A trumpet cuts through the audience’s murmuring – Wynston Marsalis stands at the back of the auditorium playing Amazing Grace, and amazing it absolutely was. The Global Ideas Stage began as it intended to go on. Featuring Edinburgh International Festival’s Director, Nicola Benedetti as host, alongside Harvard Art and Culture Historian, Sarah Lewis. Last year’s festival also featured a talk from Sarah Lewis, but this year the structure followed a more interview-based approach. Six guests were chosen to discuss the connection between Scotland and America and its Declaration of Independence. As well as discussing how culture and media allows for minds to be changed and hope to be given. Our panel consisted of Adam Dixon, Amy Goodman, Gordon Brown, Bryan Stevenson, Ken Burns, Lewis and Benedetti.
Each segment consisted of a one-on-one interview, broken up by musical performances and screenings of excerpts from Burns’ The American Revolution documentary and a trailer of Goodman’s biographical documentary, Steal This Story, Please! The musical guests were exceptional, with vocalist Beth Taylor and accompanist Hamish Brown performing a beautifully striking version of Robert Burns’ For A’ That An A’ That, tying into Scotland’s complicity with slavery in America. Singing No One Knows the Trouble I’ve seen, the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers moved us, hitting home the previous discussion surrounding the American civil rights movement. Each performance was thoroughly emotionally charged and equally spellbinding.
The event was concluding when suddenly a man interrupted the closing speech. He shouts out, asking, “what about Palestine?” The conflict in Iran was mentioned, anti-immigration was discussed, America was discussed, so why not Palestine? Gordon Brown was also a direct target of his protest. His outburst was of course ignored, and Nicola Benedetti closed the event with a piece on violin. But this audience member’s comments still circled in my mind. Especially considering the ongoing protests in Edinburgh calling for EIF to cut ties with investment management company Baillie Gifford. Baillie Gifford has been under fire for investing in companies with ties to Israel, including an arms manufacturer. Given this controversy, it gives the impression that the lack of discussion surrounding Palestine was intentional censorship. Perhaps not maliciously so, especially given the dedicated activist work the majority of the panel undertake, but it seems hard to deny that this was a conscious omission.
Stevenson’s The Legacy of Slavery exhibition features at the Playfair Library until the 30th of August 2026.
More information is available at https://www.eif.co.uk/events/the-global-ideas-stage
Reviewer: Jessie Martin
Reviewed: 11th August 2026
North West End UK Rating: