Katherine leads the way

JUST Festival director Katherine Newbigging made time, as usual, to talk to people and make sure everything was in order for tonight's official closing event and celebration at St John's Church in Edinburgh.

Katherine has been involved with Just and its predecessor, the Festival of Spirituality and Peace, in various capacities since 2008, latterly as coordinator and - since last year - director.

She is among the youngest major festival directors in Britain, but has built up a great body of experience and excellent relations with the whole range of people (artists, agents, technicians, staff, volunteers and other specialists) needed to put a demanding event like Just on.

Just is now an established part of the Edinburgh scene, and as soon as this one is wrapped, planning will start for 2014. As was the case this year, the festival will also take on a number of events across the calendar.

The Just festival has broken box office records in 2013, with some 145 events, 450 performances and around 30,000 people coming along.

Damned rebel bitches

YES, you read that right! An afternoon of rebellion was enjoyed by participants at Just Festival yesterday afternoon (Saturday 10th August), gathering at the Quaker Meeting House in Edinburgh.

The 'Damned Rebel Bitches' in question were four remarkable, unsung Quaker women whose actions reverberated around the 19th century - writes Anna Schwoub.

"History-based fun" was on the agenda, with guest speakers including the eminent historian, James Walvin.

The event, sponsored by the DRBs Scottish Women’s History group, included art and debate. "Heroic women are sparsely commemorated - let's create our response," was the message.

Just how sparsely? Well, it was revealed that there are over 200 statues in Edinburgh alone. Of these, shockingly, just two are of women and two are of dogs.

That's not limited to Edinburgh either, participants observed. And there was naturally talk of the abuse that women have faced on social media after the campaign around lack of women's images on postage stamps, too.

Making women visible is a major issue in addressing gender inequality, gender injustice and gender-based violence in these islands and beyond.

Linking history and present struggles, as well as acknowledging the heroes of the past, is a vital step forward.

Women’s History Scotland exists to promote study and research in women’s and gender history, particularly for those working in Scotland or working on Scottish themes. It has a commitment to history at all levels and aims to provide a network of information and support to all. Browse our website for news of activities and projects concerning women’s and gender history in Scotland.