Around Town
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FAIRS, FOLK AND FROLICKING
’lt January Reshufl‘le Coming together under the banner of ‘the common good' this year, the Pearce lnstitute‘s annual fair is packed full of stalls. family events and solutions for more ethical, better community living. www.citystrolls.com or call Bob on 0781 1 263 923 for more info. Pearce Institute, Glasgow, Sat 26 Jan.
Ill Celtic Connections Workshops Ever fancied taking up the bodhran (pictured)? The moothie. maybe. or the mandolin? Every weekend during Celtic Connections. the Concert Hall will be running a series of taster and beginner-level workshops in various folky instruments. See www.celticconnections. com for a full list of workshops. Glasgow, Royal Concert Hall, Sat 19, Sun 20, Sat 26 8 Sun 27 Jan.
Ill St Columbas’s Hospice Burns Night Supper and Ceilidh The ever-delightful Margo MacDonald MSP chairs a traditional Burns night party. with music from the Da Hooley Ceilidh Band. To book call Rachel on 0131 551 7707 or email fund@stcolumbasho spice.org.uk. Corn Exchange. Edinburgh, Fn' 25 Jan.
Remember, remember
Wht sin
Kirstin Innes discovers why Holocaust Memorial Day
is so important to contemporary Scotland
or most of Scotland. the end of' January means
Burns Night. \Vhisky. tradition and rousing
renditions of' ‘:\ Man‘s A Man For A‘ That". a time for national nostalgia and a noisy assertion. howeyer fleeting. of equality. Perhaps it‘s fitting then that a smaller. if' no less yocal group of ttc‘IlVlsIs. are using the same time to contemplate past eyents' in yery different ways.
The first l'K-wide Holocaust Memorial Day lllMl)l was 27 January 2()()l. the date chosen to mark the anniyersary of' the liberation of’ .\'a/i concentration camp :\tlsc‘lt\\ill-Bll'lsc‘llttll. While no-one cottld seriously doubt the yalue of the occasion itself. it may seem odd to some people ~ why are we now marking something that happened oy er sixty years ago'.’
I spoke to Louise llector. who is responsible for co- ordinating regional ey'ents throughout the ['K. ‘HMD is important not just as a way of commemorating the people who lost their liyes in the Holocaust and later genocidcs but also as a recognition that today there are people who are still discriminated against due to their race. religion. disabilities attd scyualityf she eyplained.
‘ll.\ll) commemorations show the consequences of
e\trcme e\clusion and. hopefully. prompt indiy iduals to challenge discriittination w here it happens.‘
(‘ommemot'ations will be taking place around Scotlattd and the l'ls'. but rather than the brief static silence of Remembrance Sunday. they're designed to make people interact and respond to the issues raised. For 2008. organisers haye been encouraged to theme their eyents around the statement. ‘lmagine . . . remember. reflect. react.~
"l‘his year‘s theme is about the creatiyity and culture lost during the lloloctttlsl.‘ llcctot' says. "l'he discrimination against Jews in particular started with the banning of Jewish composers and the burning of Jewish books. The deyeloping gay scene in Berlin was attacked too 7 clubs were shtit down. As with all genocide. it wasn't just an attempt to kill a people. It's art attack on their culture too.‘
An increasingly large number of yenues are taking part in HMD. l'l'ottl schools to ttl‘Is ycnues like the Scottish Storytelling ('entre in lidinburgh. The biggest eyent in Scotland is happening at (ilasgow's People's Palace on l'lMl) itself. To tie into their current exhibition about (ilasgow merchant John (ilttssltil‘d and his inyolyement in the slave trade a the People's Palace is programming a day of reflection about human rights abuses. with intrsic. poetry and interactive art. Rabbi Nancy Morris of the (ilasgow Reform Synagogue will lead a discussion. and Visitors are encouraged to express their responses to the issues raised with words and drawing. eyentually creating a new. collaboratiye piece of art.
'lt's important to use the lessons of the past to create more cohesiye communities today.‘ Hector says. “Remember. reflect. react" is sort of a pass for people to take ~ remembering the past. reflecting on w hat's going on around its all today. reacting and acting together to create a better future.’
Holocaust Memorial Day is on Sun 27 Jan. See listings for information about specific events or visit www.hmd.or9.uk
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