Reflections on music, song and folk tradition in protest and processing grief

Singer Peggy Seeger in conversation with Rosie Kane, and tradition bearer Madge Bray with piper Allan MacDonald.

Music, song and folk tradition have long played a role in every aspect of civil society. Following the day of civil action around COP26, we invite people to join us for an evening to explore related themes and gather ourselves after the events of the day. Songs have a long and rich tradition in protest - expressing ideas, emotions and resistance in ways that have become enmeshed within popular culture. Peggy Seeger, is a well-known figure in folk music and no stranger to protest. Rosie Kane, entered Scottish politics following the motorway protests known as Pollok Free State. Through conversation, they will explore these threads in the midst of COP26, our recently declared Govan Free State and in the face of the unprecedented challenges for communities posed by climate catastrophe. 

After a life working in the field of trauma, Madge Bray has immersed herself in recovering keening rituals - the tradition of collective grieving of the Scottish Gàidhealtachd. She has been working with piper Allan MacDonald to piece together lost fragments embedded in pibroch piping tunes. In the face of so much loss, the need to recover our traditions of grieving have never been more acute, as a deep process to transform pain and strengthen us for the challenges of the times we are living through.

Free/donation

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