Beyond Borders: Jodi Rudoren & Talat Yaqoob

Experience the world in a weekend – that’s the promise of the Beyond Borders festival. With a goal of promoting Scotland to the world, and the world to Scotland, an array of guests from across the world come together to tackle the big questions across 25-26 August. One such event considers the ongoing fight for women's voices to be heard, with New York Times Associate Editor Jodi Rudoren, and Director of Equate Scotland Talat Yaqoob.

2018 marks the centenary of the first wave of women gaining the right to vote in the UK; 100 years on it’s important for these conversations to continue “because inequality for women continues,” explains Yaqoob. “The centenary celebrates women gaining the right to vote, but it was only for economically privileged women and women over 30. It was another ten years before women and men enjoyed equal voting rights. To this day we see inequality; while progress has been made, I am sure even the suffragettes expected us to be much further ahead.”

“We should be constantly exploring whose voices are heard?” notes Rudoren. “Whose perspectives are shaping public debate and public institutions, whose narrative is it? Good journalism is about understanding a variety of perspectives, which, in turn, helps societies function. It’s about giving the voice to the voiceless as well as parsing the voices of the powerful.”

Without encroaching too much on the upcoming conversation, it’s fair to ask: what can we do – particularly in a position of privilege – to ensure all women’s voices are being heard and, more importantly, listened to? “Don’t be a voice for the voiceless, pass the mic” is a quote that Yaqoob recalls hearing recently which captures the feeling perfectly: “If you are in a privileged position, consider what you are doing to amplify women’s voices, particularly women of colour, working-class women and unpaid carers. Are you sharing the platform you have? Have you taken up space, when it is the expertise of these women that is actually required? If so, pass the mic. Whenever I get requests, I question: do I know a woman, particularly a woman who too often goes unheard, who could have this platform? If so, I pass on her details.”

Rudoren similarly channels this sentiment into action: “I’m a journalist, not an activist, so what I do is tell stories, or help elevate and amplify stories, of people whose voices are important, interesting, and might otherwise not be heard.”

These conversations allow us to share experiences and learn from others; the festival offers other ways to explore the world through another's lens, such as the Hard Truths exhibition. “Photojournalism is one of the most important franchises of The New York Times,” explains Rudoren. “A big part of that is going into complicated, often dangerous places in order to tell complicated and difficult stories. Bearing witness is a core part of our mission. If reporters can give voice to the voiceless, photojournalists can humanise the experience and sear it into our consciousness even more powerfully. You can’t recreate historic moments or emotional ones; you have to be there to capture them, and then share them in a compelling and sensitive way."

Photojournalism is an important documentation of the world and its history, and exhibitions like this are testament to the power and danger of their work. What does Rudoren hope people take from seeing Hard Truths? “I want them to feel the stories: feel the hope and stress in the Iranian portraits, feel the hunger and pain in the Venezuelan children, feel the vibrancy of the Cuban street and the chaos of the Syrian fighting and the devastating violence of the Philippines. 

“But I also want them to understand the value of the work, the extreme talent and extreme bravery of the women and men who made the images, the commitment to truth and discovery and accountability made by The New York Times. I want them to want more of this amazing storytelling.”

The world remains a big place, with incredible stories and perspectives to be shared; events such as Beyond Borders bring it closer to your doorstep than ever before.

Beyond Borders International Festival, Traquair House, Innerleithen, 25-26 Aug, £12-49