The Declaration of Arbroath is being refreshed for the social media generation in a project aimed at bringing the document into a modern-day context.
Short video app TikTok and online photo-sharing service Instagram are two of the tools being implemented in a bid to refresh the letter for a younger audience.
What is the Declaration of Arbroath?
The Declaration of Arbroath a 701-year-old document calling for Scotland’s independence.
It was written in 1320 by Scottish barons and earls asking the pope to recognise Scotland’s independence and acknowledge Robert the Bruce as the country’s lawful king.
READ MORE: ‘1975 magazine started Arbroath link to US Declaration’
It was created during Scotland’s long war of independence with England, which began with Edward I’s attempts to conquer Scotland in 1296.
Originally written in Latin, the most famous words in the declaration are: “As long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule.
“It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours, that we are fighting, but for freedom – for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.”
How is the Declaration of Arbroath being updated for the so-called 'TikTok generation'?
Literary group Scottish PEN and Arbroath Festival are calling for 16 to 25-year-olds to submit updated versions of the letter “inspired by the principles of the historic document” for a project called New Declarations.
The outcome will be shared on TikTok and on Instagram stories, as well as being performed at a spoken word performance at the Arbroath Festival and physically crafted to sit in a writing room at Arbroath Abbey.
READ MORE: Scottish Salmon farmers reject claims of welfare abuse in hit Netflix documentary 'Seaspiracy'
Rebecca Sharp, a writer and mentor on the New Declarations initiative, said: “We studied the Declaration of Arbroath and how it functioned at the time of 1320 – background factors that influenced how it was written and who sent it, who it was for and how it was received.
“That led us into thinking about how to write a New Declaration, in the context of where we are now.
“The role of technology is always a factor, and clearly influences how we communicate now.
“Digital platforms and online spaces offer useful and exciting possibilities, while at the same time throwing up parallel concerns around ownership and control, freedom of expression, hate speech, censorship, self-censorship and identity.”
Tuesday marks the 701st anniversary of the letter.
The Arbroath Festival runs from July 2 to September 12 and is described as “an apolitical cultural celebration of the legacy of the declaration”.
Last year, research commissioned by the National Trust for Scotland found that more than half of Scots have never actually heard of the Declaration of Arbroath.
But polling showed nearly eight in 10 people wanted to know more about it.
Diarmid Hearns, head of public policy at the National Trust for Scotland, said: “Our research also showed us that when people learn about and experience Scotland’s heritage, they are more likely to value it and want to conserve it for the future.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here