It’s inspiring to stand on the Fife Coast and visualise the thousands of journeys that have started in its harbours over the centuries. Ships left to work the fishing grounds, to pursue trade routes and to visit the many far distant countries we know to have had strong connections to this place. At different times, different types of boat have held sway, but few capture the imagination more potently than the Zulu. Invented around the time of the Zulu wars (hence the name) they could be stronger, larger and faster than previous boats, but they enjoyed only a brief half-century of dominance before petrol and war ended their usefulness: carcases of these beautiful boats were left to rot on beaches all the way up the East Coast.
Harpist/composer Esther Swift has been inspired by this tale to create a new piece for a grand coming together of Fife musicians of all ages from St Andrews Music Project, Fife Youth Jazz Orchestra and East Fife Community Ensemble and tells it through sound and story, matched by visuals by artist Esme McIntyre. Come hear the story!
