“And truth”, says Demarco, “is the foundation stone for all creativity"
The Edinburgh Festival was founded in 1947 with the aim of bonding the peoples of Europe following the devastation, mass death and crushing of the human spirit and artistic freedom wrought by the Nazis. It was to be a great celebration of European culture, of free men and women at liberty to create, interpret and perform and do so without fear. Over its 79 years it has had its great moments and its failures and disappointments. Such is art. But Nicola Benedetti, now the International Festival’s director made “The truth we seek” the theme of this year’s event. Truth and freedom are essential bedfellows. Without each other neither can survive. Without each there can be no great flowering of the human condition.
Trump, Rubio, Putin and their fellow travellers in the UK, Europe and across the globe are not the friends of European civilisation. They are the destroyers of freedom. One way to see them defeated is to support writers, artists and performers, whether folk band, local landscape painter, avant garde author, jazz virtuoso or classical orchestra. Free expression in the Arts is freedom for us all.