2016: with Will Gompertz


2016: with Will Gompertz

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It is one of Europe's largest cultural festivals,

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a pop-up city of poetry, music, performance, art and dance.

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As the BBC's arts editor,

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I'm lucky enough to go to a lot of festivals, but I have to admit

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I've never been to Wales' National Eisteddfod before,

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which I am hugely looking forward to,

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but also slightly intimidated by because everything here happens

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in Welsh, which is fine if you speak the language but, sadly, I don't.

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Every summer, around 150,000 people flock to the National Eisteddfod.

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-Bore da.

-Bore da.

-Bore da.

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-Is "Eisteddfod" the right way to say it?

-It is, yes. Eisteddfod. Yes.

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-Ey-steth-vod.

-Eisteddfod. It sounds so much nicer when you say it!

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It's exactly the same.

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-Is it?

-Yes.

-Eisteddfod. OK.

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No two festivals are ever the same,

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as it changes its location every year.

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This year, it's in Abergavenny,

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a town that sits near the border between England and Wales.

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It's not been here for over 100 years.

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It is weird coming to a country you know really, really well,

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which is kind of part of the United Kingdom, in which you live,

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and not understanding a word people are saying.

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I guess if I'm going to get the most out of my week here,

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I need to learn some of the local lingo.

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And who better to help me with that than Eisteddfod stalwart

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Dewi Pws Morris?

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-Hello, Dewi.

-Will, shwmai?

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-Yeah!

-Shwmai, boi? Right.

-Great to meet you.

-Croeso.

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-Welcome. Croeso to the Eisteddfod.

-Croeso.

-Come over by here, look.

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-Shall we have a Welsh hug?

-Yes, go on. Un mawr. Da iawn.

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Gwd boi!

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-Reit, nawr te.

-Yes.

-I heard you were coming, obviously.

-Yes.

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-And I've prepared some things.

-Oh!

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-They told me you had an interest in the Welsh language.

-I do.

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-Right, come on.

-I do.

-A quick course now. Can you say anything?

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-Bore da.

-Da iawn! Da iawn. That means "good".

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Da iawn. Bore da, right.

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-Now then, first thing.

-Bore da. Bore da.

-First thing, shwmai?

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-Shwmai.

-Shwmai. Will 'dw i.

-I'm Will.

-Yeah.

-Will 'dw i.

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-Da iawn! Dewi 'dw i. Shwmai?

-Shwmai!

-Will...

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-Shwmai. Will 'dw i.

-I will give you this. Bore da, you know this one.

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-Reit, reit.

-Bore da. Bore da.

-P'nawn da.

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-Afternoon.

-Yeah.

-P'nawn da.

-P'nawn da.

-Yeah.

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-So, bore da is good morning.

-P'nawn da... P'nawn da is good afternoon.

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Good afternoon. The "good" is the "da". It comes after in the Welsh.

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Nos da. No stars... What do you think?

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-Nos da.

-Nos da - no sun?

-Nos da.

-Oh, goodnight!

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-Goodnight.

-Good. Nos da.

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Now then, the last one. Diolch.

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-Diolch.

-Thank you. Diolch.

-Diolch.

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Da iawn, you can say it. You can say it. Gwd boi. Right.

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There we are. Welsh Is Fun, for you, to practise with.

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Now then, I want you to stand here now, so that people know you're

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learning Welsh and I want you to say - Shwmai? Will 'dw i.

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-Tell the world.

-Shwmai! Shwmai!

-Will 'dw i.

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-Will 'dw i.

-And I'll see you at the end of the week.

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-OK!

-Shwmai! Will 'dw i. Carry on! Carry on! Carry on!

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Go on. Oh! And here's "dysgwr", a Welsh learner's badge for you.

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Da bo!

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-Ta-ra!

-Ta-ra!

-Will 'dw i.

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Armed with my Welsh Is Fun book,

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I'm off for a sense of what this festival is all about.

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And that means having a go at singing in a choir and

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a spot of traditional clogging.

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You know what they say at an Eisteddfod - if you see

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a pair of clogs, whack 'em on. Sorry about the socks.

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This is the first time I have ever worn a pair of dancing clogs.

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They feel like they were made to measure.

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All I need now is to find somebody to show me how to use them.

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-Ho-ho!

-Hello!

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-Tudur, shwmai?

-Shwmai, Tudur?

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-You're a man who can operate a pair of clogs.

-Just about, yeah.

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-I have never worn clogs before, of this nature.

-So be careful...

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-Don't...

-What do I do?

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-The first thing I'll teach you is pitter-patter.

-Pitter-patter.

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-I love a bit of pitter-patter!

-It sounds like pitter-patter.

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It sounds like this... Pitter... Pitter... Pitter-patter...

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That's nice. That's nice.

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So, slowly, you put one foot down and then kick the bottom.

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That's the one.

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-It's controlling the sound off the right, though.

-Then it's...

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Nearly a jog, but you're kicking between a jog.

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-Oh.

-Do you want to try something a bit harder?

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No, I can't even do this!

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You do this.

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Oh, you're joking, man!

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I'm 50 years old!

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Well, it's probably safer to do there...

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Jump as high as you can, knees up, and then pull it under, if you can.

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-You can do it!

-Oh, I won't do that!

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I won't do that, I can barely wear these clogs.

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I think it'll be close.

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New form of dancing here.

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CHEERING

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CHEERS AND APPLAUSE Oh, right.

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I need a cup of tea!

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At the heart of the Eisteddfod is the big Pavilion.

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This is magnificent. The only pity for me, of course,

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is that I can't join in because the golden rule of the Eisteddfod

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is that all performances have to be in Welsh,

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so unless I consume the contents of this book really quickly and

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remember them, I won't be performing on this stage any time soon,

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which is a shame for me, but not, I should imagine,

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for the rest of the audience.

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And for one local choir, that's been quite a challenge.

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In 155 people - that's how many are in the choir -

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only five speak Welsh.

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One or two, like me, are learning it,

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so it's been hard work for a lot of people to learn that much new

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language to them, but they felt they really wanted to support the

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festival and support the Eisteddfod.

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CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

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It's a massive journey. We've been rehearsing for over ten months.

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# Oooh-oooh... #

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-We are certainly going to be very entertaining.

-Yes.

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-That's for sure.

-That's right. I mean, we give our all.

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# O-o... #

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# O, nefol ddydd! #

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# O, nefol... #

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When you hear these singing, it's a really musical thing.

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# O fe ddaeth i'r byd

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# Fe ddaeth i'r byd

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# I'n uno

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# Mewn un ffydd

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# Oo, mewn un ffydd

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# Mewn un ffydd... #

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Lots of these people are singing for health and they're singing

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for social benefits, singing to join each other in having good fun and

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at the end of the day, they never thought that they would ever

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compete on the National Eisteddfod stage.

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# O, nefol ddydd

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# O, nefol ddydd... #

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They're proud of living in Wales.

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I think a lot of people wanted to celebrate that really.

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# ..Yr Ior

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# Pan ddaeth yr Ior

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# Pan ddaeth yr Ior

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# I olchi'n beiau'n rhydd

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# O, nefol ddydd. #

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CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

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It was wonderful. It was so exciting!

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It really was!

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The history of the Eisteddfod goes back centuries to old bardic

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traditions, which have developed over time into

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a national institution of Welsh arts, as chronicled in this essay

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by Hywel Teifi Edwards, the father of a colleague of mine at the BBC.

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What came through the book,

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which surprised me, was how political it is in a way.

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Very.

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It is a complete nonsense to imagine that you can have an event of

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this size, proclaiming itself to be a huge cultural event,

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which wants to make an impact on all areas of Welsh life and

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try to claim at the same time that it's not "political"

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because it's an event that in my father's eyes was a big statement.

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And a statement not just in Welsh terms but

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a statement in European terms, very important for him.

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What does it tell us about cultural life in Wales?

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What does it tell us about national self-confidence?

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What does it tell us about self-assertion in Welsh life?

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For him, at a time when Wales didn't have

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a lot of institutions that could project Welshness,

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this really did fulfil a very important function.

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-And today?

-It still does, but in a slightly different way.

-Go on.

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Because today, we have clearly a different structure in the UK,

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we have a devolved government in Cardiff Bay - that clearly is

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a big voice for Wales, so you could turn round and say,

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"OK, what does the Eisteddfod do now?"

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I would argue that in terms of its function,

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it still is important, in terms of reaching out.

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For me, the real triumph is to bring an Eisteddfod to Abergavenny

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and to areas of Wales where they are not immersed in Welsh culture

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and to have it make a natural home and for people to feel welcome.

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In your dad's book,

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-he talks about the Eisteddfod being peripatetic, within Britain.

-Yeah.

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Scotland, London, all over the place, Liverpool.

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-Well, some of the best ones were in London.

-Yeah.

-The Albert Hall.

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Exactly. Will that happen again?

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I'd love the National Eisteddfod to come to London.

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Some of the famous Eisteddfods of the past, in Liverpool,

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in Birkenhead, for example, or in London, elsewhere,

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they've said something. You know, if you were talking about

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putting Wales on an international platform,

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-an Eisteddfod at the Royal Albert Hall is pretty good, isn't it?

-Yeah.

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Yeah? Those of us today who value our Welshness and value what it

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means look at the Eisteddfod and look at the way that it's come

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to this part of south-east Wales and think - it's worth fighting for

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and it's a great sign of what modern Welshness is all about.

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-Huw, that's fantastic. I'm sold.

-Nice to meet you, Will.

-I'm sold.

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-I'll see you back in the newsroom.

-Yes, see you back in the newsroom!

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The vast majority of these festival-goers speak Welsh.

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That's in stark contrast to the 80% of the population who do not.

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So, how do you attract the country's non-Welsh speakers to come

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to the Eisteddfod?

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I'm in the wings of the main festival hall.

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The finale's about to happen and I feel like Ant and/or Dec from

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Britain's Got Talent, but this isn't some cheesy TV show.

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It's way better than that.

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This is the real thing and Wales has got masses of talent.

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Just there are dancers from Ballet Cymru, the first time

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the national ballet company has danced at the Eisteddfod.

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Wonderful to see them here.

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Incredible show!

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Internationally acclaimed harpist Catrin Finch has curated

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a concert to the stars.

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I wanted to use everything that the Eisteddfod represents,

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-basically, in one show.

-Right.

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And by that, I mean music, dance, poetry, singing.

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I wanted it to include all these things,

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but maybe in a different way to what it's used to.

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And, you know, this was the first time that ballet

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has ever been seen on the stage here at the Eisteddfod.

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So I wanted to just include these traditions,

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but possibly in a new way.

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Do you think, with the Eisteddfod,

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that it's kind of a little hermetically sealed,

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that the Welsh speaking part of Wales knows it, loves it,

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attends it, but the rest of Wales and particularly the rest of

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Britain, kind of don't know anything about it?

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Language can be a barrier,

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but sort of the point of what we were trying to do tonight was

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that to ensure that it didn't mean that you couldn't enjoy it if

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-you didn't understand Welsh.

-Why is Welsh so important?

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Well, Welsh isn't more important than any other language, it's just

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that for us as Welsh people, I think it's a celebration of who we

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are and like I say, it's lovely that you have another language, isn't it?

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It's like if you went to France and people didn't speak French,

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it would just be completely wrong.

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And that's what makes Europe so fantastic,

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for me, is that you can travel around and you go to

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a new country and there's a completely different language.

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Shows like your show,

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which is conceived to be something which would fit on any world

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stage, which just happens to be at the Eisteddfod,

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is a sort of new work that's needed, that can travel.

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And some people will engage with this in Reykjavik and go,

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-"My goodness, that's a beautiful language. I didn't know that."

-Yeah.

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-But to keep it just here...

-It would be a great show.

-I think.

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So the challenge is now to ensure that this investment that we've put

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in here is paid off and there is a push now to make these things

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travel outside of Wales.

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And to celebrate our culture around the world.

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CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

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FANFARE

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Over the week,

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6,000 people will compete in various competitions in the Eisteddfod.

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The highlight for many here are the poetry prizes,

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officiated by the colourful Druids from the Gorsedd of the Bards.

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I spot a familiar face. My Welsh tutor, Dewi Pws.

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-(Shwmai?)

-Shwmai?

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Bore da!

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Da iawn!

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'I want to find out a bit more about this seemingly ancient tradition

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'and to do so, I'm meeting the Keeper of the Costumes backstage.'

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Now, I can see from here there's a variety of robes.

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-Can you just talk me through what means what, please?

-Yes.

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The sort of general Druids that are accepted either wear white,

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green, or blue.

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-Do they have different status?

-Yes.

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In as much, everybody's equal in status,

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it's just that the white - they're the competition winners.

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What does the green and the blue signify?

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They're worn by people who have been in the community, working hard.

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So, nothing to do with the Eisteddfod at all?

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No, not necessarily.

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I've got to be honest, if I was a Druid,

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I'd be satisfied with those, but what I'd be looking for is these.

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These look a little bit more glamorous.

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-They're a little bit more showy.

-Right.

-What are these?

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-The Archdruid wears this gown.

-So that is the boss.

-That is the boss.

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-Yes.

-OK.

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And what about this, the red and the purple here?

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It's the Mother and Maiden of the Area who wear these cloaks.

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-It's all very mystical, isn't it?

-Yes.

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It feels like something out of the Hobbit or something like that.

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-Well, it's been going on centuries, hasn't it?

-Yeah.

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And some of these haven't changed in their design since the 1920s.

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-Really?

-And previously to that perhaps as well.

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-Is the whole thing sort of like a pagan concept?

-No, no, no.

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How does it work?

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Obviously, I know Druids were sort of the intelligentsia,

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I suppose, of the Middle Ages.

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-At one time. Yes.

-But what now?

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-It's the culture, isn't it? The poetry and the music.

-Yeah.

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That is basically the Welsh way of life.

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But you have to be a Welsh speaker to be a Druid, right?

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-Yes.

-You can't just be Welsh, that won't do.

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No, you need to be a Welsh speaker before you can be accepted.

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-OK.

-But there are...

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It's been pointed out recently even the Queen is a Druid.

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But she can't speak English. Sorry, can't speak Welsh.

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I think she can speak English!

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-She can't speak Welsh.

-That's your damehood gone.

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Now, over here. What have we got over here? There's a massive sword.

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Oh, my goodness! That is properly heavy!

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-This is carried by Robin McBryde.

-The old rugby player?

-Yes.

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Look at that! My goodness!

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The theory behind it is it's never taken out of its case because

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it's a sword of peace.

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Ah. You are the Keeper of the Costumes. Are you also a Druid?

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-I am a Druid, yes.

-Oh, you are a Druid.

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-What colour do you get to wear?

-Green.

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-So, you're green for doing good works?

-Yes. Basically, yes.

0:16:160:16:20

Yeah. Are you elevated within the community?

0:16:200:16:22

-You're no different to anybody else.

-Are you sure?

0:16:220:16:24

And I wouldn't want to be elevated at all.

0:16:240:16:26

You don't find yourself going in to restaurants and saying,

0:16:260:16:29

-"Lady Druid!"

-Definitely not.

0:16:290:16:31

"We have a much better table for you over here."

0:16:310:16:34

Thank you very much indeed.

0:16:340:16:35

Look, I can see that to the uninitiated this might seem weird,

0:16:380:16:43

maybe even a bit silly, but you've got to respect it.

0:16:430:16:46

It's kind of an honours system for people who speak the Welsh language

0:16:460:16:50

and they take it really seriously.

0:16:500:16:53

And the costumes might look, I don't know, odd

0:16:530:16:55

and the whole concept of being a Druid,

0:16:550:16:58

but actually if you can just get over that and appreciate what

0:16:580:17:01

these people have achieved for their society and their culture,

0:17:010:17:04

and their commitment and their sincerity, well,

0:17:040:17:07

I think hats off to them, frankly.

0:17:070:17:10

One person who has been honoured for his work with male voice choirs

0:17:100:17:13

is Tim Rhys-Evans.

0:17:130:17:16

#..Wedi brifo

0:17:160:17:18

# A Dafydd y gwas ddim yn iach, oi-oi. #

0:17:180:17:21

Tim is the creator of the choirs Only Men Aloud and Only Boys Aloud.

0:17:210:17:25

Both made their names on shows like Britain's Got Talent and

0:17:250:17:28

Last Choir Standing.

0:17:280:17:29

At this year's Eisteddfod, he's encouraging everybody to sing,

0:17:290:17:33

including, I'm afraid to say, me.

0:17:330:17:35

THEY APPLAUD

0:17:350:17:38

-Well, Tim, that was good. Not by me, but by you.

-You did very well.

0:17:380:17:42

-You didn't hear me.

-Thank you for bearing with me.

0:17:420:17:45

-I did hear you, yes.

-Oh! I can't sing.

0:17:450:17:47

What's this all about?

0:17:470:17:50

Well, we started Only Boys Aloud because I originally come

0:17:500:17:54

from not very far away from here at all,

0:17:540:17:57

a little village called New Tredegar,

0:17:570:17:59

and growing up as a Valleys boy,

0:17:590:18:01

the only access I had to live music was male choirs and the

0:18:010:18:05

male choir tradition has been ageing in recent years.

0:18:050:18:10

-And therefore dying out?

-It's certainly not dying out.

0:18:100:18:13

There are a proliferation of male choirs still going in Wales.

0:18:130:18:18

However, you hear of choirs closing down and how difficult it is

0:18:180:18:23

to engage young boys.

0:18:230:18:25

Of course, Tim's been here before.

0:18:250:18:27

Not least at the 2010 Eisteddfod, when Only Men Aloud and

0:18:270:18:30

Only Boys Aloud sang together for the first time.

0:18:300:18:34

It helped popularise and change the image of male voice singing.

0:18:340:18:38

# A Dafydd y gwas yn ei fedd, oi-oi... #

0:18:380:18:40

If you saw them hanging around on a street corner in their

0:18:400:18:43

hoodies and whatever, you'd be forgiven for crossing the road.

0:18:430:18:46

Right.

0:18:460:18:47

But actually, you engage our lads in conversation - they're witty,

0:18:470:18:51

they're funny, they're bright, and they're a joy to be around.

0:18:510:18:55

Wales' global reputation for singing isn't limited to its male

0:18:560:19:00

voice choirs. The Manic Street Preachers and the Stereophonics,

0:19:000:19:03

of course, are world famous rock bands,

0:19:030:19:06

but they can't sing here because of the Welsh language only rule.

0:19:060:19:10

I could see you doing a fantastic session with the Stereophonics.

0:19:110:19:15

-Don't you think?

-I would love to.

-That would be great, wouldn't it?

0:19:150:19:18

Absolutely amazing!

0:19:180:19:20

-One or two people might come down.

-Yeah, yeah.

0:19:200:19:22

A couple might even cross the border, Tim.

0:19:220:19:25

Oh, I think if the 'Phonics were to play the Eisteddfod, my goodness,

0:19:250:19:29

there would be tens of thousands of people walking round this Maes.

0:19:290:19:32

We have a responsibility to make sure that the Eisteddfod is

0:19:320:19:37

welcoming, that it is warm, and it is shown to be the vibrant,

0:19:370:19:42

hotbed of culture that it is.

0:19:420:19:46

-Tim, great stuff. Thank you very much indeed.

-Cheers.

0:19:460:19:48

That's fabulous.

0:19:480:19:50

-# Oi-oi! #

-CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

0:19:500:19:53

OK, so I'm about halfway through my Eisteddfod experience

0:19:550:19:59

and I have to say, by and large, I'm really enjoying myself.

0:19:590:20:02

There's so much to get into,

0:20:020:20:03

the welcome is as warm as I was promised.

0:20:030:20:06

But - and there is a but -

0:20:060:20:08

it does feel a little like a private party and that's not just

0:20:080:20:11

because the whole event takes place

0:20:110:20:13

in the Welsh language - I respect that.

0:20:130:20:15

In fact, I enjoy that.

0:20:150:20:17

I'm one of very few people I've met who is

0:20:170:20:20

a natural English speaker who doesn't speak the Welsh language.

0:20:200:20:23

And you look at things like this,

0:20:230:20:24

the big National Pavilion behind me, this is the main venue,

0:20:240:20:28

and there's no guidance whatsoever to the uninitiated about what

0:20:280:20:32

might be going on in there.

0:20:320:20:33

There's no sense of a welcome there at all.

0:20:330:20:36

And yet, this, that, is the heart of this whole event,

0:20:360:20:39

so that feels strange.

0:20:390:20:41

There is an element of it being a gated community and I think

0:20:410:20:44

that's just such a huge shame because this is a jewel,

0:20:440:20:47

this festival. It's got so much to offer,

0:20:470:20:50

not just the rest of the British Isles, but the world.

0:20:500:20:53

I've arranged to meet Professor Derec Llwyd Morgan,

0:20:530:20:56

who sits on the ruling council of the Eisteddfod.

0:20:560:21:00

The raison d'etre of the Eisteddfod is to celebrate Welshness

0:21:000:21:03

through the Welsh language.

0:21:030:21:04

Now, that is why it is. If it wasn't like that...

0:21:040:21:08

Why don't the English people,

0:21:080:21:10

non-Welsh speaking people of Wales, set up something for themselves?

0:21:100:21:15

They haven't done so. This has been going since the 1860s.

0:21:150:21:18

It's changed throughout the generations.

0:21:180:21:21

But it is still,

0:21:210:21:22

still the self-confident spirit and sound of Welshness.

0:21:220:21:27

And it should be that, not any other language.

0:21:270:21:30

I understand that,

0:21:300:21:32

and maybe there are English-speaking Welsh artists -

0:21:320:21:36

I'm thinking about pop acts maybe, or even poets -

0:21:360:21:39

who may be able to help that transition...

0:21:390:21:42

I don't want it to be transited. I don't want it to be changed.

0:21:420:21:46

What you're talking about is taking the Welshness of the

0:21:460:21:49

Eisteddfod into another field, isn't it?

0:21:490:21:52

To make it more accessible to English speakers and English

0:21:520:21:55

-listeners.

-I suppose what I'm talking about is Welsh culture.

0:21:550:21:59

There is no reason to justify what we have here as

0:21:590:22:02

a monoglot eisteddfod because it's monoglot only on the stages.

0:22:020:22:07

Around the field,

0:22:070:22:09

there is as much English as Welsh in Monmouthshire this year.

0:22:090:22:12

Do you think, in ten or 20 years' time, that maybe this sort of famous

0:22:120:22:18

20% of Welsh speakers within the country of Wales will have

0:22:180:22:22

expanded, maybe to 30 or 40?

0:22:220:22:24

-That would be miraculous.

-Would it? Why?

0:22:240:22:28

Well, it takes time for people to learn languages, doesn't it?

0:22:280:22:32

It means there should be a great shift.

0:22:320:22:35

I know the Government in Cardiff this week stated it wanted

0:22:350:22:39

a million speakers by the year 2050.

0:22:390:22:42

And that would represent a third of Wales.

0:22:420:22:44

It would represent a third of Wales and I don't know what

0:22:440:22:47

percentage of increase, but it's massive.

0:22:470:22:50

Massive. And we don't have that many teachers.

0:22:500:22:53

It's going to be a slow thing, but I hope it happens.

0:22:530:22:55

The question, I suppose, is how?

0:22:570:22:59

Right now, the overall number of Welsh speakers in Wales is

0:22:590:23:02

declining but there is an increase in young people speaking the

0:23:020:23:05

language and with that generational shift may come a new-found confidence.

0:23:050:23:11

Folk band 9Bach give a fresh twist on traditional Welsh music on

0:23:110:23:14

the international folk scene.

0:23:140:23:17

# Wylodd ddynoliaeth

0:23:170:23:21

# Drwy'r oesoedd

0:23:210:23:23

# Ac mae drysau hiraeth yn agor

0:23:230:23:28

# I gerddoriaeth pibydd hud

0:23:280:23:33

# Pob ddoe a aeth... #

0:23:330:23:36

Fantastic. I loved it.

0:23:360:23:38

Thank you. Thank you very much.

0:23:380:23:40

The thing about you two,

0:23:400:23:42

is although you're completely rooted in the Eisteddfod and the Welsh language,

0:23:420:23:48

your show and your act is all actually about getting out, isn't it?

0:23:480:23:52

Absolutely.

0:23:520:23:53

We do play and we do have a big massive fan base outside of Wales.

0:23:530:23:58

Which is very refreshing, and great for us - you know,

0:23:580:24:02

when we're standing on stages in Vietnam or when we're, you know,

0:24:020:24:05

in front of thousands of people

0:24:050:24:07

in a big international festival in Germany or wherever,

0:24:070:24:09

-it's amazing that you sing in your mother tongue.

-Yeah.

0:24:090:24:12

It's like a brilliant, brilliant feeling, do you know what I mean?

0:24:120:24:14

When you're in Vietnam, it's just another language for them.

0:24:140:24:17

Yeah, and it's an attraction.

0:24:170:24:19

# Y galon weddw. #

0:24:190:24:22

-Normalise the Welsh language.

-Yeah.

0:24:250:24:27

Go out there, sing your song that happens to be in the Welsh language.

0:24:270:24:30

Don't make a big thing about it.

0:24:300:24:32

Because it's important that, because,

0:24:320:24:35

if you start thinking in, um,

0:24:350:24:37

and keeping everything safe and Welsh, then that's the problem,

0:24:370:24:40

I think we're going to suffer as a Welsh nation,

0:24:400:24:43

-if we try and keep everything pure and precious.

-Yeah.

0:24:430:24:46

And I'm very, very strong in my belief that we need to be inclusive.

0:24:460:24:50

We need to be outward thinking.

0:24:500:24:52

We need to get our stuff out there.

0:24:520:24:54

# Weddw... #

0:24:540:24:57

The issue of how you maintain AND take forward the Welsh language

0:24:590:25:03

is clearly highly charged, if not political.

0:25:030:25:06

There seems to me to be a divide between the traditionalists,

0:25:060:25:09

who are more about isolation,

0:25:090:25:10

and the modernists, who are more about collaboration.

0:25:100:25:14

And far be it for me to come in here and make any comment whatsoever,

0:25:140:25:18

other than to say, that what is here,

0:25:180:25:20

what I've discovered at the Eisteddfod is rich and wonderful

0:25:200:25:25

and in some way, shape or form, needs to be treasured.

0:25:250:25:29

Now, there is one thing I feel a little more confident about

0:25:290:25:32

commenting on, and that is fine art

0:25:320:25:34

and there's a tent here which I haven't been into yet,

0:25:340:25:36

which I want to go and explore,

0:25:360:25:38

which is over there and there's absolutely no issue about language!

0:25:380:25:42

The art pavilion gets 40,000 visitors during the week.

0:25:500:25:53

I was taken around by former winner Angharad Pearce Jones.

0:25:530:25:58

I was particularly struck by the installation by Richard Bevan,

0:25:580:26:01

which won this year's gold medal for fine art.

0:26:010:26:03

This one is The Physicist's Hands.

0:26:050:26:07

-I like that.

-It's lovely, isn't it?

-Yeah. Describing magnetic force?

0:26:070:26:10

Magnetic force, and when I take people around this show,

0:26:100:26:12

-I say to them, you know, "Years ago, he would have probably drawn that instance."

-Yeah.

0:26:120:26:17

Um, or he would have painted those hands but now,

0:26:170:26:19

at our disposal as artists, we have so many different ways...

0:26:190:26:22

-Good hands, as well, aren't they?

-They're lovely, aren't they?

-They're great hands.

0:26:220:26:27

So, and this adds, of course,

0:26:270:26:29

reminds us, what film IS to be shown.

0:26:290:26:31

Yeah. Good old...is it 16 mil?

0:26:310:26:33

Yeah, 16 mil.

0:26:330:26:35

I was very surprised that Angharad, as a former winner, wasn't exhibiting.

0:26:350:26:39

So, Angharad, why isn't there any of your work in here?

0:26:390:26:42

-I was rejected this year.

-No!

-Yes.

-That's rude.

0:26:420:26:45

I've been rejected as many times as I've shown

0:26:450:26:47

and many artists will say that in Wales.

0:26:470:26:49

I think that's really important and really democratic.

0:26:490:26:52

That's absolutely fascinating, cos that wouldn't happen in sort of,

0:26:520:26:56

the London art scene, where artists become brands and they've got to

0:26:560:27:00

be elevated and supported and they can never, ever do a work which is bad. Here...

0:27:000:27:05

-Oh, yeah.

-It's...

0:27:050:27:07

You've got a proper criticism going on,

0:27:070:27:09

so an established artist like you,

0:27:090:27:10

or the ones who have won this year, can be completely rejected.

0:27:100:27:13

-Yeah, I think that's really democratic.

-Wow!

0:27:130:27:15

And you get artists coming back. I mean, established artists of a

0:27:150:27:18

certain age are sometimes scared of putting their work in,

0:27:180:27:20

-cos, you know, they don't want to be rejected.

-Right.

0:27:200:27:23

But that pushes them to make brand-new work, doesn't it?

0:27:230:27:25

So for the visual artist, is this sort of their Turner Prize?

0:27:250:27:27

This is Wales' contemporary national art gallery for one week

0:27:270:27:33

every year, because we don't have a national contemporary art gallery.

0:27:330:27:37

This is it for the time being.

0:27:370:27:39

That's beautifully put and an important point.

0:27:390:27:43

This is an excellent opportunity for me to see some

0:27:430:27:46

Welsh contemporary art, and, of course, I make the most of it.

0:27:460:27:49

You know what? I really like this piece by Susan Phillips.

0:27:510:27:54

Is it a sculpture? Is it a piece of pottery? Does it really matter?

0:27:540:27:57

If I could afford it, I would definitely buy it.

0:27:570:27:59

It is, for me, the standout part of this exhibition.

0:27:590:28:02

I actually also like these works by her.

0:28:020:28:05

The show is fascinating, because it's so broad.

0:28:050:28:07

There's sculpture, there's painting, there's photography, there's installation, there's film.

0:28:070:28:11

It is, of course, like all these things with contemporary art, hit and miss.

0:28:110:28:15

There's some work in here, I have to say, I like a little less.

0:28:150:28:17

There are some naive paintings which have taken the naive concept

0:28:170:28:20

a little too far but I think it is fantastic

0:28:200:28:24

that there is an environment like this where contemporary artists

0:28:240:28:27

with some sort of connection to Wales and the Welsh language

0:28:270:28:31

can show their work.

0:28:310:28:32

I find it staggering, absolutely staggering,

0:28:320:28:35

that there is no national museum of modern art,

0:28:350:28:39

or contemporary art in Wales and this kind of...the period of the Eisteddfod

0:28:390:28:44

for six or seven days is that thing.

0:28:440:28:46

That seems to be short-changing the public a bit to me.

0:28:460:28:49

It's the final afternoon in the Eisteddfod and time for me to go home.

0:28:570:29:01

I was really looking forward to it,

0:29:010:29:03

but I have to say, I had no idea how great it was going to be -

0:29:030:29:06

the vitality, the variety and the quality of all the arts on show

0:29:060:29:10

has been absolutely extraordinary.

0:29:100:29:12

I've loved every single second of it.

0:29:120:29:14

Next year, it's going up to Anglesey.

0:29:140:29:16

I'm going to go along. I hope to see you there.

0:29:160:29:19

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