Thanks to the Gude Cause for letting us use an image from their website.
Some things change. A hundred years ago women were marching up Princes Street demanding the vote. Tomorrow perhaps more than 4000 women, men and children will be celebrating the occasion and this time they will include women who have been voted into parliament and local government. Continue reading “Women on the march”
Marching in violet, white and green
A pageant of creative conviction …
Agnes Holmes answers the phone with a needle and thread in one hand. “I’m sitting here writing emails, answering the phone and stitching at the same time,” she says with her usual good humour. As always there’s lots going on at the Africa Centre and only three days to finish the banner they will unfurl for the Gude Cause march on Saturday. Continue reading “Singing and stitching in time”
Enlightened city had let you be
till Mammon’s grasp said ‘damn the tree’;
Sometimes only poetry hits the spot. We can’t make it to the Greener Leith AGM tonight and unfortunately we also missed their great event on the Shore (a ‘car free day’ showing how streets can come to life when people have room to move) but here’s a poem by Gordon Peters which sums up beautifully why we must celebrate green space between buildings and what we risk losing by filling every gap. Click more for the poem. Continue reading “The (green) space between”
“This picture makes me feel sad and angry. They are poor and have no food even though many countries send them food.”
Here’s a picture book with a difference. Our Burma Book is written by children separated by thousands of miles and living very different lives. Yet the Edinburgh children in schools with desks and homes with toys and food respond with a natural understanding of the injustice of being forced to live without much of anything at all. Continue reading “Our Burma Book”
We missed the unveiling of the Burns Banner at the start of the Fringe but couldn’t resist going down to Market Street this week to try to spot the letters painted by Leith groups. See if you can pick out Ola Kasprzak’s contribution to the giant mural. Continue reading “Writing on the wall”
Emmanuel Jal, author and hip hop artist, will be talking about his book War Child at Edinburgh Book Festival. It is likely to be an unforgettable experience.
Writing is never easy but it is hard to imagine other authors in this year’s programme have gone through so much to get words on paper. Continue reading “Emmanuel Jal: ambassador of hope”
It’s not just for fun, though it certainly should be a laugh. COMEDIANS vs HIBS Under 17s Girls Charity Football Match is a fundraising event based on a contest between Fringe comedians and Hibs Girls on Sunday 9 August at 2pm. It’s free to get into Meadowbank Stadium but donations go to The Junction, a local charity supporting young people in Leith and North East Edinburgh. Continue reading “Football for a laugh”
Smell the coffee: Jerusalem Barnabas demonstrates how to make a cup of Ethiopian coffee.
A heady smell of roasting coffee greets you. Women in bright colours laugh and chat as they pass plates of African food. We’ve just dropped into a fundraising coffee morning with a difference and it feels a long way from the grey Edinburgh summer on the other side of the door. Welcome to the Africa Centre Scotland… Continue reading “Wanted: project coordinator for Africa Centre”
Give me an ‘n’, give me a ‘y’, give me another ‘n’… Ok, this is going to take too long. Add up all the letters produced by community groups all round Scotland and it spells two verses of the Burns poem A Man’s a Man for A’ That which will be unfurled as a banner during Edinburgh International Festival at 11 am on 6 August. And at least two of the letters were created by the Leith group Swietlica.
Ola Kasprzak at the Swietlica art workshop
They have built robots, designed comics and dressed up as science fiction heroes – now children visiting Leith Library can take a trip to cyberspace in the last of a special series for the summer holidays. Don’t miss the chance to book tickets for Explore Quest on Tuesday 4 August. Continue reading “Holiday adventures for children in Leith Library”