0:00:02 > 0:00:04Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face
0:00:04 > 0:00:07Great chieftain o...
0:00:07 > 0:00:10Why can't they write "nice"?
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Tonight, along with hundreds of thousands of people unnamed
0:00:15 > 0:00:18throughout the world, we remember one of the most fascinating
0:00:18 > 0:00:22and absorbing human beings who ever lived. Robert Burns.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Perhaps surprisingly, Burns suppers are still being held
0:00:25 > 0:00:28in the furthest-flung corners of the Commonwealth.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30From the Caribbean to shores of India,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33and from West Africa to the very Far East.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36In the year that Scotland welcomed 71 nations to Glasgow
0:00:36 > 0:00:38for the Commonwealth Games,
0:00:38 > 0:00:41what does the most famous Scot of all time mean to that Commonwealth?
0:00:41 > 0:00:44When I read Robert Burns, it's a chance for me to look back
0:00:44 > 0:00:46and see where I come from.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51I would imagine he would like seeing all these people
0:00:51 > 0:00:54from all over the world enjoying food...
0:00:55 > 0:00:58You sacrificed a haggis.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00..speeches, poetry...
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Cock up your beaver.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04WOMAN SNIGGERS
0:01:04 > 0:01:06I could imagine he would get a kick out of that.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12We can be Scottish with apology to nobody.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16I am very Scottish. I am not Sri Lankan.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21Whisky will be available while Scots last...stocks last.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23Oh, dear. CROWD LAUGH
0:01:30 > 0:01:34I understand Burns, the strong connection, the poetry, the linkage.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37For me, it's just the connection with home.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41Ladies and gentlemen, I ask you now to fill your glasses,
0:01:41 > 0:01:43raise them as high as you can
0:01:43 > 0:01:46as I give you the immortal memory of Robert Burns.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50Painch, trai... This isn't even English!
0:02:05 > 0:02:10Where the Ghanaian Burns Supper begins is actually in snowy London.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14Because the Scottish ingredients needed for the dinner can be
0:02:14 > 0:02:16tricky to find in warmer climates.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18Fortunately Steven Grey, the chieftain of the Burns Supper,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21works for a British company in Africa.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24So, on a trip back to the UK, he picks up the haggis.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26All 36kg of it.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28I love a haggis.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Especially with a bit of Scotch sauce drizzled over the top.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Ghana's natural resources of gold and oil
0:02:51 > 0:02:54have been bringing Brits to the country for centuries.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Today, the country has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01So there's still a strong community of Scottish expats
0:03:01 > 0:03:03in the capital, Accra.
0:03:07 > 0:03:114,000 miles later, Steve and the haggis arrive at the hotel
0:03:11 > 0:03:13for this Saturday's supper.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15It's the moment the chef has been waiting for.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19- Fantastic, fantastic. - Look after it well.- I will.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22My precious cargo. The ceremonial haggis.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24CHEF CHUCKLES
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Very nice! I like it.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31This most Scottish of dishes will be prepared in Ghana by Walt,
0:03:31 > 0:03:33the chef, who's Swiss.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36The biggest challenge was really to get the haggis.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40We started about three months ago, looking for it.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42There we go. The haggis has arrived.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46The organiser was in Scotland. He organised the whole thing.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48He goes to Customs,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52they look inside and said, "What's that?"
0:03:52 > 0:03:56"It's a very, very special sausage.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00"With a whole lot of... intestines in it."
0:04:00 > 0:04:02And when they heard intestines, they said,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04"Fantastic, take it. Go through."
0:04:08 > 0:04:11This is the Caledonian Society dance class.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16And it's our last chance to get our feet doing the correct steps,
0:04:16 > 0:04:21and our body in the correct position for the dances on Saturday night.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH MUSIC
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Shetland-born Brenda Sowah has spent 40 years in Accra,
0:04:31 > 0:04:36having fallen in love with a Ghanaian man and African culture.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38But even after all these years,
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Brenda has never forgotten her ceilidh steps.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Up...
0:04:46 > 0:04:51Robert Burns was a great womaniser and very romantic.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55And there's nothing more romantic than dancing a dance well
0:04:55 > 0:04:57with a gentlemen whose company you enjoy.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00DANCE MUSIC
0:05:03 > 0:05:08There's a lot of nuance in everything you say in Rabbie Burns.
0:05:08 > 0:05:13It's all love and lust, and drink, and so on.
0:05:13 > 0:05:18And Ghanaians love dancing. They love their beer.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22I don't know how they get on with the haggis.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25With just a couple of days until the supper,
0:05:25 > 0:05:29Brenda is on a quest to find the Ghanaian version of a tartan accessory.
0:05:29 > 0:05:35We've got a big Scottish function on Saturday, called Burns Night.
0:05:35 > 0:05:40- We have a tie also from Kente. - Kente tie.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Ghanaians wear the Kente cloth.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48And the Kente cloth looks remarkably similar to Scottish tartan.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Have you ever heard the bagpipes,
0:05:50 > 0:05:55the Scottish national musical instrument?
0:05:55 > 0:06:02- No, no.- No? It's the pipes that they play.- OK, yeah.- Then they pump.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05BAGPIPE MUSIC
0:06:17 > 0:06:21The Colombo Burns Supper has brought piper Lee Moore
0:06:21 > 0:06:235,500 miles to Sri Lanka.
0:06:24 > 0:06:25It's a great coup for Shalini -
0:06:25 > 0:06:28one of the organisers of this weekend's supper -
0:06:28 > 0:06:32as she discovered a love for the bagpipes whilst living in Scotland.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36I think we're more a Scottish colony than British colony.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40Because the Scottish tea planters settled here,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43we've got estates called Edinburgh, Glasgow, Galloway...
0:06:43 > 0:06:44Clydesdale, Culloden.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46# Hello, everyone
0:06:46 > 0:06:48# Hello, everyone
0:06:48 > 0:06:50# Glad that you are here... #
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Shalini works with schools in the most rural parts of Sri Lanka
0:06:54 > 0:06:57as a charity coordinator. Through music,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00she tries to connect the communities left divided by the civil war.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02BAGPIPES PLAY
0:07:02 > 0:07:06We often have Scottish visitors, so the children know about the kilts,
0:07:06 > 0:07:07and they know about Scotland.
0:07:07 > 0:07:12Today, to hear a musical instrument from Scotland is special.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15MUSIC: "Ye Banks and Braes"
0:07:21 > 0:07:25This was a tune that one of our trustees suggested.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27And she said, "I think
0:07:27 > 0:07:32"Ye Banks and Braes o' Bonnie Doon has got to be the tune."
0:07:32 > 0:07:33So that's how it came to be.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41It's very hard to explain the meaning of.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Lost to me down the banks of bonnie Doon.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47Ironically, the Burns Supper this weekend will be Shalini's
0:07:47 > 0:07:49first outside of Scotland.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51She and her family moved to Edinburgh for a short time,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54but fell in love with Scotland and decided to stay
0:07:54 > 0:07:56until her children had finished school.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59Having returned recently after 15 years away,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Shalini is well aware of how different Sri Lanka is now
0:08:02 > 0:08:04to the country she left.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08I was very privileged because I did a masters at Edinburgh University
0:08:08 > 0:08:12in the Department of Education. If you compare it to here,
0:08:12 > 0:08:16this hasn't changed, the setting of these classrooms.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19We don't have those privileges here.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23MUSIC: "Auld Lang Syne"
0:08:23 > 0:08:27What we really valued about Scotland was the strong sense of community.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30And that's what made us feel so welcome.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32And encouraged us to stay.
0:08:32 > 0:08:37So moving back here six months ago was very, very hard.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41I do miss it terribly.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52Scottish links to the island of Sri Lanka go back at least 200 years,
0:08:52 > 0:08:54when it was then known as Ceylon.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57The tea trade was founded by a young Scotsman,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00which transformed the fortunes of the country.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04In the heart of downtown Colombo there's still evidence
0:09:04 > 0:09:07of that connection - a Scots kirk, a Scots minister
0:09:07 > 0:09:10and a scout group with a very Scottish name.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18- Gold star awards.- Wow. Show me the badges.
0:09:18 > 0:09:19Good afternoon.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23I've always had an interest in the wider world.
0:09:23 > 0:09:29So my life has consisted of periods in Scotland and periods abroad.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32We share a mentality with Sri Lankans.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Sri Lanka is a small country beside a big country.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Scotland has always been a small country beside a bigger country.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45Sri Lanka produces tea. Scotland produces whisky.
0:09:45 > 0:09:50So we produce very popular beverages.
0:09:50 > 0:09:56And Sri Lankans are very religious and ritualistic people.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58They appreciate rituals.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02And I think that's why they can key into what we do in a Burns Supper.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05They like the address to the haggis. They like the bagpipes.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07They like the dressing up.
0:10:09 > 0:10:15It's only Jesus of Nazareth and Robert Burns, as far as I know,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18who are remembered at a meal table.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22BRASS BAND PLAYS
0:10:30 > 0:10:32400 years ago,
0:10:32 > 0:10:36Scots were among the first to land on the remote island of Bermuda.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39And still nearly 5,000 of the island's population of 66,000
0:10:39 > 0:10:42are Scots and their descendents.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Even the island's new governor is Scottish.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Officer Mark Lavery is first-generation Bermudian.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51But his father grew up in Glasgow's East End.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54SOLDIERS: Left, one, two!
0:10:54 > 0:10:57The vast majority of Bermudian men are required
0:10:57 > 0:11:01to serve in our standing military through balloted conscription.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05It's a very Burnsian organisation when you think about it in that way,
0:11:05 > 0:11:09because it's a great leveller. People come together from all walks of life.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11From all parts of the island.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13And you get an opportunity to meet people
0:11:13 > 0:11:15that you never would have met in other ways.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Diving in at the Burns deep-end, Mark is preparing to deliver
0:11:19 > 0:11:23the centrepiece of the supper - The Immortal Memory.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27When I was first given the opportunity to deliver
0:11:27 > 0:11:30the Immortal Memory at the Burns Night supper,
0:11:30 > 0:11:34it seemed a bit of a daunting task.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37My father had been given a book of poetry from Robert Burns,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40and I remember the first poem I heard was him reading out
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Scots Wha Hae. I didn't quite get what it meant.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47It was as if he was speaking a different language,
0:11:47 > 0:11:48but it was almost familiar.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51This isn't the stuff that I hear at school.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54This isn't the almost impenetrable words of Shakespeare.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58This is something that's familiar, that's lively,
0:11:58 > 0:12:02that I get what's being said, even if I don't understand the words.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04There's always a sense of...
0:12:06 > 0:12:07..longing.
0:12:07 > 0:12:13Of looking back on his life and trying to figure out who he is.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Advance!
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Trying to figure out what it means to be Scottish, or what it means
0:12:19 > 0:12:23to be a member of any society, or a member of any group.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26SOLDIERS: One, two, three, one!
0:12:28 > 0:12:31SALSA MUSIC
0:12:31 > 0:12:37Motherwell-born Claire Hattie has spent seven years in Bermuda.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40She now works in advertising and marketing, which helps
0:12:40 > 0:12:43when you're trying to organise a Burns Supper for 200 guests.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47Scottish people love singing about being miles across the ocean.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50We love singing songs about being far away from home.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Let's face it, it's a pretty cool culture.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59It's a cool nationality to have. We've got the whole,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02you know, as soon as you say you're Scottish,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05people imagine you as this kilted warrior.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Well, maybe not me specifically.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Bermuda's a small island. It's only 21 square miles.
0:13:20 > 0:13:26My first impressions were just - wow, it's so beautiful here.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28There's just turquoise and pink everywhere.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31The most beautiful beaches I've ever seen.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35But it's funny how quickly it becomes your normal life.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38You can get most of the stuff from home.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41There seem to be a lot of Scottish butchers here.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44You can get square sausages in the supermarket.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47You can get shortbread. You can get haggis.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50You can even get Irn Bru, which is great
0:13:50 > 0:13:54if you have had a few too many rum swizzles the night before.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57SALSA MUSIC
0:14:00 > 0:14:03I think you get more of an appreciation for Burns
0:14:03 > 0:14:05the older you get.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10I remember in school when you have it rammed down your throat a little bit,
0:14:10 > 0:14:14and your teachers say, "What did Burns mean by this phrase?"
0:14:14 > 0:14:16And you're thinking, oh, he's probably drunk,
0:14:16 > 0:14:17he didn't mean anything by it.
0:14:26 > 0:14:3110,000 miles east of Bermuda, the Scots legacy in Singapore goes back
0:14:31 > 0:14:35to colonial days when it was the Empire's fortress in the Far East.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41Today, Singapore is a global financial centre.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45But, high in the hills above the city, there's a place that
0:14:45 > 0:14:50the small yet committed community of British expats can still call home.
0:14:53 > 0:14:59I think the expats don't particularly mix with the Singaporeans.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02But each country, I think, has its own little club.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06The St Andrew's Society obviously for the Scots.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10It can be a lonely time for the expat wife.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14Children are perhaps out at school all day,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17your husband's out at work, and that's where I think the societies
0:15:17 > 0:15:19and clubs are very good,
0:15:19 > 0:15:21because you can go along and meet people that way.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30Elspeth left Glasgow in 1982 and hasn't lived in Scotland since then,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33having followed her husband's job to the Tropics.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Robert Burns lived in a male-dominated world,
0:15:37 > 0:15:40so would probably have been surprised to find that,
0:15:40 > 0:15:42in Singapore, it's the lassies who are in control
0:15:42 > 0:15:44of this weekend's supper.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46That's a tricky one.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50There isn't actually a kilt hire shop in Singapore.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Does he have a ticket already for the Burns Supper?
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Because it is fully booked.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Coming to Singapore was the first time I attended a Burns Supper.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Obviously we'll be doing that again in a few days.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05It was also the first time I tried curling.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09I came all the way over to Singapore, to the Tropics,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11to actually try curling for the first time.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16People who ask me if I'm English, or what part of England I come from,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19I always correct them.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21I'm Scottish and I'm proud to be Scottish.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32The chieftain of this weekend's Burns Supper is, of course,
0:16:32 > 0:16:34another Scot - Tricia Forrester -
0:16:34 > 0:16:37who grew up in small town near Alloa.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40My husband's job brought the family to Singapore.
0:16:40 > 0:16:46The first instinct is to say, "No, I've no idea where Singapore is."
0:16:47 > 0:16:53The choice was - you see your husband 50% of the time, cos he's travelling,
0:16:53 > 0:16:58or you see him 75%-80% of the time, if you move lock, stock and barrel.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02You miss the hills. You definitely miss the seasons here in Singapore.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07The distance does make a big difference to how you feel.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10I know that when I'm celebrating Burns this weekend,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13my mum would go, "What, haggis? No!"
0:17:13 > 0:17:16So, yes, she's living there in Central Scotland.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19We're just getting more Scottish the further away we get.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24In Singapore, the chieftain only has one year in charge.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28And so Tricia is determined to look the part at this weekend's supper.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32I have several tartan outfits here in Singapore,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35but no, I don't think I owned anything tartan
0:17:35 > 0:17:40since the age of eight, when my mum made me wear the kilt to school.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43- That's nice.- This is it? - Yes, excellent.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47This is my skirt for Saturday night's Burns Supper.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50I had given a little St Andrew's Society tartan
0:17:50 > 0:17:54to find cloth for the skirt. The red and white are for Singapore.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57The blue and white are for the Saltire.
0:17:57 > 0:18:03The green line here is to represent the jungle that we're surrounded by,
0:18:03 > 0:18:04and there's a pale blue line here
0:18:04 > 0:18:07because we're a little island surrounded by the sea.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10OK, I'll put that one on.
0:18:13 > 0:18:14Yeah, it's good.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18I just hope the top fits. I've not had it on since November.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20SHE LAUGHS
0:18:20 > 0:18:24- Hello, guys! - Hi, how are you doing?- Come in.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27The women of the committee do all the work themselves.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30And in the last meeting before the supper,
0:18:30 > 0:18:34they even have to hand-make 200 programmes for the event.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38- A lot of them were stag when I was young.- Yeah, exactly.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41You'd have to be a man to get to Burns Suppers.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44I think Mother was pleased I became more Scottish when I came here.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48- Yes.- She seemed so happy we went back to our Scottish roots.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51And did she forgive you for marrying an Englishman?
0:18:51 > 0:18:52THEY LAUGH
0:18:52 > 0:18:57The evening is dedicated to Rabbie Burns, but it's just an excuse for us
0:18:57 > 0:19:02here in Singapore to all get together with our national costumes on and...
0:19:03 > 0:19:05Just remember our roots.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10MUSIC: "Amazing Grace"
0:19:10 > 0:19:13Hello. Hi!
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Back in Colombo, the St Andrew's Scots Kirk hosts more Sri Lankans
0:19:16 > 0:19:18than it does Scots.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Although there are great historical ties between the countries,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24the community of Scottish expats is dwindling.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27There are only around 30 Scots left in Colombo.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Lead us through the times...
0:19:29 > 0:19:34Like most Scots, I've been familiar with Burns since my childhood.
0:19:34 > 0:19:39Burns resonates. He talks about the realities of Scottish life,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42sense of commitment to one's own country.
0:19:42 > 0:19:47But also, an awareness of the wider world.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51It's my experience, you go anywhere in the world
0:19:51 > 0:19:55and you'll hear Bob Marley. No Woman, No Cry.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59I think Burns was the kind of Bob Marley of his day.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Tomorrow's Burns Supper will be John's last in Sri Lanka.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07As he gets ready to retire to Largs, in Scotland,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10he has to begin breaking the news to his congregation.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Good afternoon. I'm your late minister.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19- Hi.- Hi.- How are you doing? All right?- I'm jogging along.
0:20:19 > 0:20:25- I'm going to be leaving in August. - For good?- I'm afraid so.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29- No!- Yes, I'm going to retire. - No, no, no.- Yes.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31Another minister will come.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37- It won't be the same.- OK. I'll be 65.- That's nothing, 65!
0:20:37 > 0:20:42- That's young.- I know it's nothing compared with you,
0:20:42 > 0:20:47but we feel we've done what God sent us to do.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49It's time for someone else to come.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57About 50 years ago you'd have had to be Scottish
0:20:57 > 0:21:01to be in the Caledonian Society. We've changed since then.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05And we have had discussions in the past about the chieftain.
0:21:05 > 0:21:10Certainly the Sri Lankans on our committee have always insisted
0:21:10 > 0:21:13that the chieftain has to be Scottish.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17The man who'll replace John as the chieftain is Gordon -
0:21:17 > 0:21:19one of the only Scots left on the Burns Committee.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21I went to one of the balls.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25It was quite funny watching the local guys as we pulled up
0:21:25 > 0:21:29to traffic lights. Me sitting in a three-wheeler, full kilt.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34- Fully dressed up. Plaid. And full-size claymore. - HE LAUGHS
0:21:36 > 0:21:40I first left Scotland when I was 21. I think I've had a flag in my car,
0:21:40 > 0:21:42irrespective of where I've been.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46It's nice because people come up and talk to you, ask you what it is.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49It's like another wee connection with home. There's one in the front.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51There's one in the back.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54We're on a little street called Chandra Wettasingha.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57I guess it's the closest to the leafy suburbs of Colombo.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Gordon first came to Sri Lanka in 1994,
0:22:10 > 0:22:14and has been living and working between the two countries
0:22:14 > 0:22:17ever since, managing a swimwear company.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Scotland's home. You know, I go there as often as I can.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22A lot of people say, as expatriates
0:22:22 > 0:22:24they enjoy the country that they're in,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26which I do, but I know I'll go home.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30Scotland, for me, is the place I'll finish up.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40This is the Colombo Swimming Club -
0:22:40 > 0:22:43a colonial club that was built for the tea plantation owners -
0:22:43 > 0:22:45so they could come from the mountains
0:22:45 > 0:22:48and spend time relaxing in Colombo.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50We were members here the last time we lived in Sri Lanka.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Our kids pretty much grew up here on weekends.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58The Scottish connection here's great.
0:22:58 > 0:22:59David Wilkie was here.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02He spent a lot of time and trained here as a young kid.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05So, for me, to be here, as a Scot,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08and actually stumble across this place was interesting.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10I've been lucky to travel on business in a lot of places
0:23:10 > 0:23:13and what's amazing is, wherever you go,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16as soon as you mention you're Scottish, it's like, ah, you know,
0:23:16 > 0:23:18"I'm a second descendant of," or "my grandma is..."
0:23:18 > 0:23:21There's an element of that here in Sri Lanka as well.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26What we have here is a few bits of memorabilia
0:23:26 > 0:23:28for the Caledonian Society.
0:23:28 > 0:23:29Looking through the book,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32I stumbled across a number of pages where people actually
0:23:32 > 0:23:35come from Larkhall, which is where I grew up in Scotland.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40This is a record of a football game. It was England versus Scotland.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43This was held in November 1944.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45And I'm pleased to say that Scotland won 3-2.
0:23:45 > 0:23:46HE LAUGHS
0:23:50 > 0:23:53I'd love to think my son Connor would connect with
0:23:53 > 0:23:57the Caledonian Society, with the whole Scottish theme. Who knows?
0:23:57 > 0:24:01Maybe he'll pick up on that. It would be nice.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04He's English though, he was born in Nottingham.
0:24:04 > 0:24:05HE LAUGHS
0:24:10 > 0:24:12Back in Ghana,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15the committee is making the hooch for the Burns Supper.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18It's their very own version of the old Scots concoction,
0:24:18 > 0:24:23Atholl Brose - a mix of oatmeal, honey, cream and lots of whisky.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25I've started getting the squelchy bits out.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30We make it in a bin.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34I'm sure it's perfect.
0:24:49 > 0:24:50Whoa!
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Feel like the Witches of Eastwick.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09But, for Scots in Ghana, the supper isn't just a time to celebrate,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12it's also a time to contribute to the country they're in.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16More than a quarter of Ghanaians live on less than £1 a day.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18So this Saturday they hope to raise thousands of dollars
0:25:18 > 0:25:22for the aptly named Burns and Plastic Surgery Centre
0:25:22 > 0:25:26at Korle Bu Hospital - established by a Scottish surgeon.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29There was no centre in the whole of West Africa
0:25:29 > 0:25:37which treated disabled people, badly burned children, adults,
0:25:37 > 0:25:42people who were involved in car accidents, there was no centre.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46And therefore, this was something that was needed.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Chieftain Steve has gone along to the unit
0:25:52 > 0:25:56to find out what the Burns Supper can raise money for this weekend.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Last year they donated 25,000
0:25:59 > 0:26:03to buy much-needed supplies for the plastic surgery unit.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06Because of the discovery of oil and gas, we're getting
0:26:06 > 0:26:09a lot more injuries from explosions
0:26:09 > 0:26:12and fires from petrochemical products.
0:26:12 > 0:26:20So that's now accounting for about 30%-35% of our caseload of burns.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24- These are the new patient monitors that we donated in November?- Yes.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28OK. We have another fundraising event this weekend,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31where we're hoping to raise funds for more equipment for the recovery room.
0:26:31 > 0:26:36Despite the popular belief of us being mean, tight,
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Scots are very generous people.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42CHANTERS PLAY SCOTLAND THE BRAVE
0:26:46 > 0:26:48Of all the instruments in the world,
0:26:48 > 0:26:53the lads in the Singaporean Boys Brigade have to learn the bagpipes.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56THEY CONTINUE PLAYING
0:26:56 > 0:27:01And tomorrow, the youngest member of the group - 11-year-old Ranen Tan -
0:27:01 > 0:27:04will be going along to the Burns Supper for the first time
0:27:04 > 0:27:06to pipe in the guests.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11When I first saw bagpipes, I thought it was very inspirational.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15And I was curious about how it could make that loud sound.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17I usually practise at home.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21I just shut the room door and just pick it up and play.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24BAND PLAYS
0:27:34 > 0:27:37I didn't know much about Scotland before,
0:27:37 > 0:27:41but now I know much about its tradition, and its Highland bagpipes.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45I don't know much about the haggis but I know it's a meat.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48What appears to be a recurring theme for all the Burns Suppers
0:27:48 > 0:27:50is finding the haggis.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53In Singapore it's been stashed away for months in a cupboard
0:27:53 > 0:27:55in Chieftain Tricia's bedroom.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59Getting the haggis into Singapore has been a bit of a nightmare.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03In recent years we've had consignments blown up,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06they incinerated it at the harbour.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10We've not had the proper food licence or vet licence
0:28:10 > 0:28:13that Singapore Customs would like you to have.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17So we spend a lot of time asking people back home
0:28:17 > 0:28:22when they're visiting to smuggle it into their suitcase.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24It's always a bit touch and go
0:28:24 > 0:28:28whether we're going to have enough each year.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31The label had said "huggis" - misspelling.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35And we presume they thought it was diapers.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39So we got it no problem. Heavy nappies.
0:28:39 > 0:28:40SHE LAUGHS
0:28:40 > 0:28:43BAGPIPE MUSIC
0:28:48 > 0:28:51The Bermudian piper who'll be playing in the haggis tomorrow
0:28:51 > 0:28:53comes from the island's pipe band.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56A committed group of people from around the Commonwealth,
0:28:56 > 0:28:58absolutely none of whom are Scots.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02So they've incorporated a uniquely Caribbean element
0:29:02 > 0:29:05into their preparations for the Burns Supper.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07Right, here we go. Go!
0:29:07 > 0:29:10BAND PLAYS TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH TUNE
0:29:17 > 0:29:20The pipe band's been going since the middle '50s.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23We went to tour Scotland
0:29:23 > 0:29:27and ended up going to the World Championships,
0:29:27 > 0:29:32Pipe Band Championships, which was held in Bellahouston Park in Glasgow.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36Lo and behold, we won a prize. We won the prize for
0:29:36 > 0:29:40the best pipe band from overseas.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43Best spelled O-N-L-Y.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48I think we were about fifth-last.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56The band's lead drummer - 69-year-old Peter Profit -
0:29:56 > 0:30:00was born in Florida, but having been exposed to a bit of Scottish culture,
0:30:00 > 0:30:02has developed a penchant for tartan.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05I have four kilts in different tartans.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08Anybody's allowed to wear a kilt.
0:30:08 > 0:30:13It's just that you must remember it is the flag of that clan.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15There's two Bermuda tartans.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17- They're not in here, but... - That's one there.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19It's amazing to wear a kilt.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22And you want to get into the underneath part of it?
0:30:22 > 0:30:24HE LAUGHS
0:30:24 > 0:30:27It's actually optional.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30And I won't tell you why I don't go naked,
0:30:30 > 0:30:32but I just think it's more comfortable.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH MUSIC
0:30:40 > 0:30:41You're not supposed to go naked
0:30:41 > 0:30:44when you're doing Highland games or dancing.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48Or marching. Cos when you march, your knee comes up like this.
0:30:48 > 0:30:49So, hello.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH MUSIC
0:30:57 > 0:31:00Went to an opera concert here in Bermuda
0:31:00 > 0:31:03and the guest of honour was Michael Douglas's wife.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06Zeta whatsherface, the Welsh girl.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12We both went outside to smoke.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16And they were staring at me.
0:31:16 > 0:31:21Hollywood star, formal Scottish dress -
0:31:21 > 0:31:22no contest.
0:31:26 > 0:31:27That was terrific.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31Back in the early '70s, Bruce Murray married a Bermudian girl
0:31:31 > 0:31:33and followed her to the island.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37After 40 years away from his native Aberdeen, Bruce still loves
0:31:37 > 0:31:40two of Scotland's gifts to the world -
0:31:40 > 0:31:43golf and Robert Burns. At tomorrow's Burns Supper,
0:31:43 > 0:31:47he'll be leading the celebrations of the bard.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50Scotland has punched above its weight for so many years.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52What has Scotland given the world?
0:31:52 > 0:31:55What has that tiny little nation at the far end of Europe
0:31:55 > 0:31:57given the world?
0:31:57 > 0:32:00Robert Burns is one of the achievements of Scots.
0:32:00 > 0:32:04Robert Burns is one of the reasons why Scots are Scottish abroad.
0:32:04 > 0:32:10Who speaks for the common man with a louder, stronger voice than Burns?
0:32:10 > 0:32:11Absolutely nobody.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15And I think that must be one of the major reasons
0:32:15 > 0:32:17why he is still so popular today.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21And why today he's still so universally admired.
0:32:21 > 0:32:26And why today Burns Day is celebrated around the world.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29Still thou art blest, compar'd wi' me
0:32:29 > 0:32:31The present only toucheth thee
0:32:31 > 0:32:33But, Och! I backward cast my e'e
0:32:33 > 0:32:35On prospects drear!
0:32:35 > 0:32:38An' forward, tho' I canna see
0:32:38 > 0:32:39I guess an' fear!
0:32:41 > 0:32:45What kind of person at 29 years old speaks to a mouse,
0:32:45 > 0:32:48in those terms, about his own life?
0:32:48 > 0:32:52It's staggering. It's absolutely staggering.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00The day of the event may have arrived,
0:33:00 > 0:33:04but wherever the Burns Supper takes place, the first task is to
0:33:04 > 0:33:08transform a modern hotel ballroom into a little Scottish haven.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11Sri Lankan Society Secretary Ayne-Marie married a Scotsman
0:33:11 > 0:33:13while living in Abu Dhabi
0:33:13 > 0:33:16and has now become an expert on how to prepare for the perfect
0:33:16 > 0:33:20Burns Supper, even though she's never lived in Scotland.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22No. No, we've got only 16.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24This is an old building.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27But it's still very nice. I think it'll keep in with Burns.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30It'll fit in with the theme of the evening.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33Which is a little dated, not modern.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37And once we have all this tartan up on all the panes, it'll be lovely.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46But you know, once in Abu Dhabi, somebody nicked the Lion Rampant.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54We just want to try and have some memorabilia in the room, you know?
0:33:54 > 0:33:56We've got a huge saltire as well.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58We'll see if we can get it in the foyer.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01It's just too big. Too big.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06Shalini, they've got big ones.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09Tonight, Shalini's main job is the reply from the lassies,
0:34:09 > 0:34:12but before then, she has to get everything ready on time
0:34:12 > 0:34:14and looking authentic.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17We improvise lots. And I think it's fun in that way,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20because we do have to make do with what we have.
0:34:20 > 0:34:24It's very authentic. But we think creatively.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26The recipe is very similar to tablet.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30It's made with sugar, condensed milk, and we also add cashew nuts.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33This is locally-made fabric.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37It's not real tartan at all. It's very thin cotton.
0:34:39 > 0:34:46Neeps has been a combination of pumpkin and our local turnip,
0:34:46 > 0:34:49which is stronger than a regular neep.
0:34:49 > 0:34:54Ladies and gentlemen, please be upstanding for the haggis.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58THEY HUM SCOTLAND THE BRAVE
0:35:03 > 0:35:08I prefer Drambuie in my haggis. Isn't that wicked?
0:35:08 > 0:35:10Totally wicked. I love it.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14Can't wait till tonight to have my haggis main course. Lovely.
0:35:14 > 0:35:20Please be upstanding so we can drink a toast to the haggis.
0:35:20 > 0:35:27Put it in. OK. And then I'll say, "To the haggis."
0:35:27 > 0:35:30And then I'll pass it to you. To the haggis.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32- Are you not going to drink first? - I'll drink first.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35So I'll pass it on. I don't need to say anything though?
0:35:35 > 0:35:38Are we going to still do the toast too
0:35:38 > 0:35:40- or just keep it to haggis, haggis, haggis?- Yeah.
0:35:45 > 0:35:46And yet again,
0:35:46 > 0:35:48the haggis is creating a challenge.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50Here in Singapore,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53the chef is battling the delights of tinned haggis.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02HE GROANS
0:36:14 > 0:36:17That one needs cooked through a bit for the ceremony,
0:36:17 > 0:36:19but it's not to be eaten.
0:36:19 > 0:36:21OK.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25That's the one that had been used at the ball.
0:36:25 > 0:36:29So it's already been stabbed and refrozen. It's just a dummy.
0:36:29 > 0:36:34Because Jim had to use the one that had been refrozen last year,
0:36:34 > 0:36:38he stabbed into it, and what was it he said?
0:36:38 > 0:36:40"Oh, that really is reekin'!"
0:36:40 > 0:36:42THEY LAUGH
0:36:42 > 0:36:45HE LAUGHS
0:36:45 > 0:36:47Yeah, you can smell this one.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50I think being a lady chieftain
0:36:50 > 0:36:53is different from being a male chieftain
0:36:53 > 0:36:56in that the husband sort of trots along behind you.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58Whereas, if you're the male chieftain, then
0:36:58 > 0:37:01it's your wife that's often doing all the work behind the scenes.
0:37:01 > 0:37:07I brought every single piece cos I didn't know how much we would need.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20That looks like a squiggly caterpillar.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23This is just the crest of the society.
0:37:23 > 0:37:28Look how long we've been going - 1835.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30SHE LAUGHS
0:37:30 > 0:37:34- OK.- And this is Gaelic, the language from Scotland.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37- And it means "a thousand welcomes". - Right, OK.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46- Do we think that looks OK?- Tricia!
0:37:46 > 0:37:49We've already given final numbers in, so yes,
0:37:49 > 0:37:52there's no refund at this stage.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55Not only has Tricia got to recite the address to the haggis tonight,
0:37:55 > 0:37:58she's set herself the task of learning another,
0:37:58 > 0:38:01if less well-known, Robert Burns poem.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03When first my brave Johnie lad came to this town
0:38:03 > 0:38:06He had a blue bonnet that wanted the crown
0:38:06 > 0:38:08But now he has gotten a hat and a feather
0:38:08 > 0:38:11Hey, brave Johnie lad, cock up your beaver!
0:38:11 > 0:38:16It's a very short poem and it just dances along.
0:38:16 > 0:38:17And it's got, you know...
0:38:17 > 0:38:20It would appeal to some people's senses of humour.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22Cock up your beaver.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24SHE SNIGGERS
0:38:25 > 0:38:29MUSIC: "Scotland The Brave"
0:38:35 > 0:38:39As the sun sets on Accra, just hours before the supper begins,
0:38:39 > 0:38:42Chieftain Steve has to deliver a very unconventional prop
0:38:42 > 0:38:44for the traditional centrepiece.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47I just need to collect the sword for Rob,
0:38:47 > 0:38:50who is doing the address to the haggis.
0:38:50 > 0:38:55This has been very kindly loaned to us by the Ghana Military Academy.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58- Good evening. How are you doing, Rob?- Good to see you. Come in.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01- One ceremonial sword for you. - Thank you so much.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05- That is beautiful.- It is. Look at the crest of Ghana.
0:39:05 > 0:39:06It is absolutely gorgeous.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09That is a work of art.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12- Anyway, a suitable implement to stab the haggis.- Exactly.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16- Welcome to Ghana. - Thank you very much.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19The last visitors to arrive in Ghana are tonight's band,
0:39:19 > 0:39:22who've been flown over especially from Scotland.
0:39:22 > 0:39:27Clearly the weather's very different to what they've left behind.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29JAUNTY SCOTTISH COUNTRY MUSIC
0:39:35 > 0:39:41Having celebrated an amazing 38 in Ghana since leaving Shetland,
0:39:41 > 0:39:44Brenda has become an expert on the uniqueness of Burns Suppers.
0:39:44 > 0:39:48St Andrew's Day is celebrating your flag -
0:39:48 > 0:39:52your Scottish Saltire - the blue and white cross.
0:39:52 > 0:39:59Celebrating your nationality, it's a more regal, sophisticated affair.
0:39:59 > 0:40:06Burns Night is very much celebrating the wonderful life of Robert Burns.
0:40:06 > 0:40:12It's a more colourful, more personal, more passionate night.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15The speeches are meant to be humorous.
0:40:15 > 0:40:19If you're lucky and you get good people to make the speeches,
0:40:19 > 0:40:21the Toast To The Lassies,
0:40:21 > 0:40:26given by a man who's really good at teasing women,
0:40:26 > 0:40:28is ten minutes of ecstasy.
0:40:28 > 0:40:34Please take your seats and welcome the high table.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36PIPER PLAYS
0:40:40 > 0:40:42AUDIENCE CLAP IN TIME
0:40:47 > 0:40:504,500 miles away, with just minutes to go,
0:40:50 > 0:40:53organiser Claire isn't just worried about her hair.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56The special guest is about to arrive.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58I just have to fix my hair quickly.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02And then go receive the governor.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06It's a nice night. There's people there already.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08I can see a few kilts.
0:41:08 > 0:41:12Claire's main task this evening is to welcome Bermuda's new
0:41:12 > 0:41:16Scottish governor to his first Burns Supper on the island.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20What I've done, Claire, I've got the governor sitting here, facing front,
0:41:20 > 0:41:23with Mrs Ferguson. You to his left with Mark.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25Good evening, Governor Ferguson.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29- I'm Claire, the vice president of the Caledonian Society.- Good to see you.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32You'll be having to listen to my terrible dinner conversation
0:41:32 > 0:41:33all night. Sorry about that.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37I'm going to be a lot better when you top me up one more time.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42It's another Burns Night, a Burns Supper in Bermuda,
0:41:42 > 0:41:46which always causes a big thrill, a big event, a big happiness,
0:41:46 > 0:41:50blah, blah, blah. We can be Scottish with apology to nobody.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53I'm wearing...black...Grey Douglas.
0:41:53 > 0:41:58Cos one of my relatives was a Douglas. That's my excuse.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00I just love black.
0:42:00 > 0:42:04And this is the only tartan that's black and grey in the whole world.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07- Black is beautiful.- So there you have it. Black is beautiful.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12PIPER PLAYS
0:42:15 > 0:42:18I'm from South Carolina but I'm Scottish, actually.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22My heritage is Scottish. So this is the biggest moment of my life.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24Thank you!
0:42:24 > 0:42:26CONVERSATION OBSCURED BY MUSIC
0:42:26 > 0:42:29- Good to see you.- Good to see you.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32MUSIC STOPS
0:42:32 > 0:42:36Ladies and gentlemen!
0:42:36 > 0:42:39It's not going to work. Keep piping.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42BAGPIPES PLAY
0:42:57 > 0:43:01On the other side of the world, it's a big moment for 11-year-old
0:43:01 > 0:43:04Singaporean piper Ranen and his family.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07I'm feeling a bit nervous. There are a few hundred guests.
0:43:07 > 0:43:13Once, at home, he was practising and he didn't really focus.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15So I asked him.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18I said, "This is a practice session, why don't you try to focus?
0:43:18 > 0:43:21"Do it a bit better." And he said, "Yeah, but there's no audience."
0:43:21 > 0:43:22THEY LAUGH
0:43:24 > 0:43:26- How are you?- Yeah, good.
0:43:26 > 0:43:30INDISTINCT CHATTER
0:43:31 > 0:43:34SHARP INTAKE OF BREATH
0:43:34 > 0:43:36INDISTINCT CHATTER
0:43:41 > 0:43:43I'm panicking.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53PIPER PLAYS
0:44:08 > 0:44:13Isn't he a star?! He's wonderful. An 11-year-old boy from Singapore
0:44:13 > 0:44:16and he's playing the pipes like a real trooper. Just fantastic.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24Well done. Very good. Very good.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27Bagpipe music, once a year, is always enjoyable.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37HE SIGHS
0:44:39 > 0:44:43Instead of my saying the Selkirk Grace,
0:44:43 > 0:44:47we could have a little Burns tutorial right at the beginning
0:44:47 > 0:44:52of the evening. And we could all say it together.
0:44:52 > 0:44:56So you'll need to be able to roll your Rs
0:44:56 > 0:44:59to get the best pronunciation.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02ALL: Some hae meat and canna eat
0:45:02 > 0:45:06And some wad eat that want it
0:45:06 > 0:45:10But we hae meat and we can eat
0:45:10 > 0:45:12So let the Lord be thankit
0:45:12 > 0:45:15Amen. Well done.
0:45:15 > 0:45:17CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:45:18 > 0:45:21Burns was an internationalist.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23So I'd like to think that he would enjoy
0:45:23 > 0:45:26the international company that's gathered here.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29I think he would maybe tease us about
0:45:29 > 0:45:33that we take ourselves a wee bit too seriously.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36What I'd like you to do in traditional, true Scottish fashion
0:45:36 > 0:45:38is, please, stand.
0:45:38 > 0:45:40Please have a drink ready.
0:45:40 > 0:45:41BAGPIPES START UP
0:45:41 > 0:45:42Ladies and gentlemen, the haggis.
0:45:42 > 0:45:46PIPER PLAYS: "Scotland The Brave"
0:45:46 > 0:45:48DINERS CLAP IN TIME
0:46:15 > 0:46:18THEY APPLAUD AND CHEER
0:46:18 > 0:46:24Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
0:46:24 > 0:46:26Great chieftain o the puddin'-race!
0:46:26 > 0:46:31Aboon them a' ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm:
0:46:31 > 0:46:35Weel are ye worthy o' a grace As lang's my arm.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37His knife...
0:46:38 > 0:46:39His... His knife...
0:46:39 > 0:46:40Oh...
0:46:40 > 0:46:42LAUGHTER
0:46:42 > 0:46:44Thank you.
0:46:46 > 0:46:47His knife
0:46:47 > 0:46:49see rustic Labour dight,
0:46:49 > 0:46:52An cut you up wi ready slight,
0:46:52 > 0:46:54Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
0:46:54 > 0:46:55Like onie ditch;
0:46:55 > 0:46:59And then, O what a glorious sight,
0:46:59 > 0:47:01Warm
0:47:01 > 0:47:04reekin, rich!
0:47:04 > 0:47:05To the haggis!
0:47:05 > 0:47:06The haggis!
0:47:06 > 0:47:08- The haggis!- The haggis!
0:47:08 > 0:47:09ALL: The haggis!
0:47:11 > 0:47:13Do you understand the haggis thing?
0:47:13 > 0:47:17It's like... Can you explain that to me?
0:47:17 > 0:47:20You sacrificed a haggis.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22All I heard was the word "entrails".
0:47:22 > 0:47:25- That was enough for me. - I can't wait to eat it.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28MUSIC: "Save The Bees" by Lau
0:47:35 > 0:47:37- To the chef.- Cheers. - Thank you very much.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43Rose has never had haggis before.
0:47:43 > 0:47:48We told her it was a little bird that had two short front legs
0:47:48 > 0:47:49and two long back legs,
0:47:49 > 0:47:53and the short legs are so it can run up and down the hills properly.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56We eat birds, a lot of birds in the Chinese culture.
0:47:59 > 0:48:01Is this the one we just sacrificed?
0:48:01 > 0:48:04We make a particular point of saying,
0:48:04 > 0:48:06"Please put a decent amount of haggis on the plate."
0:48:06 > 0:48:08So, what's come out this evening
0:48:08 > 0:48:11but a one wee scoop of ice-cream sized haggis?!
0:48:13 > 0:48:15It's like three Scottish mountains.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21I've never had Glenfiddich in my haggis
0:48:21 > 0:48:24but this time I thought I'd try cos I didn't have Drambuie.
0:48:24 > 0:48:27But it was awesome cos I LOVE haggis
0:48:27 > 0:48:29and it was FABULOUS.
0:48:29 > 0:48:32Absolutely fabulous.
0:48:32 > 0:48:33Chin-chin. Slainte.
0:48:33 > 0:48:34Tonight, along with
0:48:34 > 0:48:37hundreds of thousands of people unnamed throughout the world,
0:48:37 > 0:48:40we remember one of the most fascinating and absorbing
0:48:40 > 0:48:43human beings who ever lived - Robert Burns.
0:48:43 > 0:48:46So please give a warm, encouraging welcome
0:48:46 > 0:48:48to a really fine young man,
0:48:48 > 0:48:52who will bring the toast to the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns -
0:48:52 > 0:48:55Mark Lavery. CHEERING
0:48:57 > 0:48:58MARK CLEARS THROAT
0:48:58 > 0:49:01I am Scot of the diaspora.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04Genetically diluted,
0:49:04 > 0:49:07linguistically challenged
0:49:07 > 0:49:12and culturally, in some cases, deprived.
0:49:12 > 0:49:16A Burns poem has the ability to speak to the heart of his readers,
0:49:16 > 0:49:17and not just the Scottish heart,
0:49:17 > 0:49:20but to the hearts of people all over the world.
0:49:20 > 0:49:24I guess one of the portions of Robert Burns's poems
0:49:24 > 0:49:28that really speaks to me comes near the closing of Ae Fond Kiss.
0:49:28 > 0:49:34When he says to his...his love...
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Had we never loved so kindly,
0:49:37 > 0:49:39Had we never loved so blindly,
0:49:39 > 0:49:41Never met, never parted
0:49:41 > 0:49:44We'd have never been broken-hearted.
0:49:44 > 0:49:46It's something that I think I feel
0:49:46 > 0:49:50every time I go to the airport and, in Scotland,
0:49:50 > 0:49:54every time I'm getting ready to leave my family and my friends.
0:49:54 > 0:49:58I think what Robert Burns is saying there is...
0:49:58 > 0:50:01it hurts to say goodbye
0:50:01 > 0:50:03when you know what you're giving up.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05MUSIC: "Ghosts" by Lau
0:50:05 > 0:50:07Ladies and gentlemen, I ask you now to fill your glasses.
0:50:07 > 0:50:09Fill them up to the very brim.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13Raise them as high as you can.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18As I give you the greatest Scottish toast of them all.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23To the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25- ALL:- To the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns.
0:50:25 > 0:50:29# And I'm no' turning, come on
0:50:31 > 0:50:35# My parents were ghosts
0:50:37 > 0:50:41# And, sir, I was born here
0:50:43 > 0:50:53# So where would I go? #
0:50:58 > 0:51:01MUSIC ENDS
0:51:01 > 0:51:04Oh... You know when you've spent
0:51:04 > 0:51:0715 years in a place
0:51:07 > 0:51:10'and your children have been young and grown up?
0:51:10 > 0:51:12'I can remember so much.
0:51:12 > 0:51:17'And then, when you see the pictures and hear the music,'
0:51:17 > 0:51:18it is very special -
0:51:18 > 0:51:21the times in Scotland.
0:51:21 > 0:51:23Shalini, where are you?
0:51:23 > 0:51:28Shalini Wickramasuriya by name is not Scottish,
0:51:28 > 0:51:30has spent many years in Scotland
0:51:30 > 0:51:32and is very worthy of this stage. Shalini.
0:51:32 > 0:51:34APPLAUSE
0:51:34 > 0:51:36The last tradition of the supper
0:51:36 > 0:51:39is the Toast to the Lassies along with the reply.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42And even that ritual reaches across the globe.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44- WOMAN:- Come on, my girl! Come on!
0:51:44 > 0:51:46LAUGHTER
0:51:46 > 0:51:49For us laddies, the language of the lassies
0:51:49 > 0:51:53is far too complex for us to comprehend.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55"We need to talk"
0:51:55 > 0:51:58actually means "You're in big trouble."
0:51:58 > 0:51:59LAUGHTER
0:51:59 > 0:52:01Men, on the other hand,
0:52:01 > 0:52:04are much simpler beings.
0:52:04 > 0:52:08"I am hungry" actually means "I am hungry."
0:52:08 > 0:52:10LAUGHTER
0:52:11 > 0:52:16A man can be a useful thing, no woman can deny.
0:52:16 > 0:52:20They work so hard from dawn to dusk
0:52:20 > 0:52:22and still put dinner on the table,
0:52:22 > 0:52:25and sort the kids, and clean the house,
0:52:25 > 0:52:28and all those things that us lassies...
0:52:28 > 0:52:30DROWNED OUT BY LAUGHTER
0:52:32 > 0:52:38Gentlemen, what would we or Rabbie do without our lassies?
0:52:38 > 0:52:43Without the lassies, then there would be no poems.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46Without the poems, there would be no poet.
0:52:46 > 0:52:48Without the poet and the lassies,
0:52:48 > 0:52:51we wouldn't be here today.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54Gentlemen, I would ask that you be upstanding
0:52:54 > 0:52:57and raise a toast
0:52:57 > 0:52:59to the lassies.
0:52:59 > 0:53:01- ALL:- To the lassies.
0:53:01 > 0:53:05ACCORDION PLAYS TRADITIONAL CEILIDH MUSIC
0:53:08 > 0:53:12In Ghana, the formalities of the evening are over.
0:53:12 > 0:53:13Now it's time to dance
0:53:13 > 0:53:16and you don't have to be a Scot to ceilidh.
0:53:27 > 0:53:30I think there is a superb marriage of
0:53:30 > 0:53:32the Ghanaian culture and the Scottish culture.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35Ghanaians are very warm and hospitable people
0:53:35 > 0:53:37and the same can be said about the Scots.
0:53:37 > 0:53:41And so I think that is one important element of how the society
0:53:41 > 0:53:44here in Ghana has survived for so many years.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57As the evening draws to a close,
0:53:57 > 0:54:02the Ghanaian guest of honour wants to reflect on Burns.
0:54:02 > 0:54:07I think the primary thing to think of here is tradition being kept.
0:54:07 > 0:54:09And, um...
0:54:09 > 0:54:10tradition becomes a bond.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14And I think that's...that's what we're celebrating here
0:54:14 > 0:54:17is the bond of the Scottish society even within Ghana.
0:54:17 > 0:54:21And we're not different than the Scottish really when you look at it.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24Because, like Robert Burns was saying,
0:54:24 > 0:54:27you are thinking about
0:54:27 > 0:54:32romance, humanity,
0:54:32 > 0:54:35and basically caring for each other.
0:54:35 > 0:54:39And I think Ghanaian society is the same.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42So we are one human race.
0:54:42 > 0:54:46Please note that beer and wine and soft drinks
0:54:46 > 0:54:50will be served through to the end when we sing Auld Lang Syne.
0:54:50 > 0:54:54Famous Grouse whisky will be available while Scots last...
0:54:54 > 0:54:56stocks last.
0:54:56 > 0:54:58- Oh, dear. - LAUGHTER
0:54:58 > 0:55:01CHEERING
0:55:01 > 0:55:05# And I would walk 500 miles
0:55:05 > 0:55:09# And I would walk 500 more... #
0:55:09 > 0:55:12As the evenings progress and the whisky kicks in,
0:55:12 > 0:55:15Burns gets put to one side for a few moments,
0:55:15 > 0:55:18and a celebration of modern Scotland takes over.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21Are you ready? # Da-na da-ra da-ra-da
0:55:21 > 0:55:22# Da-na da-ra da-ra-da... #
0:55:22 > 0:55:25ALL JOIN IN
0:55:25 > 0:55:29They are having fun and we are having fun serving them, so...
0:55:29 > 0:55:30everyone's having fun!
0:55:30 > 0:55:32This is Burns Supper.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38'I am extremely proud to be Scottish.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41'You know, this vocabulary, the accent'
0:55:41 > 0:55:45it's home, it's roots, it's Mum, it's my family,
0:55:45 > 0:55:47my sisters are there and, er,
0:55:47 > 0:55:50and there's that draw all the time...
0:55:51 > 0:55:53..to go home
0:55:53 > 0:55:55basically.
0:55:55 > 0:56:01ALL SING: # Should auld acquaintance be forgot
0:56:01 > 0:56:07# And never brought to mind...? #
0:56:07 > 0:56:09The venues may be thousands of miles apart
0:56:09 > 0:56:13but the evenings all finish in exactly the same way.
0:56:13 > 0:56:18# ..For auld lang syne... #
0:56:18 > 0:56:22We do tend to leave home, but we never leave home behind us
0:56:22 > 0:56:24in terms of taking it with us.
0:56:24 > 0:56:25Here we go!
0:56:25 > 0:56:29'Burns fundamentally gives us our Scottishness,
0:56:29 > 0:56:33'he is, without a shadow of a doubt,
0:56:33 > 0:56:36'one of the anchors of being Scottish,'
0:56:36 > 0:56:40something in which Scots can take tremendous pride
0:56:40 > 0:56:45because of now what we could term to be the universality of Robert Burns.
0:56:45 > 0:56:55# ..We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet For auld lang syne. #
0:56:55 > 0:56:59I am very Scottish. I am not Sri Lankan.
0:56:59 > 0:57:01No, no.
0:57:01 > 0:57:04I feel more Scottish than ever now.
0:57:04 > 0:57:13# ..We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet For auld lang syne. #
0:57:13 > 0:57:14CHEERING
0:57:14 > 0:57:18But, for one Scot, the longing for home will soon be over.
0:57:18 > 0:57:22John knows that his next Burns Supper will be in Scotland.
0:57:22 > 0:57:25You can be in exile for so long and talk about Scotland.
0:57:25 > 0:57:29You have to go back and get your feet on the ground and be Scottish again.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32So I think it's my turn to get my feet back on Scottish soil.
0:57:32 > 0:57:36MUSIC: "Horizontigo" by Lau
0:57:36 > 0:57:39THEY CHEER
0:57:45 > 0:57:49I tell you what, Robert Burns would have stood up there crying.
0:57:49 > 0:57:51He would have stood there crying.
0:57:51 > 0:57:53You know, 200 years on or whatever it's been,
0:57:53 > 0:57:57the guy would've been overwhelmed with the response tonight.
0:58:01 > 0:58:05'What would he say? He would say, "The best of company.
0:58:05 > 0:58:08'"Good food. Good drink. Good music.'
0:58:08 > 0:58:11"A night well spent.
0:58:11 > 0:58:13"Thank you every much."
0:58:13 > 0:58:17"HORIZONTIGO" CONTINUES