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STRENGTHENING LINKS WITH QATAR
External Affairs Minister visits Middle East

Scotland’s External Affairs Minister will promote Scottish exports and expertise in the Middle East on his first overseas visit outside of Europe since taking office.
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Humza Yousaf’s three-day visit to Qatar – which begins today, Sunday May 19, 2013 – is aimed at further strengthening Scotland’s economic, diplomatic and cultural links with the rapidly expanding region.

Mr Yousaf was invited by the Qatari Government to speak at this year’s Doha Forum, the world’s foremost arena for discussions on democracy, development and free trade in the Middle East.

Mr Yousaf said:

“Scotland and Qatar already enjoy a warm and growing friendship and this has been reinforced by my invitation from the Qatari Government to speak at the prestigious Doha Forum. My visit to Qatar is the latest in a series of Scottish Government visits to the Gulf region as we seek to deepen the already excellent relationships we have with Qatar, other Arab countries and the Muslim world.

“I am keen to continue strengthening Scotland’s relations with Qatar, to the mutual benefit of both our countries. Over the past decade, Scottish companies have exported £470 million worth of goods and services to Qatar and we are seeking to be even more ambitious.

“Scotland and Qatar are both oil and gas producing countries, and we have a great deal in common regarding the development of our energy sectors. But our friendship is based on so much more than economics: we have bonds across a range of sectors, in particular academia and culture.

“For example, Scotland has a strong track record in sport and festivals management, with our annual Edinburgh festivals attracting over four million visits annually and sustaining more than 5,000 jobs. Next year, Scotland will host two major international sporting events when we welcome the world to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and host the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.

“As Qatar’s responsibility approaches for hosting the Football World Cup in 2022, we are keen to share our experience in these areas, gained over many years of delivering successful high profile events.

“It is vital that Scotland’s voice is heard in the international arena. As a good, responsible global citizen we will always extend the hand of friendship to learn and share from nations across the world. I am very much looking forward to taking the Qatar-Scotland relationship a stage further.”
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Props to Hud Mo for getting work on such high profile material

National Records or Scotland unveil the legacy of working Scots

Rarely-seen documents celebrating the legacy of working Scots have gone on show at the National Records of Scotland. From Antarctic adventure to tartan, from banking to engineering, and from coal to the world’s best-selling whisky, ‘Scots at Work’ draws together treasures from the archives of Scottish industries and businesses for the first … time, in support of The Working Archive campaign.

Highlights include Sir Walter Scott’s application to the Scottish Widows Fund and Life Assurance Society for life assurance in 1824, written when the famous author was 54 years old and, as he stated, ‘in good health’. He went bankrupt in 1826, and after his death in 1832 the £3,000, worth about £148,000 at today’s values, was paid to one of his creditors. The document is held in the Lloyd’s Banking Group Archives alongside historic records of the British Linen Bank, which numbered Scott among its customers. A commemorative pound note and printing plate are also on show.

From the archive of the instrument-making firm of Barr and Stroud, held at Glasgow University comes an order for a range-finder for Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s final expedition. The company loaned it for use on the vessel Terra Nova, and it was returned in 1913 after the fateful expedition.

Other rarities in the exhibition celebrate Scotland's remarkable working archives, with loans of documents and objects by several Scottish archives and museums. Items from the National Records of Scotland include a colourful catalogue of ‘Carresto’ domestic combination grates, made by the Carron Iron Co in 1938. Visitors to the exhibition in General Register House can also see vintage film clips of Scottish industries from the Scottish Screen Archive.
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Scotland will host a second national celebration of reading in 2013, Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop announced today.

Building on the success of last year’s inaugural Book Week Scotland, Scottish Book Trust will deliver a week-long nationwide focus on books, reading and writing from November 25 to December 1, 2013. …

Ms Hyslop was at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh, where she joined Scottish authors Denise Mina, Mairi Hedderwick and Richard Holloway to launch ‘Treasures’ – Scottish Book Trust’s national writing project encouraging people to submit stories or poems about their own treasured possessions. Entries will be posted online and a selection will be included in a free book to be distributed across the country during Book Week Scotland 2013.
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The Royal Mail are bring out 10 stamps to mark Dr David Livingstone's 200th birthday. He was an anti-slavery campaigner from Blantyre, South Lanarkshire who went on to become a doctor and missionary, and the first European to travel extensively across Africa.

Great to see so many people from across the world interested in supporting Scotland when it hosts the Ryder Cup next year. Ryder Cup Europe said 17,500 people had applied from 27 different countries.

Sounds an interesting project will be interested to see if this goes ahead!

A shortlist of five names for the new Forth Replacement Crossing have been revealed as - Caledonia Bridge, Firth of Forth Crossing, Queensferry Crossing, Saltire Crossing and St Margaret's Crossing. What one would you vote for?

Is anyone planning on going along to Tradfest?

Sir Chris Hoy eyes Commonwealth Games mentor role for Scotland

Well done to the 13 Scottish businesses that scooped Queen's Awards for outstanding achievements

Scotland can learn from Berlin’s success in the visual arts, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs has said after a visit to the city.

During the trip, Ms Hyslop met Germany’s Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, Cornelia Pieper, to discuss strengthening Scotland’s cultural connections with Germany.
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Ms Hyslop also met Scottish Turner Prize-winning artist Douglas Gordon, who is based in the city, and given a tour of his studios.

Speaking after the trip, Ms Hyslop said:

“Scotland is a creative nation, producing exceptional artistic talent while Berlin is world-renowned for its thriving international visual arts scene.

“There are already some good examples of cultural collaboration between Scotland and Berlin and I want to build on this following last year’s Edinburgh International Culture Summit. It was attended by Germany’s Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, Cornelia Pieper, and when we met again in Berlin this week we discussed our shared ambition for stronger cultural ties between our two countries.

“My vision is to promote Scotland as one of the world’s great centres for the visual arts and we can learn a lot from Berlin’s success.

“Some of the world’s best artists now live and work in Berlin – including Scottish Turner Prize winners Douglas Gordon and Susan Philipsz – and I was hugely impressed on my recent visit by the range of creative talent that is evident everywhere in the city. I was also impressed by the partnership between Creative Scotland and British Council Germany, which has successfully promoted many emerging Scottish artists to the German market.

“My meeting with Douglas Gordon emphasised the strength of Scotland’s cultural connections with Germany, and both the Scottish and German Governments are keen to promote further collaboration.

“My visit to Douglas’s studio demonstrated that artists in Berlin are clearly inspired by working in such a stimulating environment while the city’s international reputation as a cultural hub is a major draw for the 10 million tourists who visit each year.

“The city has been transformed into one of the world’s great arts capitals as a result of substantial public funding and, while the Scottish Government has already protected culture funding as far as possible in the face of deep cuts in public spending imposed by Westminster, only independence offers the opportunity to realise our vision for the arts.

“The Scottish Government supports independence so that we can protect culture budgets from the impact of the UK Government’s spending decisions. We want the powers to ensure a strong economy can protect a strong cultural spend.”
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Two charities want at least more seven national parks in Scotland. What do you think?

What do people think? Should we bring back the dram?

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop has announced £110,000 to support the Edinburgh International Film Festival to develop emerging filmmakers through its Talent Lab programme.

The award, from the Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund, is the latest in a series of actions taken by Ministers to boost support for and interest in Scotland’s film industry. …

It follows the arrival earlier this week of Mark Andrews, Director of Disney•Pixar’s Oscar-winning animation Brave, who was personally invited by Ms Hyslop to come to Scotland to mentor Scottish film students.

The Expo funding awarded to Talent Lab will help to bring promising Scottish and UK filmmakers together for a series of group discussions and networking events during the 67th Edinburgh International Film Festival. Participants will spend time with experienced industry insiders, gaining invaluable one-to-one advice and information designed to develop their skills and build their confidence.

Following the close of the 2013 film festival, a select group of Scottish filmmakers will attend the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2013. Three Scottish producers will also be nominated to attend the Rotterdam Lab at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in January 2014.
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My new poetry book is now on sale in the Haddington bookshop, "Kesley's". A collection of poems written in Scots. Also a few of them written in a "Cant" local to a certain area of Haddington with a glossary within the book to assist the reader.

Here is a listing of some of the events for Scotland Week for anyone that is lucky enough to be going to NYC

Anyone seen the winner of the best Scottish themed tattoo? Not my cup of tea but each to their own!

Audiences across the world will have the chance to see some of Scotland’s most critically acclaimed productions over the next 12 months. Scottish Ballet’s A Streetcar Named Desire and American Lulu from Scottish Opera are among the hugely successful productions by Scotland’s National Performing Companies that will be performed overseas with backing from the Scottish Government’s International Touring Fund (ITF).
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The International Touring Fund (ITF) allocations confirmed to date are:

• Up to £60,000 for the National Theatre of Scotland, towards tours of Ménage a Trois which took place in Qatar in March 2013, and support towards the costs of continuing the work of a Chinese Associate Producer for a further year.
• Up to £95,000 to Scottish Ballet towards the cost of touring A Streetcar Named Desire in the USA in 2013, and Highland Fling in Hong Kong in February 2014.
• Up to £85,000 for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s international tours. Performances, led by Principal Conductor Robin Ticciati, will take place in Spain and Austria in 2013 and Japan, Hong Kong and China in February 2014.
• Up to £52,000 to Scottish Opera towards the cost of taking BabyO and SensoryO to New Zealand and Hong Kong this year; performing American Lulu at the Bregenzer Festspiele in Austria in August 2013; and a collaboration with Toronto-based company Tapestry.

The RSNO has recently returned from a hugely successful tour of China, and is currently confirming arrangements for tours in 2013 and 2014. Further International Touring Fund allocations will be announced later this year.

Tour details include:

National Theatre of Scotland:

• Ménage a Trois in Qatar – 22 and 23 March
This marked the National Theatre of Scotland’ debut in the Arab World with an invitation to perform Claire Cunningham and Gail Sneddon’s dance theatre piece, Ménage a Trois at a disability arts festival in Doha, Qatar. The British Council, in partnership with Ministry of Culture, Arts & Heritage in Qatar is presenting the first ever UK Arts & Disability Festival in the Middle East in Doha. This Arts & Disability Festival is one of highlights of the Qatar-UK Year of Culture 2013.

Scottish Ballet:

• Streetcar Named Desire in the USA – Autumn 2013
Scottish Ballet’s tour of Streetcar Named Desire will take in the US cities of New Orleans, Louisiana; Gainesville, Florida and Tampa, Florida.
• Highland Fling at Hong Kong Arts Festival – February 2014

Scottish Chamber Orchestra:

• SCO in San Sebastián – 27 and 28 August 2013
The SCO will perform two concerts at the San Sebastián Festival ‘Quincena Musical de San Sebastián’ - the longest standing classical music festival in Spain and one of the most time-honoured in Europe. Both concerts, which take place in San Sebastián’s Kursaal, are conducted by Principal Conductor Robin Ticciati. Music includes Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No 1 with Stephen Hough, Beethoven’s Third Symphony and Fauré’s Requiem with San Sebastián’s concert choir, Orfeón Donostiarra.
• SCO in Austria - 28 and 30 January 2014
In its 40th Anniversary Season, The SCO will perform at two of Europe’s most prestigious classical concert venues - the Vienna Musikverein and Salzburg’s Mozarteum (which will also be the Orchestra’s first appearance at the renowned Mozartwoche festival).
• SCO in Japan, Hong Kong and China
In February 2014 the SCO will embark on an six-concert tour with three concerts in Japan, two in Hong Kong, at the Hong Kong Arts Festival and one in Shanghai

Scottish Opera:

• BabyO in New Zealand – 16 - 18 April 2013
BabyO last visited New Zealand in 2011, in the immediate aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake. Building on relationships formed during that successful run of shows, Scottish Opera has now been asked back to give performances as part of The Festival of Colour in Wanaka and Queenstown.

• BabyO and SensoryO in Hong Kong 29 July – 4 August 2013 and New Zealand 23 August - 1 September 2013
Following the success of, and international demand for, BabyO and SensoryO as individual pieces, the shows have been developed into double bill, performed on the same set, specially designed for touring. The double bill will visit Hong Kong as part of the Hong Kong International Arts Carnival (IAC), and Christchurch, New Zealand as part of the Christchurch Arts Festival.

• American Lulu in Austria – 16 & 17 August 2013
Scottish Opera, in a new co-production with The Opera Group, will take American Lulu to the Bregenz Festival. Alban Berg’s Lulu has been a talking point since the composer died in 1935, leaving the third act incomplete. Here, award-winning Austrian composer Olga Neuwirth looks at the entire opera afresh, with a radical reworking of the unfinished score which will be played by The Orchestra of Scottish Opera. The production will open at Bregenz, before heading to Scotland for its UK premiere at the Edinburgh International Festival.

Royal Scottish National Orchestra:

• The RSNO has recently returned from a hugely successful tour of China, and is currently confirming arrangements for tours in 2013 and 2014.

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Scotland Week is a week long celebration of Scotland in the USA and Canada, from the 3rd to the10th April, and includes the Scotland Run and Tartan Day on the 6th April. Follow this link to find out details of what is happening. There is even a Scottish playlist for anyone taking part in teh Scotland Run