A NEW festival called “Hame” aims to celebrate “the people, culture, history, heritage, and diversity” of the North-East.
Launched today by the Elphinstone Institute at the University of Aberdeen, the programme promises “music, song, dance, slam poetry, storytelling performances, audio-visual exhibitions, displays, public talks, local writing events, and guided walks”.
The festival – which runs on 7-10 July – includes a comparison between the Granite City’s 1964 typhoid outbreak and the current coronavirus pandemic, including through a film screening of Tatties and Typhoid Ham.
Hame will also celebrate the North-East as “the ballad capital of the world” with sessions exploring the tradition of the “bothy ballad”, which stretches back centuries to farm cottages and continues to be used by folk bands and dance acts.
Organisers said they will also celebrate the “modern face of culture in the North-East” through the Polish-Scottish Song Group, Indian classical dancers Shashwati Vinod and Aarna Sharma, Energetic Kids, the Romanian Gypsy Music ensemble Ando Glaso, and Saltfishforty.
Jenny Fernandes, director of external relations at the University of Aberdeen, said: “The Hame festival will deliver a new and exciting format in which to champion all that makes this part of Scotland so special, offering audiences a fascinating and grounded story of the region that touches on the important themes of identity and belonging.
“We look forward to welcoming visitors to our Old Aberdeen campus as well as to other city venues both indoor and outdoor as Hame explores the incredible cultural diversity of this area and what it means to those deeply connected to it.”
Simon Gall, public engagement officer at the Elphinstone Institute, added: “Hame is a unique celebration of the creativity of the people of the North-East of Scotland.
“By designing the majority of the programme together with local organisations and performers, we see the festival partly as a vehicle for regional self-representation.
“As such, the content of the programme has been heavily influenced by those involved, making for a grassroots celebration of North-Eastness, which showcases the many languages, traditions, stories, and practices of the region today.
“We hope that the festival offers audiences an interesting story of hame, one that shows reverence towards traditions old and new and venerates the people that practice them.”
Read more culture stories in the July issue of Scottish Field magazine.
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