30 January 2026, Starts: 19:00

Screening of The Slave's Lament and Q&A with artist, Graham Fagen

Organised by Timespan Museum, Helmsdale. For further details, see their website.

The event is created as a welcoming starting point for anyone interested about Scotland’s history, culture and how the past continues to shape life in the Highlands today. Participants are invited to explore Scotland’s deep entanglement with the transatlantic slave trade and its continuing cultural and economic legacies, with a particular focus on the Highlands.

This is the second event of Decolonising the Highlands, a longer-term programme co-curated with Cat Dunn that will be shaped collaboratively with our local communities. This screening and discussion lay the groundwork for that process, creating shared understanding and inviting local voices to reflect together on what comes next.

You do not need any prior knowledge of decolonisation to take part. Whether you are new to these conversations or already engaged, this is a space to listen, reflect, and contribute.

About the Film The Slave Lament

Written in 1792, The Slave’s Lament is Robert Burns’ only work that communicated the appalling realities of the transatlantic slave trade. Despite being more than 200 years old, the song brings the social, political and human tragedies of today into sharp focus.

In this contemporary interpretation, artist Graham Fagen brings together the Scottish Ensemble and reggae singer Ghetto Priest. By connecting Burns’ words with Jamaican reggae, the work links Scottish and Caribbean histories and highlights how seemingly distant musical cultures are deeply entangled. The result is a powerful and moving piece that invites reflection on shared histories of suffering, resistance, and humanity.

The Slave’s Lament’ was Robert Burns’ only work to empathise with the appalling hurt of the displaced, the trafficked, and the enslaved. A beautiful lyric written over two hundred years ago, it is a narrative that remains entirely contemporary as we think of current tragedies unfolding on borders and in hinterland locations.

After the screening, there will be a relaxed and inclusive discussion with artist Graham Fagen and curator Cat Dunn. We hope for this to be a participatory space for our audiences to begin reflecting on erased or marginalised histories that have shaped the region. Together, we will begin to explore which stories have been overlooked or marginalised in the construction of Highland cultural narratives? How can art help us think, feel, and talk about these difficult histories?