Fi Martynoga is an environmental activist, journalist, museum researcher and a renowned figure in Scottish nature, sustainability, history and food circles.

Events participated in:

A Nature Walk Through Traquair: Submerse yourself in the beautiful Scottish borders landscape and stroll around the scenic Traquair grounds led by Fi Martynoga for a foraging walk. (2024)

Walk and Talk with Fi Martynoga: Experience a taste of the Scottish Borders with Fi Martynoga as she leads a foraging walkaround the grounds of Traquair. (2023)

Foraging Walk: Experience a taste of the Scottish Borders as Fi Martynoga leads a foraging walk around Traquair. (2022)

Foraging Walk: Experience a taste of the Scottish Borders as Fi Martynoga leads a foraging walk around Traquair. (2021)

Woodland Hike with Fi Martynoga: Join Fi Martynoga on a hike from Traquair Houseon the Southern Upland Way, before exploring thenew footpath up to the Satyr Sykes and returningto Traquair House. Please note that this walk involves hills, but is on a sturdy path. (2019)

Foraging Walk with Fiona Martynoga: Take a walk on the wild side as local foraging expert Fi Martynoga leads a walk through the surroundings of Traquair House. (2018)

Foraging Walk with Fiona Martynoga: Take a walk on the wild side as local foraging expert Fi Martynoga leads a walk through the surroundings of Traquair House. (2017)

Taste the Wild with the Foraging Fionas: Join local writer and foraging expert FionaMartynoga and Fiona Bird on a foraging walkaround the grounds of Traquair House. (2016)

A Forager’s Tale: Discover a delicious new side to the Borders ona foraging walk with Fi Houston in the groundsof Traquair House and taste the foraged goodslater in the Festival Café. (2015)

Where the Wild Things Are – A Borders Foraging Walk: Delve into the wild in the surroundings of Traquair House with foraging experts to discover a delicious new side to the borders. (2014)

Walk – Walking Scott’s Border Ballads: At yon castle wa’ join Fiona Houston as she talks to acclaimed modern artist and Harvard Lit Professor Peter Sacks and leads him through true Elfyn-land and beyond to rediscover the Medieval Border Ballads saved, and tinkered with, by Sir Walter Scott. (2013)

Scotland’s Wild Harvests: Local writer and foraging expert Fiona J. Houston discusses a new guide for wild food enthusiasts. (2012)

The Literary Walk: Join local writer Fiona Houston for a literary walk around the hills of Traquair and meet Scottish artists Silvia Woodcock-Clarke, Caroline McNairn, Andrew Brown, and Joseph Maxwell Stuart in situ. (2010)

Catherine Maxwell Stuart is the Director of Heritage at Beyond Borders Scotland. She is currently the 21st Lady of Traquair. She lives at Traquair House where she was born and brought up. Over the past 20 years she has been actively involved in tourism, the arts, heritage and business both locally and nationally. She has been a board member of the Scottish Enterprise Borders, the Broadcasting Council for Scotland and non-Exec director of Border TV. She also sat on the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Records and Archives and currently is Chair of the Scottish Borders Area Tourism Partnership.

Events participated in:

The British Country House and Its Secrets: Listen as Catherine Maxwell-Stuart introduces Ben Cowell OBE, Director-General of the Historic Houses association and author of the British Country House Revival, as he talks to Geoffrey Baskerville on The Rise and Fall of the Stately Home, and as Wessley Edmonds reveals how she found a letter from the Traquair House archives uncovering the story of an enslaved boys life. (2024)

Literary Walk: Join Catherine Maxwell Stuart and Alasdair Allan on a walk from Toll Wood as he reads from his new book exploring the Scottish Borders. (2022)

Book Launch: Decameron: Join Roddy Martine, Catherine and Mark Muller Stuart, Andrew Brown, and others, as they talk about their scrapbook Decameron in which 10 friends explored 10 artistic themes for 10 weeks during lockdown 2020. (2021)

Traquair’s Jacobite Connection: Catherine Maxwell-Stuart and Margaret Fox tell thestory of how Traquair became the Jacobites’ most southerly Scottish Stronghold. (2017)

Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of Lord Darnley: After the murder of her secretary, Mary, Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley stayed at Traquair House. Six months later Lord Darnley was assassinated in one of Britain’s most notorious unsolved murders. 450 years later, Catherine Maxwell Stuart introduces Alison Weir as she sheds new light on the conspiracy. (2016)

Globes of Traquair: Catherine Muller Stuart and Jerry Brotton explore Traquair’s historic globes. (2016)

Reclaiming Traquair’s History: Geoffrey Baskerville talks to Flora and Catherine Maxwell Stuartas they discuss the history of Traquair during the 20th and 21st centuries and how the family brought the House back to public life. (2014)

Walk – If the Trees Could Talk, What Would They Say: A Talking Science Project in partnership with Beyond Borders Scotland and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Join this session to explore Traquair’s historic landscape and discover the stories of its amazing trees. (2013)

A Family Life Revealed: Catherine Muller Stuart and Traquair archivist, Margaret Fox give an insight into the lives of the Stuarts at Traquair from 1491 – 1875, from their recently published book based on letters and documents from the archives. (2013)

The Stuart Dynasty in the Scottish Borders: Geoffrey Baskerville in conversation with Allan Massie and Catherine Muller Stuart on the legacy of the Stuart Dynasty. (2011) 

Geoffrey Baskerville studied Modern History at Merton College, Oxford, before starting a career in arts administration, working largely with émigré Russians pursuing careers in the west. He subsequently turned to freelance writing and journalism and then joined the BBC, where he worked first as a diarist and subsequently as a producer of arts programmes for BBC Scotland, and as a presenter for Radio 3, Radio 4 and the World Service. He has now turned back to writing and editing, and is currently working on a biographical project about Peter Darrell, one of Britain’s most significant post-war choreographers and the founder of The Scottish Ballet.

Events participated in:

The British Country House and Its Secrets: Listen as Catherine Maxwell-Stuart introduces Ben Cowell OBE, Director-General of the Historic Houses association and author of the British Country House Revival, as he talks to Geoffrey Baskerville on The Rise and Fall of the Stately Home, and as Wessley Edmonds reveals how she found a letter from the Traquair House archives uncovering the story of an enslaved boys life. (2024)

Understanding Mary Queen of Scots: Join authors Rosemary Goring and Clare Hunter as they discuss the life, times, and embroidery ofMary Queen of Scots with Geofrey Baskerville. (2022)

Appointment in Arezzo: A Friendship with Muriel Spark: Alan Taylor talks to Geoffrey Baskerville about his latest book Appointment in Arezzo, documenting his friendship with the late Muriel Spark, and shedding light on the author’s remarkable life. (2018)

After Flodden: Listen as writer and journalist Rosemary Goring recounts tales of what came After Flodden, discussing her novel and the consequences of the disastrous battle of 1513 and the events that led to it. Geoffrey Baskerville asks the questions. (2017)

Jacobite Uprisings: 1715-2015: Catherine Muller Stuart introduces historians Professor Murray Pittock and Geoffrey Baskerville as they consider the Jacobite uprising and its impact on Scotland today. (2015)

Shingle Street: Geoffrey Baskerville talks to author and poet Blake Morrison about Shingle Street-his first full-length poetry collection for almost thirty years– detailing life on the Suffolk coast and haunting portraits of the past. (2015)

Reclaiming Traquair’s History: Geoffrey Baskerville talks to Flora and Catherine Maxwell Stuartas they discuss the history of Traquair during the 20th and 21st centuries and how the family brought the House back to public life. (2014)

A Sense of Place: Spend 45 minutes with US Pulitzer Prize winner poet Jorie Graham as she talks about her poetry, life and a sense of place. Geoffrey Baskerville poses the questions. (2013)

The Power of Music: Meet one of the world’s leading conductors, Maestro Valery Gergiev, as he talks to James Naughtie about his life, the power of music to uplift and heal, and how Russia convinced FIFA to let it host the world cup. Geoffrey Baskerville introduces. (2012)

The Stuart Dynasty in the Scottish Borders: Geoffrey Baskervillein conversation with Allan Massie and Catherine Muller Stuart on the legacy of the Stuart Dynasty. (2011)

Why Latin America Should Run the World: Join witty Columbian philosopher Oscar Guardiola-Rivera, with Geoffrey Baskerville to see why Latin America should rule the world! (2010)

Ben Cowell OBE is the Director General of Historic Houses, a not-for-profit organisation representing more than 1,650 privately owned historic properties. He was awarded an OBE for services to cultural heritage in the 2021 New Year Honours list. Ben studied BA History at UEA from 1990-1993.

Events participated in:

The British Country House and Its Secrets: Listen as Catherine Maxwell-Stuart introduces Ben Cowell OBE, Director-General of the Historic Houses association and author of the British Country House Revival, as he talks to Geoffrey Baskerville on The Rise and Fall of the Stately Home, and as Wessley Edmonds reveals how she found a letter from the Traquair House archives uncovering the story of an enslaved boys life. (2024)

Andrew Gilmour CMG is a British Diplomat and Human rights advocate. Known for his extensive career within the United Nations. Gilmour pursued Master’s degrees from Oxford University in History and also the London School of Economics in History and Government. His professional career began in the British Diplomatic Service where he later transitioned to the United Nations in 1989 serving various roles over several decades. He held the position as Director for Political, Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and Human Rights affairs in the Executive Office of the Secretary General in 2012. And in 2016-2019 was designated as Assistant Secretary-General for Human rights heading the OHCHR’s Office in New York. In recent years he has served as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Iraq, and in South Sudan and was the Representative of the Secretary-General in Belgrade. Since retiring from his position at the United Nations he is now the Executive Director of the Berghof Foundation. Gilmour has authored numerous articles and reports throughout his career which have featured in the New York Times, Financial Times and many others. His most recent publication “The Burning Question: Climate and Conflict- why does it matter?” which was released in March of 2024.

Events participated in:

Innovating War and Peace: Join Eldridge Adolfo, senior mediation advisor to FBA, as he talks to Martin-Griffiths, former Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs about the need for enhanced humanitarian diplomacy, Andrew Gilmour former Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, about his book The Burning Questionon climate and conflict, and Dr. Houda Abadi, co-author of a new guide on Islamic peacemaking principles, as they explore how to innovate peace in an increasingly fractured world. (2024)

After Chilcot: What Next for British Diplomacy: Join veteran UN diplomats Sir Kieran Prendergast and Andrew Gilmour as they discuss the soft and hard power options for international diplomacy in the wake of the Chilcot Inquiry. Magnus Linklater asks the questions. (2016)

The Rule of Law: What is Means and How to Spread It: Meet Sir Jeffrey Jowell QC of the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, the UN’s Andrew Gilmour, and David Marshall, editor of an explosive new book on the rule of law movement, as they discuss what the rule of law means for today’s international policymakers. (2014)

How Do International Institutions Make Peace?: The International Crisis Group’s Joost Hiltermann, the UN’s Andrew Gilmour, the Centre of Humanitarian Dialogue’s David Gorman and Beyond Conflict’s Tim Phillips spill the beans aboutthe realities of trying to make peace in an ever-fracturing world. Sir Kieran Prendergast asks the questions. (2014)

Dr. Houda Abadi, PhD is the founder and executive director of Transformative Peace. Abadi served as the MENA Associate Director of the Conflict Resolution Program at the Cart Center from 2014-2019. She also served as the program director in two conflict transformation organisations working with Jewish and Muslim youth. Dr. Abadi holds a PhD in Political Communications and Media Studies from Georgia State University and a MA in International Relations and Diplomacy from Seton Hall University. She has received numerous awards and honors, including theISB 2019 Women of Influence Award, Luther College Young 2018 Alumni Award, Georgia State University Transcultural Conflict and Violence Presidential Fellowship, and the Atlanta Institute for Diplomatic leadership 2018 Peace builder Award. She currently serves as a council member in the RESOLVE’s Research Advisory Board.

Events participated in:

Innovating War and Peace: Join Eldridge Adolfo, senior mediation advisor to FBA, as he talks to Martin-Griffiths, former Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs about the need for enhanced humanitarian diplomacy, Andrew Gilmour former Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, about his book The Burning Questionon climate and conflict, and Dr. Houda Abadi, co-author of a new guide on Islamic peacemaking principles, as they explore how to innovate peace in an increasingly fractured world. (2024)

Martin Griffiths OBE was the former Deputy Head of the UN Supervisory Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) where he was the lead civilian and responsible for political affairs, human rights and civil affairs, working with Kofi Annan.

He was the Founding Director of Geneva based Humanitarian Dialogue Centre where he specialised in developing dialogue between governments and insurgents, and helped lay the foundations for peace in a range of countries across Asia, Africa and Europe.

Mr. Griffiths has worked with UNICEF in Asia, in the British Diplomatic Service, Save the Children, and as Chief Executive of ActionAid. He rejoined the United Nations (UN) in 1994 as Director of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs (which became OCHA) in Geneva and became the Deputy to the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator in New York in 1998. He has also served as UN Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Great Lakes and UN Regional Coordinator in the Balkans with the rank of UN Assistant Secretary-General.

Events participated in:

Innovating War and Peace: Join Eldridge Adolfo, senior mediation advisor to FBA, as he talks to Martin-Griffiths, former Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs about the need for enhanced humanitarian diplomacy, Andrew Gilmour former Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, about his book The Burning Questionon climate and conflict, and Dr. Houda Abadi, co-author of a new guide on Islamic peacemaking principles, as they explore how to innovate peace in an increasingly fractured world. (2024)

What is Europe?: Join Sarah Smith in conversation with Alyn Smith MEP, EIP Director Martin Griffiths, Erik Berglöf and Dr Oscar Guardiola-Rivera as they try to answer the question “What is Europe?” (2015)

Oscar Guardiola-Rivera is a writer and professor of human rights and political philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London. After leading the student movement that initiated a wave of constitutional reform throughout Latin America in the late 1990’s, he continued his studies in the United Kingdom where he obtained an LLM with Distinction at University College London, and a PhD in Philosophy at the University of Aberdeen. He is the writer of the award-winning What If Latin America Ruled the World? which was listed as one the best non-fiction books of 2010 by The Financial Times. Dr Guardiola-Rivera is also the co-editor of the contemporary art and theory journal Naked Punch: An Engaged Review of Arts & Theory, and has engaged with an extensive range of publications and broadcasters, including Granta, El Espectador, the BBC World Service Nightwaves, and Al-Jazeera to name but a few. He is currently the Deputy Postgraduate Director of the Department of Law at Birkbeck, University of London and is recognized as one of the most representative voices of contemporary Latin American philosophy and literature.

Events participated in: 

The Arrival in Tradition: Recovery, Rhythm and the Popul Vuh: Join Oscar Guardiola-Rivera and Azad Ashim Sharma for an hour of poetry and discussion with sonic accompaniment from Mun Sing. Celebrating the launch of Sharma’s Boiled Owls and Guardiola-Rivera’s Under The World, themes of addiction, recovery, arrival in tradition, indigenous thinking, and writing in a time of crisis emerge against a backdrop of Mun Sing’s soundscapes that embrace dark anguish in search of groove, rhythm, and hope. (2024)

‘A Citizen From Nowhere’: Join BBC correspondent Kirsty Lang as she talks to Aminatta Forna OBE on being cosmopolitan as they explore the question of whether we choose or are made to become global souls in an era of mass migration, nationalism and as a response to growing populism across the world. (2024)

Finding Justice: Oscar Guardiola-Rivera talks to the head of the Colombian Special Jurisdiction for Peace, Judge Roberto Carlos Vidal López, and with Nedžad Avdić on how he escaped from a death pit during the Srebrenica genocide to give crucial evidence before the International Criminal Court. In partnership with Beyond ​​Srebrenica. (2024)

The Uncommon Wealth: Join William Dalrymple and Dr Kojo Koram as they deep dive into the history of colonialism and the future of the Commonwealth with Oscar Guardiola-Rivera. (2023)

Who Gets Believed?: Explore identity and belonging with Dina Nayeri in an enlightening discussion with Oscar Guardiola-Rivera about the complexities of migration and identity. (2023)

Is There Such a Thing as American Exceptionalism?: Join Jim Naughtie as he explores America’s historical legacy in the making of the modern world. With Tim Phillips, Aminatta Forna, and Oscar Guardiola-Rivera, as Razia Iqbal and Sir Kieran Prendergast join from abroad. (2021)

The Long Knives: Enjoy Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh as he talks to Oscar Guardiola-Rivera about his life and new novel The Long Knives. (2022)

The Rise of the Festival: Listen to Hay, Edinburgh, and Jaipur Festival Chairs Caroline Michel,Allan Little, and William Dalrymple, as they discuss the rise of the festival and power of the spoken word with Oscar Guardiola-Rivera and Colin Grant. (2022)

10 Years That Shook the World: Join us as we look back at the events that have helped shape the last decade and the next, with Oscar Guardiola-Rivera and guests including Razia Iqbal, Staffan de Mistura, and Erik Berglof. Followed bya drinks reception celebrating the 10th anniversaryof the Beyond Borders International Festival. (2019)

Democracy in the Digital Age: New York Times journalist Amanda Taub, social impact entrepreneur Paul van Zyl, and Beyond Conflict CEO Tim Phillips talk to Oscar Guardiola-Rivera about democracy, the impact of technology, and the prevalence of social media as a polarizing force, as well as adiscussion about The New York Times’ Privacy Project. (2019)

The Most Unforgettable Women in History: Join actress and scholar Lisa Dwan and philosopher Dr Oscar Guardiola-Rivera for a fresh look at the most memorable women of Ancient Greek literature from Medea to Antigone. Can their story be re-told for the time of MeToo and the fourth wave of feminism. (2019)

Twenty Years On – A Good Friday Agreement: Oscar Guardiola-Rivera talks toMonica McWilliams and Tim Phillips as they reveal how peace was built in Northern Ireland and consider the impact of Brexit. (2018)

Black History Matters: Join Oscar Guardiola-Rivera as he explores race relations in America with author Aminatta Forna, Beyond Conflict’s Tim Phillips, and playwright Bonnie Greer. (2017)

Healing the Past: Michael Mansfield QC, Tim Phillips, Oscar Guardiola-Rivera and Lucy Ash discuss how communities come to terms with loss. (2016)

Paths to Peace: Beyond Conflict’s Tim Philips reveals how he convinced the Pope to support a crucial back channel between the US and Cuba, and Oscar Guardiola-Rivera gives a perspective on the Colombian peace process. With John Kampfner. (2016)

“Do Not Let Scotland Down”: Alyn Smith MEP talks to Oscar Guardiola-Rivera about that European Parliament speech. (2016)

This Will Make You Hopeful: Dr Oscar Guardiola-Rivera will give you five reasons to remain hopeful in hopeless times. (2015)

What is Europe?: Join Sarah Smith in conversation with Alyn Smith MEP, EIP Director Martin Griffiths, Erik Berglöf and Dr Oscar Guardiola-Rivera as they try to answer the question “What is Europe?” (2015)

The Rule of Law: What is Means and How to Spread It: Meet Sir Jeffrey Jowell QC of the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, the UN’s Andrew Gilmour, and David Marshall, editor of an explosive new book on the rule of law movement, as they discuss what the rule of law means for today’s international policymakers. (2014)

Oscar Guadiola-Rivera: Story of a Death Foretold: Meet Oscar Guardiola-Rivera as he recounts the circumstances that led to the fall of President Salvador Allende’s regime in Chile. (2014)

Are We Eating Ourselves into Oblivion?: Oscar Guardiola-Rivera talks to Feeding Frenzy author Paul McMahon, restaurant owner Iqbal Wahhab, and Delfina Foundation director, Aaron Cezar, about the politics of food in the 21st century. (2014)

Can We Ever Trust the State: As more disclosures emerge about the extent of official surveillance in Western society, John Kampfner asks whether we can ever trustthe State to protect our liberties. Author of forthcoming book,‘Story of a Death Foretold’ which charts the 1973 Chilean Coup,Ben Emmerson QC author of the UN report on drone strikesand US Ambassador Cynthia P. Schneider. (2013)

The Art of Protest: Meet William Sutcliffe as he talks about his new novel “The Wall” and later joins Palestinian Singer Reem Kelani, Turkish commentator,Mesut Onen, Turkish poet, Bejan Matur, Saudi Arabian artist Manal al-Dowayan and Egyptian film director Akmal Saleh as they go on to discuss the rise of public and cultural protest across the world. Colombian author Oscar Guardiola-Rivera asks the questions. (2013)

Balancing Security and Human Rights in Times of Transition: Join International Criminal Tribunal judge Ben Emmerson QC, former head of UNDPA, Sir Kieran Prendergast, Roelf Meyer and Lindsey Hilsum as they discuss with Dr. Oscar Guardiola Rivera how to achieve stability in Syria and whether military intervention, the use of targeted drone strikes and the use of other more controversial war on terror methods leads to a more stable world. (2012)

Small Acts of Resistance: Join Steve Crawshaw, Pamela Hogan, Richard Demarco and Paul Van Zyl, as they discuss with resident Colombian philosopher Dr. Oscar Guardiola Rivera how the arts are being used to highlight resistance and promote change around the world. (2012)

Dividing Small Nations: Comedian, writer and broadcaster Mark Thomas talks to Oscar Guardiola-Rivera about his recent walk along Israel’s Separation Barrier. (2011)

The Arab Spring & the Power of Democracy: Oscar Guardiola-Rivera talks about the power of democracy with Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish, Rashed Rahman, Sir Kieran Prendergast, Ramy Essam and Marie Colvin. (2011)

Why Latin America Should Run the World: Join witty Columbian philosopher Oscar Guardiola-Rivera, with Geoffrey Baskerville to see why Latin America should rule the world! (2010)

Azad Ashim Sharma is a writer and publisher based in South London. He is the director of the87press. His work includes Against the Frame (Broken Sleep Books, 2022) and Ergastulum (Broken Sleep Books, 2022). His work has featured in publications such as the Asian American Writers Workshop, Stand Magazine, Gutter Magazine, the journal Social and Health Sciences, SPAMzine, MIR Online, and Wasafiri. He is a Chase-funded PhD Candidate in English and Humanities at Birkbeck College, University of London. He is the recipient of the Caribbean Philosophical Association’s Nicolás Cristóbal Guillén Batista Outstanding Book Award 2023.

Events participated in:

The Arrival in Tradition: Recovery, Rhythm and the Popul Vuh: Join Oscar Guardiola-Rivera and Azad Ashim Sharma for an hour of poetry and discussion with sonic accompaniment from Mun Sing. Celebrating the launch of Sharma’s Boiled Owls and Guardiola-Rivera’s Under The World, themes of addiction, recovery, arrival in tradition, indigenous thinking, and writing in a time of crisis emerge against a backdrop of Mun Sing’s soundscapes that embrace dark anguish in search of groove, rhythm, and hope. (2024)

Ayane Kondo specialises in percussion, hammered dulcimer, music composition, music arrangement. Influenced by her father Hisaatsu Kondo, a conductor, she started the music from two years old. In 2010, graduated Tokyo College of Music High School Percussion major. In 2010, Kunitachi College of Music Percussion major for few months. In 2013, Won first prize from the consul of China in Osaka for the International Music Competition of Chinese Music Council and Received the Encouragement Award for the TIAA All Japan Classical Music Concert of the Tokyo International Association of Artists as a Multiple Percussion Solo. In 2014, studied the Timpani from Michael Kroutil/Principal Timpanist of Česká filharmonie at Czech Republic. In 2015, lived in Dresden – Germany for studying the percussion and paint. In 2016, Started to play the Hammered Dulcimer Also perform the Classical, European traditional, own songs and improvisation In 2017, Become a member of the ‘Global Artist project’ of The And Vision company. In 2018, Exclusive music artist of STAND UP ORCHESTRA of Sony Music Japan. And contracted to the Japan Association of String Instrument Performer as a producer. In 2020, Won 4th prize (Honorable Mention) from World BACH Competition 2020 presented by Boulder Bach Festival as Instrumental Professional Category – Hammered Dulcimer solo. In April 2019, joined Sacred Art Festival in Senlis – France. In January 2020, joined Japan Festival Berlin. In September 2020, had a solo exhibition for a week in Shinjuku – Tokyo. The currently activities are as music freelancer, music instructor and also as a painter. Live in Berlin from August 2021.

Events participated in:

Music from Ayane Kondo: Enjoy your lunch and listen to a musical performance by Ayane Kondo, a classical percussionist that blends influences of classical jazz, traditional music with improvisation and composed work. (2024)

Music, War and Peace: Enjoy an hour of music with meaning, led by Nigel Osborne and musicians for a procession around Traquair’s tranquil grounds. Followed by a presentation entitled, Music and War, in the second half of the hour. (2024)

Derek Goldman, is Artistic and Executive Director and co-Founder of the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University in Washington DC, with the mission to harness the power of performance to humanise global politics.  He is Chair of Georgetown University’s Department of Performing Arts and Director of the Theater & Performance Studies Program as well as Professor of Culture, Politics & Global Performance in GU’s School of Foreign Service.  He is an award-winning stage director, playwright/adapter, scholar, producer, and developer of new work, whose work has been seen throughout the US, off-Broadway, and internationally at leading venues such as Shakespeare Theater Company, Steppenwolf, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, Baltimore CenterStage, Folger, Ford’s Theater, Chicago Shakespeare, and many others. He co-wrote and directed the award-winning play Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski starring Oscar-Nominated actor David Strathairn as the Polish Holocaust witness. The play is touring internationally to leading venues and will premiere Off-Broadway in New York in the Fall. The film version of Remember This is also premiering at leading festivals this summer.  Goldman is the author of more than 30 professionally produced plays and adaptations, including work published by Samuel French, and he has directed over 100 productions. His engagement with global performance in recent years has taken his work to Sudan, Cambodia, Bangladesh, China, Poland, South Africa, Australia, Peru, Japan, Bulgaria, Armenia, Chile, the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, France, and throughout the UK, among other places. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Theatre Communications Group (TCG); Vice-President of UNESCO’s International Theatre Institute, and Founding Director of the Global Network of Higher Education in the Performing Arts. He holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and he received the President’s Award for Distinguished Scholar-Teachers at Georgetown and the Provost’s Award for Innovation in Teaching for his work as creator of In Your Shoes, an internationally recognised groundbreaking model for using performance to counter polarisation and to engage challenging conversations across difference through theatrical techniques and deep, respectful listening.

Events particpated in: 

Meet the Fellows: Let Director of Global Performance at Georgetown University, Derek Goldman introduce you to some of the Beyond Borders 1325 Women in Conflict Fellows through his mesmerizing ‘In Your Shoes’ methodology. (2024)

The Lesson of Jan Karski: Join Kirsty Lang as she talks to award-winning actor David Strathairn and director Derek Goldman about their internationally celebrated play and film Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski,which tells the true story of the Polish World War II hero and Holocaust witness who risked his life to carry the first reports of the Holocaust to the West. (2023)

In Your Shoes: Meet Derek Goldman as he discusses In Your Shoes, an inspiring, award-winning project he created and directs for The Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University (2022)

 In Conversation with Raja Shehadeh, Sarah Helm, and Derek Goldman: Join Sarah Helmas she discusses Raja Shehadeh’s new book on Palestine and the power of narrative with Derek Goldman from Georgetown University. (2022)

The Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship is based around the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 which “reaffirms the role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflict, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction, and stresses the importance of their equal participation in all efforts for the promotion of peace and security”.

The Fellowship has been held 3 times a year since 2015 in Edinburgh and online during the Covid-19 pandemic, and has built up a fantastic network of over 360 women from 33 countries across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Latin America. These women are a diverse group, working in an equally varied range of professions related to peacebuilding and conflict resolution. This wealth of experience is one of the key strengths of the Fellowship as it allows for greater reflection and shared learning on different aspects of the peacebuilding rather than solely focusing on high-level, formal peace processes.

Aminatta Forna is the award-winning author ‘The Hired Man’, ‘The Memory of Love’, which was awarded the Commonwealth Prize for “Best Book” in 2011,’Ancestor Stones’, and a memoir ‘The Devil that Danced on the Water’. In March, she was announced as the recipient of the 2014 Windham-Campbell Literature Prize (Fiction). She also serves as Professor for Creative Writing at Bath Spa University and was a Harkness Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley.

Events participated in:

‘A Citizen From Nowhere’: Join BBC correspondent Kirsty Lang as she talks to Aminatta Forna OBE on being cosmopolitan as they explore the question of whether we choose or are made to become global souls in an era of mass migration, nationalism and as a response to growing populism across the world. (2024)

Is There Such a Thing as American Exceptionalism?: Join Jim Naughtie as he explores America’s historical legacy in the making of the modern world. With Tim Phillips, Aminatta Forna, and Oscar Guardiola-Rivera, as Razia Iqbal and Sir Kieran Prendergast join from abroad. (2021)

Black History Matters: Join Oscar Guardiola-Rivera as he explores race relations in America with author Aminatta Forna, Beyond Conflict’s Tim Phillips, and playwright Bonnie Greer. (2017)

Women on the Frontline: Discover the lives of extraordinary women who have lived their lives on the frontline with Reem Kelani, Valerie Plame Wilson, Aminatta Forna, and Razia Iqbal. (2017)

The Memory of Love: Join Aminatta Forna, whose father was executed during the Sierra Leone’s civil war, as we explore how memory, love, identity and landscape interweave in her latest novel The Memory of Love. Writer and filmmaker James Runcie interviews. (2010)

Kirsty Lang studied at the University of Bristol, where she earned a degree in Drama and English. After completing her education, she embarked on a career in journalism. Lang’s career in broadcasting took off when she joined the BBC World Service as a producer and reporter, covering various international events and issues. She later became a presenter for the BBC World Service arts and culture program, showcasing her passion for the arts.

Kirsty Lang is best known for her work on BBC Radio 4, where she presented and co-presented several programs. One of her notable contributions was as a co-presenter of “Front Row,” a daily radio arts and culture magazine show that featured interviews with prominent figures from the creative world.

Throughout her career, Lang has interviewed numerous artists, authors, actors, and musicians, providing insights into their work and creative processes. Her in-depth knowledge of the arts and her engaging interviewing style have made her a respected figure in the broadcasting industry.

Events participated in:

‘A Citizen From Nowhere’: Join BBC correspondent Kirsty Lang as she talks to Aminatta Forna OBE on being cosmopolitan as they explore the question of whether we choose or are made to become global souls in an era of mass migration, nationalism and as a response to growing populism across the world. (2024)

The Lesson of Jan Karski: Join Kirsty Lang as she talks to award-winning actor David Strathairn and director Derek Goldman about their internationally celebrated play and film Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski, which tells the true story of the Polish World War II hero and Holocaust witness who risked his life to carry the first reports of the Holocaust to the West. (2023)

Humza Yousaf is a Scottish politician who served as the former First Minister of Scotland and the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in March 2023. Yousaf studied Politics at the University of Glasgow and began his political career as an aide to several SNP politicians. In 2011, he was elected the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Glasgow region. Yousaf has held  several positions at his time in the Scottish Government including Minister for External Affairs and International Development (2012-2014), Minister for Transport and the Islands (2016-2018), Cabinet Secretary for Justice (2018-2021) and Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care (2021-2023). His role as former First Minister of Scotland held historical significance as the first Muslim and person of Asian descent to hold office in Scotland.

Events participated in:

Year in the Life of Humza Yousaf: Humza Yousaf MSP talks to Allan Little about his fourteen months as Scotland’s First Minister and the impact of the ongoing conflict in Gaza has had on his family, him and his thinking, as well as his thoughts on the rise of the far-right in Europe. (2024)

Allan Little is an award-winning Scottish journalist and presenter who has reported from more than 80 countries including a variety of war zones, revolutions and natural disasters. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh, Mr Little joined BBC Scotland as a news and current affairs researcher before moving to London to train as a radio reporter. He specialised in foreign reporting for BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, including accounts from the revolutions of 1989 across Eastern Europe. He then worked as a reporter for BBC News, reporting from hostile environments such as the 1991 Gulf War, Kuwait, former Yugoslavia, South Africa, Rwanda and Zaire. Mr Little also worked as the BBC Moscow correspondent and reported on the 1995 Afghanistan earthquakes before becoming the BBC’s Africa and later, Paris correspondent. He has won several awards, including three Gold Sony Radio Academy Awards for Reporter of the Year, the Bayeux War Correspondent of the Year, and in 2012 he won both the Thomas Reuters prize for Reporting Europe for his Radio 4 documentary, Europe’s Choice and the Charles Wheeler Award for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcast Journalism. Mr Little left the BBC in 2014 and today chairs the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Events participated in:

Year in the Life of Humza Yousaf: Humza Yousaf MSP talks to Allan Little about his fourteen months as Scotland’s First Minister and the impact of the ongoing conflict in Gaza has had on his family, him and his thinking, as well as his thoughts on the rise of the far-right in Europe. (2024)

Britain and International Security: Allan Little quizzes the Former Head of the Special Boat Service, Col Graham Cundy, and Channel 4 Foreign Affairs Editor, Lindsey Hilsum, about Britain’s interventions in conflicts around the world. (2023)

The World and All That It Holds: Join Allan Little and celebrated author Aleksandar Hemon as they explore his new novel The World and All That it Holds, which takes the reader on a mesmerising journey from Sarajevo to Shanghai. They will also reflect onthe former Yugoslavia 25 years on. (2023)

Resistance!: Watch Allan Little as he talks to the jail mate of Nelson Mandela and former PM of the Western Cape, Ebrahim Rasool, Professor Christina Murray who helped draft the South African Constitution, and South African artist, Peter Sacks, as they talk about South Africa, and the concept of resistance and renewal, in the context of Sack’s extraordinary multi-dimensional exhibition, Resistance, at Summerhall Arts, featuring 54 resistance figures from across the globe over the last 120 years. In celebration of BBC correspondent George Alagiah and his most recent book Burning Land. (2023)

From the Basque to the Big Country: Where Now for Democratic Politics in Europe?: Join Allan Little as he talks to Urko Aiartza Azurtza, Merryn Somerset Webb, and Gerry Hassan about how to deal with populism and demands for constitutional change in Europe. Tim Phillips gives a US perspective. (2022)

The Rise of the Festival: Listen to Hay, Edinburgh, and Jaipur Festival Chairs Caroline Michel, Allan Little, and William Dalrymple, as they discuss the rise of the festival and power of the spoken word with Oscar Guardiola-Rivera and Colin Grant. (2022)

Dispatches from Kabul: Join Allan Little with Eldridge Adolfo, Advisor to the EU Envoy to Afghanistan, Afghan rights campaigner Samina Ansari, Beyond Borders Fellow Mariam Safi, and William Dalrymple, as they discuss the crisis in Afghanistan. (2021)

Scotland’s Foreign Policy Footprint: Join Stephen Gethins, author of Nation to Nation and former UK Permanent Representative to NATO Mariot Leslieas they explore Scotland’s foreign policy footprint. Allan Little asks the questions. (2021)

Divided Societies: Watch Allan Little as he talks to novelist Elif Shafak about her book How to Stay Sane in the Age of Division and writer Sarah Helm as theyreveal the truth about divided societies, including in Turkey and Gaza. (2021)

Beyond Brexit: Listen as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon gives her take on Brexit and the new emerging political landscape in Scotland, the United Kingdom, and beyond. Allan Little asks the questions. Mark Muller Stuart QC introduces. (2019)

Pathways to Peace: Bettany Hughes returns to Traquair House to take the long view of historical pathways to peace to ask what might healing and reconciliation look like in today’s world? Allan Little asks the questions. (2019)

The Scottish Clearances: A History of the Dispossessed: Join Allan Little as he talks to historian Professor Sir Tom Devine about his latest book The Scottish Clearances, and explores the history of Scotland’s immigrant communities from World War Two to the present day. (2019)

Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House: Join Allan Little as he interrogates Valerie Plame about her life as a CIA agent and the scandal that surrounded her exposure as a spy, in a story that shed astonishing light on a world that was supposed to remain hidden. (2018)

The New York Times: Hard Truths: Join Jodi Rudoren, Associate Managing Editor of The New York Times and Iranian photo journalist Newsha Tavakolianas they talk about the importance of photojournalism in bearing witness to global economic and political atrocities around the world with Allan Little. (2018)

Moscow and Washington Calling: Listen as Allan Little talks to Angus Roxburgh about Russia and his memoirs Moscow Calling, and to Salman Ahmed about the National Security approaches taken by Presidents Obama and Trump. (2017)

A Diplomatic Affair: Listen to veteran UN Diplomat and Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura as he talks to Allan Little about his life, and find out why he painted camels blue in Sudan. (2016)

This Orient Isle: Allan Little talks to Renaissance Professor Jerry Brotton about his latest book, taking a tour of the cultural and political relationships between Elizabethan England & the Islamic World. (2016)

Srebrenica Remembered: Scottish Conservatives leader and former journalist Ruth Davidson talks to foreign correspondents Allan Little and Kate Adie about the conflict in Bosnia and asks whether the international community has learnt anything over the last twenty years about reporting on and preventing genocide. (2015)

An Audience with the Most Influential Woman in Britain: Spend an hour with Nicola Sturgeon, one of the most remarkable women in politics, as she talks about her life, and her hopes and fears for Scotland and the UK. (2015)

Jim Naughtie: The Madness of July: Drop by for a chat with Jim Naughtie, when Allan Little asks him about his new spy thriller The Madness of July. (2014)

City of Peace, City of Blood: Join Allan Little as he quizzes author and adventurer Justin Marozzi about his new book on Baghdad and what it is like to travel on awing and a prayer across the world’s fault lines in Afghanistan, Darfur, Libya and Somalia in the 21st Century. (2014)

Spies, Whistle-blowers and the NSA: Listen in when BBC Correspondent Allan Little talks to journalist and award-winning Guardian correspondent Luke Harding about his new book The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World’s Most Wanted Man. (2014)

Dispatches from the Most Dangerous Places on Earth: Join Allan Little as war photographer Paul Conroy gives a haunting account of coming under fire with Marie Colvin in Syria in 2011 while author James Fergusson explains why Somalia became one of the most dangerous places on earth. (2013)

Iraq 10 Years On: What Lessons for Syria and the UN: Join General Sir Mike Jackson, Chatham House’s Jane Kinninmont and Sir Kieran Prendergast as they come together to discuss the Iraq War and its impact on the U.N. and Syria. Allan Little presides. (2013)

Making Peace in South Africa: Join Allan Little in conversation with Former Secretary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, Paul Van Zyl, Co-Founder of the Project on Justice in Times of Transition, Tim Phillips and President de Klerk’s defence minister, Roelf Meyer as he recounts how he came to release Nelson Mandela to create the Rainbow Nation. (2012)

Journalists Under Fire: Join Allan Little as he talks to Channel 4 News International Editor and author of Sandstorm Lindsey Hilsum and photographer Guy Martin, who was injured in Libya while documenting the unfolding Arab Spring. Followed by a short drinks reception in memory of Marie, with the Marie Colvin Memorial Fund. (2012)

Zimbabwe at the Crossroads: Allan Little talks with Sir Kieran Prendergast, Mordecai Mahlungu, Petina Gappah and William Burdett-Coutts about the future of Zimbabwe. (2011)

Dispatches from the Darkside: Gareth Peirce in conversation with Allan Little about Guantánamo and the UK’s alleged complicity in torture. (2011)

Derek Goldman, is Artistic and Executive Director and co-Founder of the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University in Washington DC, with the mission to harness the power of performance to humanise global politics.  He is Chair of Georgetown University’s Department of Performing Arts and Director of the Theater & Performance Studies Program as well as Professor of Culture, Politics & Global Performance in GU’s School of Foreign Service.  He is an award-winning stage director, playwright/adapter, scholar, producer, and developer of new work, whose work has been seen throughout the US, off-Broadway, and internationally at leading venues such as Shakespeare Theater Company, Steppenwolf, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, Baltimore CenterStage, Folger, Ford’s Theater, Chicago Shakespeare, and many others. He co-wrote and directed the award-winning play Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski starring Oscar-Nominated actor David Strathairn as the Polish Holocaust witness. The play is touring internationally to leading venues and will premiere Off-Broadway in New York in the Fall. The film version of Remember This is also premiering at leading festivals this summer.  Goldman is the author of more than 30 professionally produced plays and adaptations, including work published by Samuel French, and he has directed over 100 productions. His engagement with global performance in recent years has taken his work to Sudan, Cambodia, Bangladesh, China, Poland, South Africa, Australia, Peru, Japan, Bulgaria, Armenia, Chile, the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, France, and throughout the UK, among other places. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Theatre Communications Group (TCG); Vice-President of UNESCO’s International Theatre Institute, and Founding Director of the Global Network of Higher Education in the Performing Arts. He holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and he received the President’s Award for Distinguished Scholar-Teachers at Georgetown and the Provost’s Award for Innovation in Teaching for his work as creator of In Your Shoes, an internationally recognised groundbreaking model for using performance to counter polarisation and to engage challenging conversations across difference through theatrical techniques and deep, respectful listening.

Events particpated in: 

Meet the Fellows: Let Director of Global Performance at Georgetown University, Derek Goldman introduce you to some of the Beyond Borders 1325 Women in Conflict Fellows through his mesmerizing ‘In Your Shoes’ methodology. (2024)

The Lesson of Jan Karski: Join Kirsty Lang as she talks to award-winning actor David Strathairn and director Derek Goldman about their internationally celebrated play and film Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski,which tells the true story of the Polish World War II hero and Holocaust witness who risked his life to carry the first reports of the Holocaust to the West. (2023)

In Your Shoes: Meet Derek Goldman as he discusses In Your Shoes, an inspiring, award-winning project he created and directs for The Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University (2022)

 In Conversation with Raja Shehadeh, Sarah Helm, and Derek Goldman: Join Sarah Helmas she discusses Raja Shehadeh’s new book on Palestine and the power of narrative with Derek Goldman from Georgetown University. (2022)

The Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship is based around the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 which “reaffirms the role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflict, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction, and stresses the importance of their equal participation in all efforts for the promotion of peace and security”.

The Fellowship has been held 3 times a year since 2015 in Edinburgh and online during the Covid-19 pandemic, and has built up a fantastic network of over 360 women from 33 countries across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Latin America. These women are a diverse group, working in an equally varied range of professions related to peacebuilding and conflict resolution. This wealth of experience is one of the key strengths of the Fellowship as it allows for greater reflection and shared learning on different aspects of the peacebuilding rather than solely focusing on high-level, formal peace processes.

Steve Richards is a British TV presenter and political columnist who has written for the Guardian, Independent, News Statesman and Spectator. An insightful observer of the British political scene, he has produced many television talks on influential political leaders and major political turning points. Mr Richards regularly presents Radio 4’s Week in Westminster and hosts a vibrant one man stand up show called Rock & Roll Politics. He has written numerous books, including his latest The Prime Ministers We Never Had: Success and Failure from Butler to Corbyn, which was awarded Book of the Year by The Times, The Guardian and Prospect.

Events participated in:

What Next for Britain and America?: Steve Richards in conversation with Tim Phillips and guests as they explore the impact of the recent general election on Britain and the forthcoming US Presidential elections. (2024)

Turning Points in Modern Britain: Join Steve Richards and Jack McConnell for a discussion on his latest book Turning Points in Modern Britan, from 1945 to Truss leading to two big questions – Is Scotland at a turning point with the SNP crisis? Is the UK at a turning point with Labour set to win the general election? (2023)

Ukraine: One Year On: Join Steve Richards as he listens to Channel 4’s Lindsey Hilsum and BBC Lucy Ash’s dispatches from the frontline of the Ukrainian war, while Professor Marc Weller considers how to resolve a conflict. (2023)

From Kabul to Kyiv: A Year in Global Politics: Join Steve Richardsas he talks to AndriyShevchenko, *Head of the Ukrainian Media Centre, about war in Ukraine, Brian Brivati, about his new book Losing Afghanistan, and University of St Andrews’ Professor Phillips O’Brien. (2022)

Rock & Roll Politics: Award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and political commentator Steve Richards delves into the twists and turns of British politics. (2022)

Politics and Peacemaking: Where Next for Global Britain: Listen to Steve Richards as he quizzes Jonathan Powell about his role in helping to make peace around the world and his take on Brexit and the future of UK politics. (2021)

Prime Ministers We Never Had: Join Steve Richards as he talks about his newbook exploring the Shakespearean rise and fall of the Prime Ministers we never had. (2021)

Where Next for the United Kingdom?: Listen as political commentators Steve Richards, Sarah Smith, and Jim Naughtie explore the current state of affairs in UK politics and what it takes to lead this country. Magnus Linklater asks the questions. (2019)

Rock and Roll Politics: Steve Richards returns to Traquair to conduct a tour of the latest seismic political dramas, discovering why we are almost getting used toexpecting the unexpected. Politics even more shook up than last year. (2018)

The Rise of the Outsiders: Democratic Politics All Shook Up: From Brexit to Trump and the rise of Jeremy Corbyn widely held assumptions about politics are being challenged across the democratic world. Do the outsiders have much in common? The writer and broadcaster, Steve Richards, searches for answers and tries to make sense of a political world in turmoil. (2017)

Brexit and Beyond: Explore the future of the UK and Scotland in the wakeof Brexit with Professor John Curtice, Lord Karan Bilimoria, Bonnie Greer, and Steve Richards. (2017)

Rock and Roll Politics: Laugh with Steve Richards as he performs an excerpt from his Edinburgh Fringe show Rock ‘n’ Roll Politics. (2016)

Politics & Britain in 2015: Join Steve Richards with a prominent group of panellists including Yasmin Alibhai-Brown and Sir Menzies Campbell as he takes a lighted-heartedlook at the 2015 General Election, Europe and whether the Jacobite spirit still endures in these Isles. (2015)

The State of the Union: Enjoy a more satirical view on the state of the Union and laugh with Steve Richards as he brings his award winning Fringe show to Traquair. (2014)

A Parallel Life: Join critic, playwright, and all-round public intellectual, Bonnie Greer, as she talks about her extraordinary memoir, A Parallel Life, in which she charts her journey from her childhood in the poverty stricken South Side of Chicago, through the 1960s in the civil rights movement, onto to her rise in Britain as one of this country’s leading cultural commentators. (2014)

Rock and Roll Politics: Award winning columnist and BBC broadcaster Steve Richards presents his Assembly show, a behind the scenes guide to all thelatest epic political and media dramas, from frenzied Tory plotting to the future of Scotland. Laugh, despair or hope as Cameron, Miliband, Clegg and Salmond struggle in a world all shook up. (2013)

Tim Phillips is a social entrepreneur who has launched several innovative organisations in the non-profit and for-profit sectors that address critical emerging global issues. In 1992, he co-founded Beyond Conflict (formerly the Project on Justice in Times of Transition), a pioneering and widely respected conflict resolution and reconciliation initiative that has made important contributions to the consolidation of peace and democracy around the world. In the private sector, he was a founder of Energia Global International Ltd. (EGI), which was a leader in the development and operation of privately-owned renewable energy facilities in Central and South America in the early 1990s. He helped launch and currently serves on the Advisory Committee of the Club of Madrid, which was founded in 2001 with the support of 30 current and former heads of state and government to promote the consolidation of democracy around the world.

Events participated in:

What Next for Britain and America?: Steve Richards in conversation with Tim Phillips and guests as they explore the impact of the recent general election on Britain and the forthcoming US Presidential elections. (2024)

From the Basque to the Big Country: Where Now for Democratic Politics in Europe?: Join Allan Little as he talks to Urko Aiartza Azurtza, Merryn Somerset Webb, and Gerry Hassan about how to deal with populism and demands for constitutional change in Europe. Tim Phillips gives a US perspective. (2022)

Is There Such a Thing as American Exceptionalism?: Join Jim Naughtie as he explores America’s historical legacy in the making of the modern world. With Tim Phillips, Aminatta Forna, and Oscar Guardiola-Rivera, as Razia Iqbal and Sir Kieran Prendergast join from abroad. (2021)

Democracy in the Digital Age: New York Times journalist Amanda Taub, social impact entrepreneur Paul van Zyl, and Beyond Conflict CEO Tim Phillips talk to Oscar Guardiola-Rivera about democracy, the impact of technology, and the prevalence of social media as a polarizing force, as well as adiscussion about The New York Times’ Privacy Project. (2019)

Twenty Years On – A Good Friday Agreement: Oscar Guardiola-Rivera talks toMonica McWilliams and Tim Phillips as they reveal how peace was built in Northern Ireland and consider the impact of Brexit. (2018)

Disposable People: Neuroscientist Tim Phillips, Rights-Lab Director Kevin Bales CMG, anti-trafficking advocate Minh Dang and former MSF boat captain Madeleine Habib on the dehumanisation of refugees and the trauma of modern slavery. (2018)

Black History Matters: Join Oscar Guardiola-Rivera as he explores race relations in America with author Aminatta Forna, Beyond Conflict’s Tim Phillips, and playwright Bonnie Greer. (2017)

Clinton vs Trump: The Battle for the Soul: Jim Naughtie, Tim Phillips, William Millerand Joan Abrahamson explore the dynamics underpinning the forthcoming US election. (2016)

Healing the Past: Michael Mansfield QC, Tim Phillips, Oscar Guardiola-Rivera and Lucy Ash discuss how communities come to terms with loss. (2016)

Paths to Peace: Beyond Conflict’s Tim Philips reveals how he convinced the Pope to support a crucial back channel between the US and Cuba, and Oscar Guardiola-Rivera gives a perspective on the Colombian peace process. With John Kampfner. (2016)

How Do International Institutions Make Peace?: The International Crisis Group’s Joost Hiltermann, the UN’s Andrew Gilmour, the Centre of Humanitarian Dialogue’s David Gorman and Beyond Conflict’s Tim Phillips spill the beans aboutthe realities of trying to make peace in an ever-fracturing world. Sir Kieran Prendergast asks the questions. (2014)

The Neuroscience of Ancient and Sacred Natural Sites: Meet conservationist and author of “Sacred Sites”, Robert Wild, neuroscience explorer, Tim Phillips and Deputy Director of the Museum of Modern Art, Maria Muller in the intimacy of the Chapel of Traquair as they explore why ancient places evokesuch a powerful hold over our culture and should be protected during times of conflict. (2013)

Making Peace in South Africa: Join Allan Little in conversation with Former Secretary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, Paul Van Zyl, Co-Founder of the Project on Justice in Times of Transition, Tim Phillips and President de Klerk’s defence minister, Roelf Meyer as he recounts how he came to release Nelson Mandela to create the Rainbow Nation. (2012)

 Miriam Margolyes OBE is British-Australian actress renowned for her prolific career in film, television and theatre. Over Margolyes decade long career in the film industry, she has won a BAFTA Award for Best supporting actress for her role Mrs. Mingott in Martin Scorsese’s “The Age of Innocence” (1993) and received the LA Critics Circle Award for her role in “Little Dorrit” (1988).  Margolyes is perhaps best known for her roles in “Blackadder,” “The Life and Loves of a She-Devil,” and as Professor Sprout in the “Harry Potter” series. She has also made memorable appearances in “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries,” “Call the Midwife,” and “The Real Marigold Hotel”​. Margolyes was appointed OBE in the 2022 New year Honours for Services to Drama. 

Events participated in:

Uncut and Uncensored: Join veteran BBC correspondent Jim Naughtie as he takes on the irrepressible Miriam Margolyes OBE, as she recounts more details about her extraordinary life and her new one woman show, Dickens’ Women. (2024)

Jim Naughtie FRSE  is a British radio and news presenter for the BBC. He began his career as a journalist at the Aberdeen Press and Journal before moving to the London offices of The Scotsman. He became its Chief Political Correspondent before working for The Washington Post and The Guardian. Mr Naughtie later moved into radio presenting and has anchored every BBC Radio UK election results programme since 1997, and worked on every US presidential election since 1988. He has been the main presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme and his radio presenting has earned him two Sony Radio Awards: Radio Personality of the Year in 1991 and Voice of the Listener and Viewer Award in 2001. That same year, Mr Naughtie received an honorary doctorate from the University of Sterling and was appointed as its chancellor in 2008. He retired from regular presenting duties in 2016 and is currently the BBC’s Special Correspondent responsible for charting UK constitutional reform, as well as the BBC news’ Book Editor.

Events participated in:

Bloody Scotland: Sit back and enjoy an afternoon with veteran crime writers Lin Anderson and Doug Johnstone as they discuss Anderson’s most recent novel The Wild Coast and explain to Jim Naughtie why Scotland is so bloody. (2024)

Uncut and Uncensored: Join veteran BBC correspondent Jim Naughtie as he takes on the irrepressible Miriam Margolyes OBE, as she recounts more details about her extraordinary life and her new one woman show, Dickens’ Women. (2024)

From the Sloane Ranger to Bake Off, How Britain’s Culture Has Change: Laugh with Jim Naughtie as he explores changes in British culture over the last 30 years with Chief Sloane Ranger and stylist Peter York and Bake Off star Dame Prue Leith. (2023)

Pretty Young Rebel: Join Jim Naughtie as he talks to Flora Fraser about the remarkable exploits of Flora MacDonald in both the Jacobite and American rebellions, as they discuss her new book Pretty Young Rebel: The Life of Flora MacDonald. (2023)

The Palace Papers: Watch Jim Naughtie as he grills Tina Brown about The Palace Papers, in which she shares searing insight into the Royal Family from the 1990s to today. (2022)

Is There Such a Thing as American Exceptionalism?: Join Jim Naughtie as he explores America’s historical legacy in the making of the modern world. With Tim Phillips, Aminatta Forna, and Oscar Guardiola-Rivera, as Razia Iqbal and Sir Kieran Prendergast join from abroad. (2021)

Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown: Watch as veteran journalist Jim Naughtie delves into the remarkable life of Lady Anne Glenconner, as Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret, wife to Lord Glenconner and her new role as a writer. (2021)

Where Next for the United Kingdom?: Listen as political commentators Steve Richards, Sarah Smith, and Jim Naughtie explore the current state of affairs in UK politics and what it takes to lead this country. Magnus Linklater asks the questions. (2019)

Sir Harold Evans: My Paper Chase: Jim Naughtie talks to award-winning journalistand author Sir Harold Evans about his life andwork – the story of a career spanning five decadesof political, social, and creative change. (2017)

Clinton vs Trump: The Battle for the Soul: Jim Naughtie, Tim Phillips, William Millerand Joan Abrahamson explore the dynamics underpinning the forthcoming US election. (2016)

The Dream That Never Dies: Spend an hour with the former First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, as he spills the beans on last year’s Referendum and his life as Scotland’s most explosive politician. (2015)

Time to Decide – The Independence Debate: Join Jim Naughtie as he grills political luminaries Michael Moore MP and Stephen Gethins about the Scottish Referendum and takes the longview with Scottish historian Michael Fry. (2014)

Jim Naughtie: The Madness of July: Drop by for a chat with Jim Naughtie, when Allan Little asks him about his new spy thriller The Madness of July. (2014)

Who Do You Think You Are?: Join Jim Naughtie for a light hearted debate as he explores the concept of national identity with Alistair Moffat, author of Britain’s DNA, author William Sutcliffe, and Quilliam Foundation Chairman and Restaurateur, Iqbal Wahhab. (2013)

Was Sir Walter Scott a Lyrical Nationalist: Discover acclaimed modern artist and Harvard literary professor Peter Sacks, as he explores and brings to life the timeless tales of Walter Scott’s collection of Scottish Border Ballads with the help of Jim Naughtie. Peter has been commissioned to produce a major new work for Traquair incorporating the history and texture of the Scottish Borders. (2013)

The Power of Music: Meet one of the world’s leading conductors, Maestro Valery Gergiev, as he talks to James Naughtie about his life, the power of music to uplift and heal, and how Russia convinced FIFA to let it host the world cup. Geoffrey Baskerville introduces. (2012)

The State of the Union: James Naughtie, Sir Menzies Campbell MP, Tam Dalyell and Magnus Linklater discuss the likely effect of the referendum, the banking scandal and the Leveson enquiry on the state of the British Union. (2012)

Gnawa music is a well-preserved heritage of ritual poetry with traditional music and dance, becoming increasingly known to international audiences. Gnawa Trance Fusion combine traditional and modern instruments to create an irresistible celebration of existence. Compelling instrumental and vocal phrases are created from traditional call and response sources and combined with creation around the repertoire which draws on jazz, reggae and other influences. This is an addictive rhythmic experience, at once a soul party and a mystical transport to Africa – Gnawa Trance Fusion brings a unique cultural experience to the contemporary and world music scene.

Events participated in: 

Evening Music with Gnawa Trance Fusion: Finish the day with Gnawa Trance Fusion, a Moroccan fusion band blending the traditional Moroccan music Gnawa, with a variety of jazz, funk and folk influences. (2024)

William Dalrynple is a Scottish-born bestselling author and historian. While studying at the University of Cambridge, he mirrored – on foot – the route of Marco Polo from Jerusalem to Mongolia and wrote his first book, In Xanadu about the journey. This became a bestseller and in 1990 he won the Yorkshire Post Best First Work Award and a Scottish Arts Council Spring Book Award. He has written several books about his travels, particularly around India, and his historical works have earned him several notable awards. Among them are the Wolfson Prize, the Scottish Book of the Year prize and three honorary doctorates of letters from the Universities of St Andrews, Lucknow and Aberdeen. His most recent written work The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company (2019) was shortlisted for numerous prizes. He is one of the co-founders and co-directors of the world’s largest writers festival, the annual Jaipur Literature Festival.

Events participated in:

The Golden Road: Watch eminent historian William Dalrymple CBE as he delivers a riveting lecture about his new book The Golden Road exploring how ancient India transformed the world. (2024)

The Uncommon Wealth: Join William Dalrymple and Dr Kojo Koram as they deep dive into the history of colonialism and the future of the Commonwealth with Oscar Guardiola-Rivera. (2023)

The Rise of the Festival: Listen to Hay, Edinburgh, and Jaipur Festival Chairs Caroline Michel, Allan Little, and William Dalrymple, as they discuss the rise of the festival and power of the spoken word with Oscar Guardiola-Rivera and Colin Grant. (2022)

Scotland: A Global History: Watch Murray Pittockas he unpicks Scotland’s global history and infuence with William Dalrymple. (2022)

Dispatches from Kabul: Join Allan Little with Eldridge Adolfo, Advisor to the EU Envoy to Afghanistan, Afghan rights campaigner Samina Ansari, Beyond Borders Fellow Mariam Safi, and William Dalrymple, as they discuss the crisis in Afghanistan. (2021)

Scots in the Empire: Participate in the inquisition, as Professor Geoff Palmer quizzes historian, William Dalrymple, and author of Blood Legacy, Alex Renton, about the Scots’ role in the British Empire and the institution of slavery. (2021)

The Prince Who Beat the Empire: Listen as William Dalrymple talks to Moin Mir about his book The Prince Who Beat the Empire– the moving story of the rebel prince who beat the world’s most powerful corporation: The East India Company. (2019)

Forgotten Masters: Indian Painting for the East India Company: William Dalrymple returns to Traquair House for an intimate chapel event discussing hisupcoming book and curated exhibition of a collection of extraordinary Indian artists between 1770 and 1857. (2019)

The East India Company: The Original Corporate Raiders: William Dalrymple returns to Traquair House to deliver another rousing talk about the East India Company, its legacy, and why the lessons of its brutal reign have never been more relevant. (2018)

The Dawn Watch: Joseph Conrad in a Global World: Accompany Maya Jasanoff as she explores the 21st Century disruptive world through the fiction of one of the 20th Century’s most prophetic writers: Joseph Conrad. William Dalrymple asks the questions. (2018)

Midnight’s Children: Legacy of Partition: Join William Dalrymple as he explores theconsequences of the Partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 with Harvard Professor Sugata Bose, Tufts University Professor Ayesha Jalal, former Editor of Pakistan Daily Times Rashed Rahman, and best-selling author Ahmed Rashid. (2017)

William Dalrymple: The Writer’s Eye: William Dalrymple’s striking photographs mark an accomplished leap of form for the the much travelled writer. Shot over two years, they pay homage to the beauty and disquiet of landscape, form and time. Courtesy of Sunaparanta-Goa Centre for the Arts – Curator: Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi – Patrons: Dattaraj & Dipti Salgaoca. (2016)

Encountering the East: In 1984 William Dalrymple set off on a journey through Asia, returning one year later having written In Xanadu. Almost 30 years later, lawyer Isabel Buchanan was drawn to Pakistan, where she wrote Trials: On Death Row in Pakistan. Discover how the beguiling East inspired them to write their first books. (2016)

The Silk Road: Where East Meets the West: Explore how the Silk Roads, the crossroads of the world, shaped global history over the past 2000 years as writer and historian Peter Frankopan talks to William Dalrymple about his latest book. (2016)

Koh-i-Noor: The Real Jewel in the Crown: Author and historian William Dalrymple returns to Traquair House to give one of his dazzling lectures, this time on the secrets and history behind the Koh-i-Nor: the real jewel in the crown. Oscar Guardiola-Rivera introduces. (2016)

India in the 21st Century: Join William Dalyrmple as he talks to Indian writer and Member of Parliament, Dr Shashi Tharoor, about India in the 21st Century. (2015)

Mughals in Kilts: William Dalrymple gives one of his dazzling lectures on ‘Mughals in Kilts.’ (2015)

Princes and Painters in Mughal Delhi: William Dalrymple returns to give a dazzling lecture on the art of the Mughals (1707-1857), as one great Empire gave way to another. (2014)

Return of the King: Meet Beyond Borders favourite, William Dalrymple, as he returns to Traquair to read from his new book, which examines the haunting parallels between Britain’s imperial adventures in Afghanistanin the 19th and 21st Centuries, as well as talk about his new project concerning the Indo-Pak rivalry. Magnus Linklater asks the questions. (2013)

Understanding the Islamic World: Join William Dalrymple as he talks to Sadakat Kadri about his journey through Sharia Law and the Sunni/Shia divide. Also Manny Ansar and former U.S. Diplomat Cynthia P. Schneider on why the West needs to reengage with the Islamic world. (2013)

The Last Mughal: Listen to the haunting songs of celebrated India singer, Vidya Shah, while William Dalrymple takes you on a journey through the poetry and intrigues of India’s last Mughal rule. (2012)

Pakistan – A Failing State?: William Dalrymple talks to Rashed Rahman, Editor of the Daily Times of Pakistan. (2011)

Tales from Afghanistan: Magnus Linklater talks to William Dalrymple and Des Browne about 19th and 20th-century British rule in Afghanistan. (2011)

Oscar Guardiola-Rivera is a writer and professor of human rights and political philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London. After leading the student movement that initiated a wave of constitutional reform throughout Latin America in the late 1990’s, he continued his studies in the United Kingdom where he obtained an LLM with Distinction at University College London, and a PhD in Philosophy at the University of Aberdeen. He is the writer of the award-winning What If Latin America Ruled the World? which was listed as one the best non-fiction books of 2010 by The Financial Times. Dr Guardiola-Rivera is also the co-editor of the contemporary art and theory journal Naked Punch: An Engaged Review of Arts & Theory, and has engaged with an extensive range of publications and broadcasters, including Granta, El Espectador, the BBC World Service Nightwaves, and Al-Jazeera to name but a few. He is currently the Deputy Postgraduate Director of the Department of Law at Birkbeck, University of London and is recognized as one of the most representative voices of contemporary Latin American philosophy and literature.

Events participated in: 

The Arrival in Tradition: Recovery, Rhythm and the Popul Vuh: Join Oscar Guardiola-Rivera and Azad Ashim Sharma for an hour of poetry and discussion with sonic accompaniment from Mun Sing. Celebrating the launch of Sharma’s Boiled Owls and Guardiola-Rivera’s Under The World, themes of addiction, recovery, arrival in tradition, indigenous thinking, and writing in a time of crisis emerge against a backdrop of Mun Sing’s soundscapes that embrace dark anguish in search of groove, rhythm, and hope. (2024)

‘A Citizen From Nowhere’: Join BBC correspondent Kirsty Lang as she talks to Aminatta Forna OBE on being cosmopolitan as they explore the question of whether we choose or are made to become global souls in an era of mass migration, nationalism and as a response to growing populism across the world. (2024)

Finding Justice: Oscar Guardiola-Rivera talks to the head of the Colombian Special Jurisdiction for Peace, Judge Roberto Carlos Vidal López, and with Nedžad Avdić on how he escaped from a death pit during the Srebrenica genocide to give crucial evidence before the International Criminal Court. In partnership with Beyond ​​Srebrenica. (2024)

The Uncommon Wealth: Join William Dalrymple and Dr Kojo Koram as they deep dive into the history of colonialism and the future of the Commonwealth with Oscar Guardiola-Rivera. (2023)

Who Gets Believed?: Explore identity and belonging with Dina Nayeri in an enlightening discussion with Oscar Guardiola-Rivera about the complexities of migration and identity. (2023)

Is There Such a Thing as American Exceptionalism?: Join Jim Naughtie as he explores America’s historical legacy in the making of the modern world. With Tim Phillips, Aminatta Forna, and Oscar Guardiola-Rivera, as Razia Iqbal and Sir Kieran Prendergast join from abroad. (2021)

The Long Knives: Enjoy Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh as he talks to Oscar Guardiola-Rivera about his life and new novel The Long Knives. (2022)

The Rise of the Festival: Listen to Hay, Edinburgh, and Jaipur Festival Chairs Caroline Michel,Allan Little, and William Dalrymple, as they discuss the rise of the festival and power of the spoken word with Oscar Guardiola-Rivera and Colin Grant. (2022)

10 Years That Shook the World: Join us as we look back at the events that have helped shape the last decade and the next, with Oscar Guardiola-Rivera and guests including Razia Iqbal, Staffan de Mistura, and Erik Berglof. Followed bya drinks reception celebrating the 10th anniversaryof the Beyond Borders International Festival. (2019)

Democracy in the Digital Age: New York Times journalist Amanda Taub, social impact entrepreneur Paul van Zyl, and Beyond Conflict CEO Tim Phillips talk to Oscar Guardiola-Rivera about democracy, the impact of technology, and the prevalence of social media as a polarizing force, as well as adiscussion about The New York Times’ Privacy Project. (2019)

The Most Unforgettable Women in History: Join actress and scholar Lisa Dwan and philosopher Dr Oscar Guardiola-Rivera for a fresh look at the most memorable women of Ancient Greek literature from Medea to Antigone. Can their story be re-told for the time of MeToo and the fourth wave of feminism. (2019)

Twenty Years On – A Good Friday Agreement: Oscar Guardiola-Rivera talks toMonica McWilliams and Tim Phillips as they reveal how peace was built in Northern Ireland and consider the impact of Brexit. (2018)

Black History Matters: Join Oscar Guardiola-Rivera as he explores race relations in America with author Aminatta Forna, Beyond Conflict’s Tim Phillips, and playwright Bonnie Greer. (2017)

Healing the Past: Michael Mansfield QC, Tim Phillips, Oscar Guardiola-Rivera and Lucy Ash discuss how communities come to terms with loss. (2016)

Paths to Peace: Beyond Conflict’s Tim Philips reveals how he convinced the Pope to support a crucial back channel between the US and Cuba, and Oscar Guardiola-Rivera gives a perspective on the Colombian peace process. With John Kampfner. (2016)

“Do Not Let Scotland Down”: Alyn Smith MEP talks to Oscar Guardiola-Rivera about that European Parliament speech. (2016)

This Will Make You Hopeful: Dr Oscar Guardiola-Rivera will give you five reasons to remain hopeful in hopeless times. (2015)

What is Europe?: Join Sarah Smith in conversation with Alyn Smith MEP, EIP Director Martin Griffiths, Erik Berglöf and Dr Oscar Guardiola-Rivera as they try to answer the question “What is Europe?” (2015)

The Rule of Law: What is Means and How to Spread It: Meet Sir Jeffrey Jowell QC of the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, the UN’s Andrew Gilmour, and David Marshall, editor of an explosive new book on the rule of law movement, as they discuss what the rule of law means for today’s international policymakers. (2014)

Oscar Guadiola-Rivera: Story of a Death Foretold: Meet Oscar Guardiola-Rivera as he recounts the circumstances that led to the fall of President Salvador Allende’s regime in Chile. (2014)

Are We Eating Ourselves into Oblivion?: Oscar Guardiola-Rivera talks to Feeding Frenzy author Paul McMahon, restaurant owner Iqbal Wahhab, and Delfina Foundation director, Aaron Cezar, about the politics of food in the 21st century. (2014)

Can We Ever Trust the State: As more disclosures emerge about the extent of official surveillance in Western society, John Kampfner asks whether we can ever trustthe State to protect our liberties. Author of forthcoming book,‘Story of a Death Foretold’ which charts the 1973 Chilean Coup,Ben Emmerson QC author of the UN report on drone strikesand US Ambassador Cynthia P. Schneider. (2013)

The Art of Protest: Meet William Sutcliffe as he talks about his new novel “The Wall” and later joins Palestinian Singer Reem Kelani, Turkish commentator,Mesut Onen, Turkish poet, Bejan Matur, Saudi Arabian artist Manal al-Dowayan and Egyptian film director Akmal Saleh as they go on to discuss the rise of public and cultural protest across the world. Colombian author Oscar Guardiola-Rivera asks the questions. (2013)

Balancing Security and Human Rights in Times of Transition: Join International Criminal Tribunal judge Ben Emmerson QC, former head of UNDPA, Sir Kieran Prendergast, Roelf Meyer and Lindsey Hilsum as they discuss with Dr. Oscar Guardiola Rivera how to achieve stability in Syria and whether military intervention, the use of targeted drone strikes and the use of other more controversial war on terror methods leads to a more stable world. (2012)

Small Acts of Resistance: Join Steve Crawshaw, Pamela Hogan, Richard Demarco and Paul Van Zyl, as they discuss with resident Colombian philosopher Dr. Oscar Guardiola Rivera how the arts are being used to highlight resistance and promote change around the world. (2012)

Dividing Small Nations: Comedian, writer and broadcaster Mark Thomas talks to Oscar Guardiola-Rivera about his recent walk along Israel’s Separation Barrier. (2011)

The Arab Spring & the Power of Democracy: Oscar Guardiola-Rivera talks about the power of democracy with Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish, Rashed Rahman, Sir Kieran Prendergast, Ramy Essam and Marie Colvin. (2011)

Why Latin America Should Run the World: Join witty Columbian philosopher Oscar Guardiola-Rivera, with Geoffrey Baskerville to see why Latin America should rule the world! (2010)

Judge Roberto Carlos Vidal López  has worked as a consultant for several organs of the United Nations System and organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Interamerican Institute of Human Rights (IIDH). Judge Vidal is also former president of the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM) and the Network of Universities for Peace – REDUNIPAZ. 

Events participated in:

Finding Justice: Oscar Guardiola-Rivera talks to the head of the Colombian Special Jurisdiction for Peace, Judge Roberto Carlos Vidal López, and with Nedžad Avdić on how he escaped from a death pit during the Srebrenica genocide to give crucial evidence before the International Criminal Court. In partnership with Beyond ​​Srebrenica. (2024)

Nigel Osborne is an accomplished composer, teacher and aid worker. Mr Osborne’s works have been performed around the world by major orchestras and opera houses, including the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia of London, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Scottish Opera. He has been awarded the Opera Prize of Radio Suisse Romande and Ville de Geneve, the Netherlands Gaudeamus Prize, the Radcliffe Award, the Koussevitzky Award of the Library of Congress, and the Washington and the British Composer Award for Inspiration. Mr Osborne was the Master of Music at Shakespeare’s Globe from 1999 to 2000 and has pioneered methods using music and the creative arts to support children who are victims of conflict. This innovative approach was developed during the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina (1992-95), and has since been widely implemented across the Balkan region.

Events participated in:

Music, War and Peace: Enjoy an hour of music with meaning, led by Nigel Osborne and musicians for a procession around Traquair’s tranquil grounds. Followed by a presentation entitled, Music and War, in the second half of the hour. (2024)

A Promenade of Discovery: Explore Traquair’s surroundings as Nigel Osborne leads a musical promenade exploring the linksbetween music and the climate crisis. (2021)

Lunchtime Music: Listen as Nigel Osborne curates a programme of music exploring the links between music and the climate crisis. (2021)

A Promenade of Discovery: Emeritus Professor Nigel Osborne MBE leads a promenade of discovery through the grounds of Traquair House, accompanied by Syrian oud, gongs, violin, and cello, as he explores the power of music and its impact on a sense of place, and home. (2019)

Music and Migration: World-renowned composer Emeritus Professor Nigel Osborne MBE gives a talk about music and migration, accompanied by Syrian Oud, cello, gongs, and violin. (2019)

Derek Goldman, is Artistic and Executive Director and co-Founder of the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University in Washington DC, with the mission to harness the power of performance to humanise global politics.  He is Chair of Georgetown University’s Department of Performing Arts and Director of the Theater & Performance Studies Program as well as Professor of Culture, Politics & Global Performance in GU’s School of Foreign Service.  He is an award-winning stage director, playwright/adapter, scholar, producer, and developer of new work, whose work has been seen throughout the US, off-Broadway, and internationally at leading venues such as Shakespeare Theater Company, Steppenwolf, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, Baltimore CenterStage, Folger, Ford’s Theater, Chicago Shakespeare, and many others. He co-wrote and directed the award-winning play Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski starring Oscar-Nominated actor David Strathairn as the Polish Holocaust witness. The play is touring internationally to leading venues and will premiere Off-Broadway in New York in the Fall. The film version of Remember This is also premiering at leading festivals this summer.  Goldman is the author of more than 30 professionally produced plays and adaptations, including work published by Samuel French, and he has directed over 100 productions. His engagement with global performance in recent years has taken his work to Sudan, Cambodia, Bangladesh, China, Poland, South Africa, Australia, Peru, Japan, Bulgaria, Armenia, Chile, the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, France, and throughout the UK, among other places. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Theatre Communications Group (TCG); Vice-President of UNESCO’s International Theatre Institute, and Founding Director of the Global Network of Higher Education in the Performing Arts. He holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and he received the President’s Award for Distinguished Scholar-Teachers at Georgetown and the Provost’s Award for Innovation in Teaching for his work as creator of In Your Shoes, an internationally recognised groundbreaking model for using performance to counter polarisation and to engage challenging conversations across difference through theatrical techniques and deep, respectful listening.

Events particpated in: 

Meet the Fellows: Let Director of Global Performance at Georgetown University, Derek Goldman introduce you to some of the Beyond Borders 1325 Women in Conflict Fellows through his mesmerizing ‘In Your Shoes’ methodology. (2024)

The Lesson of Jan Karski: Join Kirsty Lang as she talks to award-winning actor David Strathairn and director Derek Goldman about their internationally celebrated play and film Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski,which tells the true story of the Polish World War II hero and Holocaust witness who risked his life to carry the first reports of the Holocaust to the West. (2023)

In Your Shoes: Meet Derek Goldman as he discusses In Your Shoes, an inspiring, award-winning project he created and directs for The Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University (2022)

 In Conversation with Raja Shehadeh, Sarah Helm, and Derek Goldman: Join Sarah Helmas she discusses Raja Shehadeh’s new book on Palestine and the power of narrative with Derek Goldman from Georgetown University. (2022)

The Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship is based around the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 which “reaffirms the role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflict, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction, and stresses the importance of their equal participation in all efforts for the promotion of peace and security”.

The Fellowship has been held 3 times a year since 2015 in Edinburgh and online during the Covid-19 pandemic, and has built up a fantastic network of over 360 women from 33 countries across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Latin America. These women are a diverse group, working in an equally varied range of professions related to peacebuilding and conflict resolution. This wealth of experience is one of the key strengths of the Fellowship as it allows for greater reflection and shared learning on different aspects of the peacebuilding rather than solely focusing on high-level, formal peace processes.

Magnus Linklater CBE is a Scottish journalist, writer and former newspaper owner. He was born in Orkney and studied at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. Mr Linklater has worked as an Editor for the Evening Standard, The Sunday Times, The Observer, The Scotsman and The Times. Linklater is also a former chairman of the Scottish Arts Council 1996-2001 and holds honorary degrees from Napier, Aberdeen and Glasgow Universities. He has presented Eye to Eye on BBC radio Scotland and written numerous books on Scottish history and current affairs from, ‘The Nazi Legacy’ to ‘The Secret Life of Jeremy Thorpe.’ 

Events participated in:

Ukraine Three Years On: Join Magnus Linklater CBE as he talks to Scottish journalist, Jen Stout, about her vivid first hand account of life under fire detailed in her remarkable book, Night Train to Odessa. (2024)

From Russia with Love: Watch as Magnus Linklater, former Met Chief Bernard Hogan-Howe and John Taylor, who has spent over 50 years working in intelligence and security, including close contact with human sources like Oleg Gordievsky, as they discuss the state of play concerning domestic and international security. (2021)

Where Next for the United Kingdom?: Listen as political commentators Steve Richards, Sarah Smith, and Jim Naughtie explore the current state of affairs in UK politics and what it takes to leadthis country. Magnus Linklater asks the questions. (2019)

Great Scottish Lives: Join Allan Massie as he interviews Magnus Linklater about his latest book, Great Scottish Lives, a collection of obituaries exploring the lives of iconic figures throughout Scottish history. (2018)

After Chilcot: What Next for British Diplomacy: Join veteran UN diplomats Sir Kieran Prendergast and Andrew Gilmour as they discuss the soft and hard power options for international diplomacy in the wake of the Chilcot Inquiry. Magnus Linklater asks the questions. (2016)

Crossing Borders: Listen to Rory Stewart MP in conversation with Beyond Borders Patron, Magnus Linklater as he talks about his life as a soldier, explorer, writer, diplomat and Borders politician. (2013)

Return of the King: Meet Beyond Borders favourite, William Dalrymple, as he returns to Traquair to read from his new book, which examines the haunting parallels between Britain’s imperial adventures in Afghanistanin the 19th and 21st Centuries, as well as talk about his new project concerning the Indo-Pak rivalry. Magnus Linklater asks the questions. (2013)

The State of the Union: James Naughtie, Sir Menzies Campbell MP, Tam Dalyell and Magnus Linklater discuss the likely effect of the referendum, the banking scandal and the Leveson enquiry on the state of the British Union. (2012)

Cables from Kabul: Listen to veteran diplomat and former UK Special Envoy, Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, as he discusses his experience of Afghanistan and Pakistan with the Scottish editor of the Times, Magnus Linklater. (2012)

How to Win and Keep Hold of Power: Magnus Linklater in discussion with Jonathan Powell on how to wield power in the modern world. (2011)

Tales from Afghanistan: Magnus Linklater talks to William Dalrymple and Des Browne about 19th and 20th-century British rule in Afghanistan. (2011)

A Place in the Sun: Where now for Zimbabwe: Magnus Linklater, MDC Minister of Culture, David Coltart, former Cricket Captain, Henry Olonga, and the film director of Mugabe and the White African, Andy Thompson, as they consider Zimbabwe’s future. (2010)

Tales from Afghanistan: Join Magnus Linklater in discussion with James Ferguson, author of Taliban and Tim Albone, former Sunday Times Foreign Correspondent and film director of Out of the Ashes, about what lies in store for Afghanistan, its people and the West’s presence in the country. (2010)

Jen Stout is a correspondent, writer and radio producer from Shetland. A former BBC Scotland journalist, she left Russia at the outbreak of the invasion and moved to Romania and then Ukraine, covering the war as a freelancer. She has written regularly for the Sunday Post, London Review of Books, and most recently, New Humanist and Prospect. Her radio work includes From Our Own Correspondent, Any Questions (Radio 4), and BBC World Service.

Events participated in:

Ukraine Three Years On: Join Magnus Linklater CBE as he talks to Scottish journalist, Jen Stout, about her vivid first hand account of life under fire detailed in her remarkable book, Night Train to Odessa. (2024)

Sarona Abuaker is a poet, artist, and educational outreach worker. Her poems have been published in Berfrois, MAP Magazine, and the87press’ theHythe Digital Poetics series. Her mixed-media essay Suture Fragmentations – A Note on Return was published in December 2020 with KOHL: A Journal for Body and Gender Research. She is based in London. Why so few women on the street at night is her debut collection (the87press, 2021).

Events participated in:

the87press presents: Mushaira, Beyond the Borders: the87press has become London’s standout publisher for diverse forms of literature and their fusion with sound art. Bringing their industry leading Mushaira series to Beyond Borders, you are invited to join Sarona Abuaker, Karenjit Sandhu, and Jessica Widner for a poetry performance with sonic accompaniment from Mun Sing. Published on the87press, Abuaker, Sandhu, and Widner’s debut’s all delve into the power and politics of the erotic body, expect thematics ranging from Palestinian cultural resistance, South Asian speculative histories, and ghostly interventions into love-triangles. Mun Sing will provide tailored soundscapes to bring out the hidden energies of each reading. (2024)

Karenjit Sandhu is a poet and artist. Her publications include Poetic Fragments from the Irritating Archive (Guillemot Press), young girls! (the87press) and Baby 19 (intergraphia), with gestalt (the87press) forthcoming in 2025. Her work also appears in Judith: Women Making Visual Poetry and The Blue Notebook: Journal for Artists’ Books. Her own artists’ books have been collected by the Tate archive and exhibited at The Showroom (London) and Galerie éof (Paris). Karenjit’s performance work has led to collaborations with the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Barbican, Flat Time House and Christie’s (London), Arnolfini (Bristol) and Galerie Eric Dupont (Paris).

Events participated in:

the87press presents: Mushaira, Beyond the Borders: the87press has become London’s standout publisher for diverse forms of literature and their fusion with sound art. Bringing their industry leading Mushaira series to Beyond Borders, you are invited to join Sarona Abuaker, Karenjit Sandhu, and Jessica Widner for a poetry performance with sonic accompaniment from Mun Sing. Published on the87press, Abuaker, Sandhu, and Widner’s debut’s all delve into the power and politics of the erotic body, expect thematics ranging from Palestinian cultural resistance, South Asian speculative histories, and ghostly interventions into love-triangles. Mun Sing will provide tailored soundscapes to bring out the hidden energies of each reading. (2024)

Jessica Widner is a fiction writer and academic. Her first novel, Interiors, was released in 2022 from the87press. Her short fiction has appeared in the Edinburgh International Film Festival commissioned From Troubled Dreams Under a Glare of Sky, Extra Teeth, and Gutter Magazine. She is an Early Career Fellow in Creative Writing at the University of Edinburgh. 

Events participated in:

the87press presents: Mushaira, Beyond the Borders: the87press has become London’s standout publisher for diverse forms of literature and their fusion with sound art. Bringing their industry leading Mushaira series to Beyond Borders, you are invited to join Sarona Abuaker, Karenjit Sandhu, and Jessica Widner for a poetry performance with sonic accompaniment from Mun Sing. Published on the87press, Abuaker, Sandhu, and Widner’s debut’s all delve into the power and politics of the erotic body, expect thematics ranging from Palestinian cultural resistance, South Asian speculative histories, and ghostly interventions into love-triangles. Mun Sing will provide tailored soundscapes to bring out the hidden energies of each reading. (2024)

Azad Ashim Sharma is a writer and publisher based in South London. He is the director of the87press. His work includes Against the Frame (Broken Sleep Books, 2022) and Ergastulum (Broken Sleep Books, 2022). His work has featured in publications such as the Asian American Writers Workshop, Stand Magazine, Gutter Magazine, the journal Social and Health Sciences, SPAMzine, MIR Online, and Wasafiri. He is a Chase-funded PhD Candidate in English and Humanities at Birkbeck College, University of London. He is the recipient of the Caribbean Philosophical Association’s Nicolás Cristóbal Guillén Batista Outstanding Book Award 2023.

Events participated in:

The Arrival in Tradition: Recovery, Rhythm and the Popul Vuh: Join Oscar Guardiola-Rivera and Azad Ashim Sharma for an hour of poetry and discussion with sonic accompaniment from Mun Sing. Celebrating the launch of Sharma’s Boiled Owls and Guardiola-Rivera’s Under The World, themes of addiction, recovery, arrival in tradition, indigenous thinking, and writing in a time of crisis emerge against a backdrop of Mun Sing’s soundscapes that embrace dark anguish in search of groove, rhythm, and hope. (2024)

Derek Goldman, is Artistic and Executive Director and co-Founder of the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University in Washington DC, with the mission to harness the power of performance to humanise global politics.  He is Chair of Georgetown University’s Department of Performing Arts and Director of the Theater & Performance Studies Program as well as Professor of Culture, Politics & Global Performance in GU’s School of Foreign Service.  He is an award-winning stage director, playwright/adapter, scholar, producer, and developer of new work, whose work has been seen throughout the US, off-Broadway, and internationally at leading venues such as Shakespeare Theater Company, Steppenwolf, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, Baltimore CenterStage, Folger, Ford’s Theater, Chicago Shakespeare, and many others. He co-wrote and directed the award-winning play Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski starring Oscar-Nominated actor David Strathairn as the Polish Holocaust witness. The play is touring internationally to leading venues and will premiere Off-Broadway in New York in the Fall. The film version of Remember This is also premiering at leading festivals this summer.  Goldman is the author of more than 30 professionally produced plays and adaptations, including work published by Samuel French, and he has directed over 100 productions. His engagement with global performance in recent years has taken his work to Sudan, Cambodia, Bangladesh, China, Poland, South Africa, Australia, Peru, Japan, Bulgaria, Armenia, Chile, the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, France, and throughout the UK, among other places. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Theatre Communications Group (TCG); Vice-President of UNESCO’s International Theatre Institute, and Founding Director of the Global Network of Higher Education in the Performing Arts. He holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and he received the President’s Award for Distinguished Scholar-Teachers at Georgetown and the Provost’s Award for Innovation in Teaching for his work as creator of In Your Shoes, an internationally recognised groundbreaking model for using performance to counter polarisation and to engage challenging conversations across difference through theatrical techniques and deep, respectful listening.

Events particpated in: 

Meet the Fellows: Let Director of Global Performance at Georgetown University, Derek Goldman introduce you to some of the Beyond Borders 1325 Women in Conflict Fellows through his mesmerizing ‘In Your Shoes’ methodology. (2024)

The Lesson of Jan Karski: Join Kirsty Lang as she talks to award-winning actor David Strathairn and director Derek Goldman about their internationally celebrated play and film Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski,which tells the true story of the Polish World War II hero and Holocaust witness who risked his life to carry the first reports of the Holocaust to the West. (2023)

In Your Shoes: Meet Derek Goldman as he discusses In Your Shoes, an inspiring, award-winning project he created and directs for The Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University (2022)

 In Conversation with Raja Shehadeh, Sarah Helm, and Derek Goldman: Join Sarah Helmas she discusses Raja Shehadeh’s new book on Palestine and the power of narrative with Derek Goldman from Georgetown University. (2022)

The Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship is based around the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 which “reaffirms the role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflict, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction, and stresses the importance of their equal participation in all efforts for the promotion of peace and security”.

The Fellowship has been held 3 times a year since 2015 in Edinburgh and online during the Covid-19 pandemic, and has built up a fantastic network of over 360 women from 33 countries across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Latin America. These women are a diverse group, working in an equally varied range of professions related to peacebuilding and conflict resolution. This wealth of experience is one of the key strengths of the Fellowship as it allows for greater reflection and shared learning on different aspects of the peacebuilding rather than solely focusing on high-level, formal peace processes.

Staffan de Mistura is a long-serving Italian-Swedish diplomat and former member of the Italian government. Having worked in various United Nations agencies for 40 years, we was appointed Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs in the Italian cabinet. He is currently United Nations special envoy for the Syria crisis and the director of Villa San Michele on Capri. His previous posts in the UN have included Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Iraq (2007-2009) and Afghanistan (2010-2011), Personal Representative of the Secretary-General for Southern Lebanon (2001-2004), and director of the UN Information Centre in Rome (2000-2001).

Events participated in:

A Diplomatic Life: Former UN envoy Staffan de Mistura, and Stephanie Williams talk to Nicola Sturgeon MSP, about their diplomatic experiences as they consider the future of the United Nations and its security council. Joined by questions from a Peebles High School student, as part of the Beyond Borders Youth Programme. (2024)

A Diplomatic Life: Listen to veteran United Nations diplomat Staffan de Mistura as he reflects on his time as Special Envoy to Syria and his life in pursuit of peace. Razia Iqbal asks the questions. Mark Muller Stuart QC introduces. (2019)

10 Years That Shook the World: Join us as we look back at the events that have helped shape the last decade and the next, with Oscar Guardiola-Rivera and guests including Razia Iqbal, Staffan de Mistura, and Erik Berglof. Followed bya drinks reception celebrating the 10th anniversaryof the Beyond Borders International Festival. (2019)

A Diplomatic Affair: Listen to veteran UN Diplomat and Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura as he talks to Allan Little about his life, and find out why he painted camels blue in Sudan. (2016)

3.5 Billion Cracks and Counting: Lyse Doucet talks to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura about the increasing role women are playing in peacemaking and politics, including Europe’s future. (2016)

Women in Conflict Launch: Join First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura and Founder of Beyond Borders Mark Muller Stuart QC at the launch of the Women in Conflict Peace Initiative as they welcome this year’s Women in Conflict Fellows from around the world to Scotland. (2015)

A Diplomatic Affair: Sir Kieran Prendergast talks to veteran UN diplomat Staffan de Mistura about his life and work, including his time as UN Special Envoy to Syria. (2015)

Stephanie Williams is an accomplished American diplomat who has played a key role in international peacekeeping efforts, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. She served as the United Nations Special Adviser on Libya, where she was instrumental in brokering the 2020 ceasefire agreement, significantly contributing to the country’s path toward political stability.

Williams has held various significant positions, including Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. embassies in Jordan and Bahrain, and Deputy Special Representative for Political Affairs at the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). Her deep expertise in Middle Eastern affairs and her dedication to diplomacy have marked her as a prominent figure in international relations.

Events participated in:

A Diplomatic Life: Former UN envoy Staffan de Mistura, and Stephanie Williams talk to Nicola Sturgeon MSP, about their diplomatic experiences as they consider the future of the United Nations and its security council. Joined by questions from a Peebles High School student, as part of the Beyond Borders Youth Programme. (2024)

Nicola Sturgeon MSP, is the former First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party (2014-2023). She is also the Member of Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Southside. Formerly a graduate of Law from the University of Glasgow, she originally worked as a solicitor. Having already become a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, she was first elected to the Scottish Parliament in 1999 and served as the SNP’s shadow minister for education, health and justice. Since then, she has held multiple positions within the party serving as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities, deputy leader of the party and Deputy First Minister of Scotland before becoming First Minister. She has won several awards including both the title of Scottish Politician of the Year and the Donald Dewar Debater of the Year Award.

Events participated in:

A Diplomatic Life: Former UN envoy Staffan de Mistura, and Stephanie Williams talk to Nicola Sturgeon MSP, about their diplomatic experiences as they consider the future of the United Nations and its security council. Joined by questions from a Peebles High School student, as part of the Beyond Borders Youth Programme. (2024)

Stand Up and Speak Out: Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon talks to veteran peacemaker Monica McWilliams about her new book Stand Up, Speak Out: My Life Working for Women’s Rights, Peace and Equality in Northern Ireland and Beyond. (2023)

Stories from the Frontline: Nicola Sturgeon and Guests FM Nicola Sturgeon talks to members of the Fellowship Programme from around the world as they give their take on recent global events. (2022)

Beyond Brexit: Listen as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon gives her take on Brexit and the new emerging political landscape in Scotland, the United Kingdom, and beyond. Allan Little asks the questions. Mark Muller Stuart QC introduces. (2019)

Women in the World: Listen as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon interviews journalist, magazine editor, columnist, talk-show host, and author Tina Brown about her life in the media andbeyond to her work on Women in the World. (2017)

3.5 Billion Cracks and Counting: Lyse Doucet talks to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura about the increasing role women are playing in peacemaking and politics, including Europe’s future. (2016)

An Audience with the Most Influential Woman in Britain: Spend an hour with Nicola Sturgeon, one of the most remarkable women in politics, as she talks about her life, and her hopes and fears for Scotland and the UK. (2015)

Women in Conflict Launch: Join First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura and Founder of Beyond Borders Mark Muller Stuart QC at the launch of the Women in Conflict Peace Initiative as they welcome this year’s Women in Conflict Fellows from around the world to Scotland. (2015)

Peebles High School, is a Secondary School located in Peebles in the Scottish Borders. Founded in 1858, Peebles High School serves nearly 1,500 students aged 12-18.

Jim Naughtie FRSE  is a British radio and news presenter for the BBC. He began his career as a journalist at the Aberdeen Press and Journal before moving to the London offices of The Scotsman. He became its Chief Political Correspondent before working for The Washington Post and The Guardian. Mr Naughtie later moved into radio presenting and has anchored every BBC Radio UK election results programme since 1997, and worked on every US presidential election since 1988. He has been the main presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme and his radio presenting has earned him two Sony Radio Awards: Radio Personality of the Year in 1991 and Voice of the Listener and Viewer Award in 2001. That same year, Mr Naughtie received an honorary doctorate from the University of Sterling and was appointed as its chancellor in 2008. He retired from regular presenting duties in 2016 and is currently the BBC’s Special Correspondent responsible for charting UK constitutional reform, as well as the BBC news’ Book Editor.

Events participated in:

Bloody Scotland: Sit back and enjoy an afternoon with veteran crime writers Lin Anderson and Doug Johnstone as they discuss Anderson’s most recent novel The Wild Coast and explain to Jim Naughtie why Scotland is so bloody. (2024)

Uncut and Uncensored: Join veteran BBC correspondent Jim Naughtie as he takes on the irrepressible Miriam Margolyes OBE, as she recounts more details about her extraordinary life and her new one woman show, Dickens’ Women. (2024)

From the Sloane Ranger to Bake Off, How Britain’s Culture Has Change: Laugh with Jim Naughtie as he explores changes in British culture over the last 30 years with Chief Sloane Ranger and stylist Peter York and Bake Off star Dame Prue Leith. (2023)

Pretty Young Rebel: Join Jim Naughtie as he talks to Flora Fraser about the remarkable exploits of Flora MacDonald in both the Jacobite and American rebellions, as they discuss her new book Pretty Young Rebel: The Life of Flora MacDonald. (2023)

The Palace Papers: Watch Jim Naughtie as he grills Tina Brown about The Palace Papers, in which she shares searing insight into the Royal Family from the 1990s to today. (2022)

Is There Such a Thing as American Exceptionalism?: Join Jim Naughtie as he explores America’s historical legacy in the making of the modern world. With Tim Phillips, Aminatta Forna, and Oscar Guardiola-Rivera, as Razia Iqbal and Sir Kieran Prendergast join from abroad. (2021)

Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown: Watch as veteran journalist Jim Naughtie delves into the remarkable life of Lady Anne Glenconner, as Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret, wife to Lord Glenconner and her new role as a writer. (2021)

Where Next for the United Kingdom?: Listen as political commentators Steve Richards, Sarah Smith, and Jim Naughtie explore the current state of affairs in UK politics and what it takes to lead this country. Magnus Linklater asks the questions. (2019)

Sir Harold Evans: My Paper Chase: Jim Naughtie talks to award-winning journalistand author Sir Harold Evans about his life andwork – the story of a career spanning five decadesof political, social, and creative change. (2017)

Clinton vs Trump: The Battle for the Soul: Jim Naughtie, Tim Phillips, William Millerand Joan Abrahamson explore the dynamics underpinning the forthcoming US election. (2016)

The Dream That Never Dies: Spend an hour with the former First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, as he spills the beans on last year’s Referendum and his life as Scotland’s most explosive politician. (2015)

Time to Decide – The Independence Debate: Join Jim Naughtie as he grills political luminaries Michael Moore MP and Stephen Gethins about the Scottish Referendum and takes the longview with Scottish historian Michael Fry. (2014)

Jim Naughtie: The Madness of July: Drop by for a chat with Jim Naughtie, when Allan Little asks him about his new spy thriller The Madness of July. (2014)

Who Do You Think You Are?: Join Jim Naughtie for a light hearted debate as he explores the concept of national identity with Alistair Moffat, author of Britain’s DNA, author William Sutcliffe, and Quilliam Foundation Chairman and Restaurateur, Iqbal Wahhab. (2013)

Was Sir Walter Scott a Lyrical Nationalist: Discover acclaimed modern artist and Harvard literary professor Peter Sacks, as he explores and brings to life the timeless tales of Walter Scott’s collection of Scottish Border Ballads with the help of Jim Naughtie. Peter has been commissioned to produce a major new work for Traquair incorporating the history and texture of the Scottish Borders. (2013)

The Power of Music: Meet one of the world’s leading conductors, Maestro Valery Gergiev, as he talks to James Naughtie about his life, the power of music to uplift and heal, and how Russia convinced FIFA to let it host the world cup. Geoffrey Baskerville introduces. (2012)

The State of the Union: James Naughtie, Sir Menzies Campbell MP, Tam Dalyell and Magnus Linklater discuss the likely effect of the referendum, the banking scandal and the Leveson enquiry on the state of the British Union. (2012)

Lin Anderson is a Scottish author and screenwriter and is best known for her crime fiction novels featuring forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod. Anderson studied at Glasgow University and earned a degree in Mathematics and later obtained a Screenwriting degree from Edinburgh Napier University. Her major works include the Rhona MacLeod Series and the Patrick de Courvoisier Series. Anderson’s books have received critical acclaim and have been shortlisted for awards such as the Scottish Crime Book of the Year. She is also the co-founder of the Bloody Scotland crime writing festival, an annual event that celebrates crime fiction and brings together authors and fans from around the world.

Events participated in:

Bloody Scotland: Sit back and enjoy an afternoon with veteran crime writers Lin Anderson and Doug Johnstone as they discuss Anderson’s most recent novel The Wild Coast and explain to Jim Naughtie why Scotland is so bloody. (2024)

Doug Johnstone is the author of seventeen novels, many of which have been bestsellers. The Space Between Us was chosen for BBC Two’s Between the Covers, while Black Hearts was shortlisted for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year, The Big Chill longlisted for the same prize. Three of his books – A Dark Matter, Breakers and The Jump – have been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. Doug has taught creative writing or been writer in residence at universities, schools, writing retreats, festivals, prisons and a funeral directors. He’s also been an arts journalist for twenty-five years. He is a songwriter and musician with six albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also co-founder of the Scotland Writers Football Club.

Events participated in:

Bloody Scotland: Sit back and enjoy an afternoon with veteran crime writers Lin Anderson and Doug Johnstone as they discuss Anderson’s most recent novel The Wild Coast and explain to Jim Naughtie why Scotland is so bloody. (2024)