Budge ower* London – here are some Scottish events to inspire your year!
By: Kirsty Haigh
Date: 18 January 2018
In case you’ve read Oriana’s excellent 2018 London bucket list – but you happen to live rather further up north, here are some unmissable events to kick start 2018 north of the border, suggested by Scottish staff and our fellow activists. From films and plays, to conferences, exhibitions and of course our own spring activist gathering in Edinburgh, there’s something for everyone here!
Living Rent National Conference
20 January, Edinburgh
Living Rent is Scotland’s Tenants Union who do sterling work fighting for a housing sector which works for tenants. Had a dodgy landlord? Been ripped off by a letting agent? Not had your repairs dealt with? Live in private rented accommodation? Get along to Living Rent’s national conference and join with other tenants to get involved in national campaigns fighting these problems.
All you can eat vegan buffet
27 January, Edinburgh
For £15 you can enjoy ten courses of delicious vegan goodness. Vegan or not everyone is welcome to indulge in Halva chocolate, superfood smoothies, pakoras and much more. Hosted by Ahimsa foods and Bhakti Yoga Scotland the event will also feature live music.
Bold Girls
24 January -10 February, Citizens Theatre, Glasgow
Bold Girls looks at the impact of the Troubles on Catholic women in Northern Ireland as their partners and families went off to fight or were imprisoned. The play focuses on the difficulties of carrying on with life, the everyday struggles these women face and how their ‘truths’ can be torn apart.
Tickets cost £12.50 – £23 or grab yourself a bargain and go to the preview for only £10.
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Dundee women’s festival
4 – 17 March, Dundee
The Dundee women’s festival has a programme packed full of events, activities, debates, talks, arts and therapies. This festival is all about providing opportunities to celebrate women’s culture, women’s stories, women’s wisdom, women’s identities and women’s lives. Since this year is the Year of the Young People the theme this year is: A Vote for the Future.
Find out more about the festival
Fighting Modernists
27 January, Edinburgh
If you’ve ever wondered how animation can be used for political protests or wanted to know more about the effects of Soviet control on animation then this is an event for you.
On at the Traverse theatre this programme, followed by a Q&A, is summed up as: “Animation has a rich tradition of debating, commenting and reflecting on the political and socio-cultural situation of society. Since animated film is also a vehicle for cultural memory, collective consciousness and identity, Eastern European animations provide unique insights into a totalitarian society and its modes of behaviour.”
Tickets cost £9 (or you can buy a full manipulate Visual Theatre Festival pass for £35)
NEON Movement Builders Course
23-27 February, Glasgow
NEON’s Movement Builders programme is a 5 day intensive training course for people working towards big systemic change. Some of our colleagues and friends have done previous versions of the course and so it comes highly recommended.
Application for the course are due on the 4 February and can be found here.
Showtime on the Frontline – a new show by Mark Thomas
14-17 Feburary, Edinburgh & 21– 24 March Glasgow
Together with Palestinian actors Faisal Abuelhaja and Alaa Shehada from the Freedom Theatre in Palestine, Mark will tell the story of how they set up the first comedy club in Jenin.
“Dodging cultural and literal bullets, Israeli incursions and religion, Mark Thomas and his team set out to run a comedy club for two nights in the Palestinian city of Jenin. Only to find it’s not so simple to celebrate freedom of speech in a place with so little freedom.”
Having been to many of Mark’s shows and loved them all I’m sure this will not disappoint.
Find out more information and book your tickets
Queer Champions exhibition
February is LGBT+ History month and so across Scotland there are a whole host of interesting events planned.
Queer Champions exhibition is a series of black and white portraits of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer individuals in Scotland who are celebrities, artists, activists, campaigners, community workers or ‘unsung heroes’. The project is by Ajamu Artist, the Equality Network, Street Level Photoworks and the Equality Network.
The exhibition is moving around but here’s the information on where to find it:
5-9 Feb, Scottish Parliament
Horse Wynd, Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH99 1SP
12 Feb – 2 Mar, University of the West of Scotland
THU 15 FEB: VIEWING & LAUNCH FOR LGBT HISTORY MONTH
High Street, Paisley PA1 2HB (Atrium)
5 Mar – 31 May, Rose & Grants
27 Trongate, Glasgow G1 5HB
Screening Screaming Queens- The Riot at Compton’s Cafeteria film screening & meal
8 February, Glasgow
Anti-capitalist Queers are putting on a night of film, food and discussion to celebrate LGBT+ history month. Feel good while you stuff your face as the delicious meal will made from food that would have otherwise been thrown out.
Screaming Queens is a documentary on the first ever LGBTQ+ riot recorded in US history, which took place in August 1966, three years before the iconic Stonewall Riots.
The meal is pay-what-you-want but otherwise the event is free.
You can find out more information and book your place here.
Global Justice Now Scottish activist gathering
21 April, Edinburgh
Come and meet fellow global justice activists, find out what we’ve been doing over the past year, and plan some action for our campaigns on trade, Big Pharma and migration.
We’ve also got special guest Claire Hymer from Novara media who will talk about why you can’t just be an environmentalist, the human side of climate change and how this all fits into the bigger need for system change.
If you want to receive updates on Global Justice Now’events and campaigns in your area, sign up to our Scottish e-list
