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BURNS IS ACTUALLY A OUITE REVOLUTIONARY FIGUREHEAD FOR OUR COUNTRY
and understanding of women. evident in so much of his poetry. is far more laudable than the tnacho posturing of Sean Connery. both on and off screen. The person who wrote ‘That man to man. the world o‘er. / Shall brothers be for a‘ that.‘ is surely a better choice of national icon than l’ry‘s alternative suggestions. the bloodthirsty. murderous William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. or noted sectarian bigot John Knox. What Burns represents is the exact opposite of the stories we’ve been telling ourselves about what we are for decades.
In Scotland. we‘ve got a bad habit of talking ourselves down. We snigger at our own dress sense while (‘hristopher Kane. Jamie Bruski Tetsill and Deryck Walker are busy establishing a new Scottish fashion mafia in London; (ilasgow is repeatedly lauded as one of the coolest cities in liurope. We commission the likes of Del Amitri to write pessimistic dirges on the (admittedly rare) occasions that our national
football team makes it to the World Cup. and then express shock when a Scot has any sort of
sporting success. We cringe at ourselves: when anyone tries to celebrate our successes we respond with a well—placed quip about deep fried Mars bars. instead of celebrating Michelin starred. homegrown talent like Martin Wishart. Tom Kitchin. Tony Borthwick and Jeff Bland.
but these intemationally-reaching an that doesn’t need the stimulation of an anti-English chip on the
Great Scots. Clockwise from for left: 21st Century Burns, Groundskeeper Willie, The Nilight Sad, a night at the Arches, All Smith, Trainspotting and Martin Wish-rt
Between the 1970s and the 19905. Scottish theatre and literature began developing in reaction to a perceived cultural dominance from
England; specifically from London. This reaction
created a hugely fertile climate that produced some of our best writers and theatre-makers; it made it possible for someone like lrvine Welsh to write a book like Trainspotting. almost entirely in dialect. The novelist Ali Smith. interviewed in 1995. summed up this movement: ‘ln Scotland, people are particularly keen to categorise
themselves as different . . . from [the] English. To be Scottish is to be separate.’
In 2009. this is no longer the case. Writing in Scots or singing in a Scottish accent is no longer necessarily an act of political rebellion — it has become a very natural form of expression to our novelists and playwrights. to rock bands, singer- songwriters and MCs alike. Look at the work of Anne Donovan, The Twilight Sad, and this fortnight's featured band. Franz Ferdinand. Our visual artists win the Tumer Prize over and over
again, and we have a brilliant, vibrant National
Theatre that expresses local issues with global appeal. Scottish culture in its current form may have evolved from a reaction against Englishness, days we make confident,
shoulder. We’re also a burgeoning multi-cultural nation, however tn'te that might sound. Glasgow dance music, for example. has evolved to incorporate the bhangra favoured by the city’s huge Scottish-Pakistani population. while Asian tastes have been infiltrating our national cuisine for generations. There are a huge number of contemporary reasons to celebrate Scotland this year, without cringing, apologising, or bringing
Lulu into it, and the Homecoming banner is as
good a place to start as any.
For more vlsit homecomingscotiend.com. The Simpsons Is on Sky1, Sundays, 6pm.
22 Jan—5 Feb 2009 TN. ”‘1’ 17