The Call of Home

Tonight the Festival of Spirituality and Peace kicked off at an event that mixed music, dancing and poetry from different religions and races and cultures. A local imam recited from the Qur'an, telling a story about Adam that shares so many similarities with the bible. A polish concert pianist played a piece by Chopin. He was 'discovered' while working as a cleaner at Glasgow University. Elspeth Murray performed a very powerful poem called 'A brave and startling truth' by Maya Angelou, which I'd never heard before but blew my socks off. The Indian girls danced and the choir sang some Burns and the politician stood up and couldn't help but give a political speech, but it was all good, hopeful and thought-provoking. It should be a fascinating festival, and an important one in the midst of all the noise in Edinburgh this August.