Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will be interviewed by Allan Little at the 10th Anniversary of the Beyond Borders International Festival at Traquair House on Sunday 25th August, in a session looking at Brexit, the current political landscape in Scotland and the United Kingdom, and beyond. 

Alongside the First Minister, this year’s Beyond Borders International Festival programme draws inspiration from a diverse range of women who are making waves in current affairs, history, peacebuilding, literature and the arts from all over the world, including former participants from throughout the last ten years of the event. 

In the main tent, The New York Times’ Stephen Dunbar-Johnson will chair a panel co-curated with Sophie Lambin from the Women’s Forum, which will focus upon the importance of women’s leadership at the forefront of climate action. In Traquair House’s Walled Garden, a selection of the striking Carbon’s Casualties photographic exhibition by Josh Haner will be on display in the open air throughout August.  

Elsewhere in the programme, BBC journalist Razia Iqbal will be returning to talk to award-winning journalist Lindsey Hilsum about her book In Extremis which explores the extraordinary life and death of war correspondent Marie Colvin. They will also be discussing Hilsum’s impressive journalistic career capturing the stories of life on the front line from Rwanda in 1994 to more recently, conflict in Syria and Ukraine.      

Audiences will also be joined by Ruth Wishart, who will interview Rosemary Goring about her book Scotland: Her Story, which seeks to address a patriarchal historical imbalance with stories of famous Scottish women such as Queen Margaret and Nicola Sturgeon, telling the story of Scotland through the women who have helped to shape it. 

Supported by the First Minister, Beyond Borders Scotland annually hosts three cohorts of female leaders from conflict communities in the Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship. The August 2019 cohort will join the Festival weekend as part of their week focusing on the importance of the arts and cultural dialogue as a tool for peace building and conflict resolution. 

Audiences will be able to listen in as the Fellows share their stories across a variety of events, including Walled Garden storytelling events curated by tenx9, and readings from contemporary Kurdish poet, translator and painter Choman Hardi. 

The Walled Garden also plays host to a variety of women-led and focused cultural events. The New York Times photojournalism exhibition ThisIs18, launched on the International Day of the Girl in October 2018, will be on display in the exhibition tent throughout the weekend. The project empowered female photographers to capture what life is like for girls turning 18 in their communities around the world. Local singer-songwriter Millie Hanlon-Cole will be delighting audiences with her enchanting selection of songs at lunchtime on Sunday August 25th. 

Mark Muller Stuart, Founder of Beyond Borders, noted “We are looking forward to welcoming audiences back to Traquair House, and to showcasing a wealth of local and international talent in a programme of discussion and debate, alongside visual and performing arts, music, film and food and drink in the beautiful surroundings of the Walled Garden”.  

The full Beyond Borders Scotland Summer Events Programme and Box Office is available online at www.beyondbordersscotland.com  

Tickets: Weekend Pass for Main Tent and Walled Garden £49/Day Pass £26/Individual Events £12/Walks and Cycle Rides £6. Walled Garden Only Day Pass £12.  

 Join the debate at the Beyond Borders International Festival.