Filmhouse. Tickets and more information are available here.

The craic where the light gets in

COME and listen to Richard Medrington and Elspeth Murray, described as 'two of Scotland's most entertaining performance poets'.

Elspeth Murray has been described as 'hyperactive', 'glowing' and 'a cultural phenomenon in the making'. Richard Medrington is a self-professed 'compulsive playwright, performer and storyteller' whose show The Man Who Planted Trees has been called 'a gem', 'enchanting' and 'flawless'.

They met at a poetry slam where he was competing, she was a judge. He won. They got married. Now they're presenting a selection of their own and others poetry, with musical guests picked from the very best of Edinburgh's Festival talent, especially for FoSP!

Wednesday 8 August, 8pm-9pm, in the Hall at St John's (Venue 127). Buy tickets here or at the venue box office.

An upcoming feast of poetry

THE Festival of Spirituality and Peace is all about diversity, and this is nowhere represented better than by this year's poetry line-up.

Ranging from spirituality to comedy, from performance poetry to workshops, from the thirteenth century to the present day, we have poetic events from different spiritual and cultural backgrounds, from different points in history - but all with the same spirit of peace and diversity.

Two rather wise men from the east 
 Would really not mind in the least 
 If you joined them one evening 
 For spiritual seasoning 
 With poems that make up a feast.


The poetry begins tomorrow (Tuesday August 7th) with Two Wings to Fly, a night of all-new poetry by Mark Pratt and Jock Stein. This is not only their first time performing at the festival, but their first time performing before an audience - come along to show your support and hear some original poetry.

Come Wednesday, Richard Medrington and Elspeth Murray, two of Scotland's most entertaining performance poets, will be doing their new show, The Craic Where the Light Gets In!

A mixture of comedy and spirituality, all underpinned by excellent wordplay, Medrington and Murray have a delightful and unforgettable dynamic. With a mixture of their own and other's poetry and musical guests handpicked from the very best of Edinburgh's Festival talent, this is sure to be a poetry highlight!

Over the course of August, there will be not one but three events showcasing the poetry of thirteenth century Islamic writer Jelaludin Rumi!

On Sunday August 19th Duncan Mackintosh will be performing Rumi's poetry, bringing it to life in Voice of the Heart: An Introduction To The Life, Poetry And Stories Of Rumi.

This will be followed by Scattering Stars Like Dust: An Evening with Rumi, a second show on the 22nd and 24th of August with yet more of the poetry and tales of Rumi.

Finally, on Saturday August 25th, Duncan Mackintosh will be leading a Rumi-inspired workshop, The Breeze at Dawn. Be inspired by the works of Rumi and your own experience to expand your creative development!

The works of Rumi appeal to humankind's universality of spirit and have been described as moving and even transforming. Whether you're a long-time lover of Rumi or are completely new to his works, these will be poetry events like no other!

For some contrast, experience contemporary poetry at its best!

On August 20th, StAnza, Scotland's International Poetry Festival, will be performing a series of highlights in their StAnza Showcase. A series of acclaimed poets from recent festivals will return to perform their work for FoSP in what promises to be a diverse and thoroughly Scottish evening.

For yet more diversity, late in the festival there will be a series of poetry readings in the cosy, exotic setting of the Persian Tent!

Led by M.C. Stephanie Green, Poetry in the Persian Tent is headlined by poets Stewart Conn, Vicki Feaver, John Glenday, Jackie Kay, Liz Lochhead and Aonghas MacNeacail. Each session will be accompanied by music ranging from Gaelic songs to a capella.

Ideal for dedicated and casual poetry lovers alike, be sure to come early to visit the Persian Tent Cafe and get the full Persian experience!

Finally, on the last weekend of the festival Mairi Campbell and Em Strang will be performing their joint show Wolf at the Door, weaving together word and sound to create something entirely new.

A unique and powerful combination of music and poetry that exemplifies the collaborative spirit of the festival, this is the perfect way to any poetry-lover to wind down their festival experience!


These six events are just a selection of the poetic treats the Festival has to offer - check out our program for the full details of each of these shows and more! We hope you'll come to one of our poetry readings - until then, we leave you with the words of Rumi:

"Come, Come, whoever you are 
Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving,
 it doesn't matter... 
Come, yet again, come"

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(c) Katie MacFadyen is a fourth year student of Classics at the university of Edinburgh, about to start a dissertation in Reception Studies: the study of how classics is and has been used in subsequent cultural contexts. She writes speculative fiction and theatre, film and book reviews. Her theatre reviews from the Fringe Festival 2011 can be found on thenewkid.co.uk and her general reviews can be found on her blog, somesuchlike.wordpress.com.

Sacred gifts recital

LISA Buringrud, the principal flautist for the Kings Symphony Orchestra in Hanford, California, will be performing a selection of songs from her album Sacred Gifts.

Sacred Gifts takes its inspiration from familiar hymns that cross denominational boundaries and that have endured the test of time. Buringrad describes the album as 'a gift to all who find solace in sacred music'.

This will be Lisa Buringrad's first time performing in Edinburgh. She will also be conducting the Strathmore High Chamber Wind Ensemble.

Intended to uplift, to bring people together, and to inspire, this is sacred instrumental music with a new twist!

Tuesday 7 August, 4pm-5pm, in the Church at St John's (venue 127). Buy your tickets at the venue box office.

Strathmore High School Chamber Wind Ensemble

CALLED 'The Best Little Band of the West', Strathmore High School's Chamber Winds Ensemble is a mix of students from Strathmore High School and Harmony Magnet Academy in Strathmore, California all aged thirteen to eighteen.

This variety of talented students will be performing a variety of delicate and powerful musical pieces. They have received numerous performance invitations within the past few years and accolades from nationally known music conductors throughout the country.

All proceeds will go to FoSP and its charities.

Tuesday 7 and Wednesday 8 August, 4pm-5pm, in the Church at St John's (venue 127). Buy tickets here or at the venue box office.

An evening with dementia

ENLIGHTENS, inspires, reveals what an individual with dementia might want others to understand if he could be the teacher. - British Medical Journal. 

An Evening with Dementia, winner of the Fringe sell-out award 2010, allows us to emphasis with the state of being, called dementia. Be taken on an illuminating - and sometimes funny - adventure into the mind of an old actor cut loose from society by a fading memory.

Described as 'a triumph', 'beautifully unfolding', 'magnificent' and 'essential', Trevor T. Smith's depiction of a man who 'accepts rather than suffers from dementia' says as much about the mind in old age as it does about how society perceives and behaves towards people with dementia.

From nine o'clock there will be a discussion led by Professor June Andrews, the Director of the Dementia Services Development Centre at the University of Stirling.

Monday 6 August, 8pm-10pm, in the Hall at St John's (Venue 127). Buy tickets here or at the venue box office.

Wisdom from different traditions

WHILE it is a Christian church which has played a catalytic role in its development, the Festival of Spirituality and Peace 2012 is a platform for serious exchange and listening between and across belief traditions.

Contributions to the launch event of Sunday 5th August included music, reflection and prayer from people of Jewish, Baha'i, Doaist, Muslim, Christian and secular backgrounds.

"Prejudice is the same whatever its clothing," one participant observed. The aim of the rich mix of conversation, music, culture, workshops, food and hospitality that constitutes the Festival is all about combating division in human communities and promoting collaboration. (Picture: Daniel Cainer, Jewish Chronicles).

Matilda Brown with Graeme Stephen

BE taken through all kinds of wonderful, sad, mysterious, joyful and beautiful musical atmospheres.  

This concert, dedicated to Lulu Black and her love of the mountains, aims to imitate the way the weather and climate leads us into different atmospheres and situations when we are walking in the hills and to respond to different people's experiences of walking through mountainous landscapes.

Whether you are a keen hill-walker or prefer to keep your feet on level ground, if you are a lover of music this is not to be missed!

Monday 6 August, 4pm-5pm, in the Church at St John's (Venue 127). Buy tickets here or at the venue box office.

My Naked Heart

I’VE no lack of understanding: 
every crack of thunder’s landing 
on my naked heart; 
on my naked heart.

Evoking the natural beauty of his home on the west coast of Jutland, Denmark and paying homage to poets such as George Mackay Brown and Wilfrid Owen, tomorrow evening Scottish singer/songwriter Duncan Gillie MacLaurin will be performing his melodic and melancholic acoustic songs.

In his own words, 'naked is an absolute adjective'. Duncan Gillie MacLaurin will be painting the contours of his own personal vision, making this a one-of-a-kind musical experience that is not to be missed! A complimentary pamphlet of his lyrics will be provided on entry.

6, 8, 10 and 12 August, 4pm-5pm, in the Hall at St John's (Venue 127). Get tickets here or at the venue box office.

Give peace a chant

ONE of the oldest sacred music traditions in the world, the Kirtan call-and-response chanting genre from India offers a participatory music experience that will lift you into a clear, joyous state and bring you back to the centre of your being.

Described as 'uplifting', 'ecstatic' and 'amazing', all agree that Kirtan is something that you must experience for yourself to truly understand and appreciate!

If meditation doesn't come easily to you or you'd like to try a new method, this workshop is for you. Experience ancient Sanskirt mantras accompanied by live music this afternoon and expand your spiritual life.

Sunday August 5, 4pm-5pm, in the Hall at St John's (Venue 127). Buy tickets here or at the venue box office.

Jewish Chronicles chronicled

DANIEL Cainer unites Gentile and Jew through his honest, touching, amusing and musical style of storytelling, it has been said. 

His show starts this afternoon (3rd August, 2pm) and runs for another four days through to Tuesday 7 August 2pm - 3pm in the Church at St John’s (Venue 127). 

Jewish Chronicles has already featured, appropriately enough, in The Jewish Chronicle. Here Daniel writes of My Olympic moment - at the Edinburgh Festival: "So the athletes think they’ve got it tough. One comedian looks forward to what is, for him, the ultimate test at the world's biggest arts festival."