‘We need a shared language’: Scotland-wide festival highlights...

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the world of art may be unusual bedfellows but this week they have come together for the world’s first national festival highlighting the role cultural engagement can play in public health. The event, produced by Scottish Ballet and the Jameel Arts & Health Lab in collaboration with the WHO, could also unlock new funding streams for the arts in the country.

Healing Arts Scotland, which runs until the end of the week, involves more than 100 activities held in locations across Scotland—from the urban centres of Edinburgh and Glasgow to the isles of Orkney and Lewis. Previous Healing Arts events have taken place in cities, but this is the first time the project has expanded to a whole nation.