In association with community-led organisation Rajpot, Art27 Scotland are delighted to present Dr Jo Clement and Thomas McCarthy for an afternoon of poetry and music. Jo is an interdisciplinary maker of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller ethnicity and winner of a Northern Writers’ Award for poetry (New Writing North). Thomas is an Irish Traveller, singer, and storyteller who comes from a long line of traditional singers and musicians. Thomas was named the Traditional Singer of the Year at the 2019 Gradam Ceoil Awards.
Following poetry from Jo, and music from Thomas, the event continues with a panel discussion chaired by Dr Rhona Ramsay. Shamus McPhee and Roseanna McPhee from Rajpot, who continue to suffer human rights abuses engendered by the ‘Tinker Experiments’, will discuss how enactments of cultural rights and artistic expression can help negotiate these abuses, and confront the ongoing social, political and cultural marginalisation that Nackens, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people experience.
This event is part of Scotland’s Human Rights Festival 2026, taking place across Scotland from 9 to 13 December. The festival is led by Human Rights Consortium Scotland, in collaboration with core partners Art27 Scotland and Libereco.