Humza Yousaf: Glasgow's storytelling tradition something to treasure

HUMZA YOUSAF muses on the rich oral traditions of our Dear Green Place and his love of hearing people's stories while out and about.

St Mungo, Glasgow's patron Saint
St Mungo, Glasgow's patron Saint

THERE is an old Scottish traveller proverb which says: “The story is told eye to eye, mind to mind, and heart to heart.”

Our city of Glasgow is built on stories, which have been preserved and passed on over the years through storytelling; allowing people to share history, anecdotes and stories in a more personal way than simply reading a history book or a newspaper.

For an example of a famous Glaswegian story you only need to look as far as the city’s patron saint, St Mungo.

There are many different stories of his life which have been passed on through generations, and his four miracles in Glasgow are represented in the city’s coat of arms.

St Mungo also inspired Glasgow’s motto of Let Glasgow Flourish, which comes from his original call passed on through the years by storytelling – to ‘let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of the word’.

As part of my job as an elected member for Glasgow in the Scottish Parliament, I am lucky enough to speak to many different people in Glasgow and hear their stories.

I never fail to be amazed by the stories I hear and the facts I learn from chatting to folk on doorsteps, on streets and in the community.

As the art of storytelling is based on personal contact for stories to be passed on, there is also a risk that stories may be lost if they are not passed on.

However, the importance of recording and preserving this oral history is recognised in Glasgow, with the Scottish Oral History Centre at the University of Strathclyde undertaking projects on Glasgow’s history and collections held by Glasgow Life being accessible for people to use.

Some of the stories I have become more familiar with during my time as an MSP have been stories of Govan, where there is a particularly rich tradition of storytelling.

With historic treasures such as the Govan Stones and distinct communities such as the showpeople, storytelling has helped to preserve Govan’s history and culture to the present day.

Govan was the heart of the former kingdom of Strathclyde, and its main political centre. A prominent feature of the Govan landscape for many years was the Doomster Hill, which was at one point home to a parliament, showing how significant Govan and Glasgow were.

Storytelling often helps us also
overcome adversity as it can be therapeutic. For example when we lose a loved one it is the stories about them that make us laugh which provide the most comfort.

PEOPLE across the world have been devastated at news of the fire that broke out at the Glasgow School of Art.

My utmost admiration to our firefighters who have done an incredible job and through their efforts managed to salvage this treasure from complete destruction.

The students and teachers, present and past, will take some comfort in telling stories of their time in the Mackintosh Building. I have no doubt that sooner rather than later, it will be beaming once again on the Glasgow skyline.

ON a different note , the European elections took place last week.

In parts of the rest of the UK, we witnessed an emphatic victory by UKIP.

In Scotland, the SNP won the election (after seven years in Government) and UKIP were relegated to fourth place.

If ever you wanted a clear picture of a tale of two countries, here you have it.