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It is one of Europe's largest cultural festivals, | 0:00:02 | 0:00:06 | |
a pop-up city of poetry, music, performance, art and dance. | 0:00:06 | 0:00:09 | |
As the BBC's arts editor, | 0:00:11 | 0:00:12 | |
I'm lucky enough to go to a lot of festivals, but I have to admit | 0:00:12 | 0:00:15 | |
I've never been to Wales' National Eisteddfod before, | 0:00:15 | 0:00:18 | |
which I am hugely looking forward to, | 0:00:18 | 0:00:20 | |
but also slightly intimidated by because everything here happens | 0:00:20 | 0:00:24 | |
in Welsh, which is fine if you speak the language but, sadly, I don't. | 0:00:24 | 0:00:29 | |
Every summer, around 150,000 people flock to the National Eisteddfod. | 0:00:50 | 0:00:55 | |
-Bore da. -Bore da. -Bore da. | 0:00:55 | 0:00:58 | |
-Is "Eisteddfod" the right way to say it? -It is, yes. Eisteddfod. Yes. | 0:00:58 | 0:01:02 | |
-Ey-steth-vod. -Eisteddfod. It sounds so much nicer when you say it! | 0:01:02 | 0:01:05 | |
It's exactly the same. | 0:01:05 | 0:01:07 | |
-Is it? -Yes. -Eisteddfod. OK. | 0:01:07 | 0:01:10 | |
No two festivals are ever the same, | 0:01:10 | 0:01:12 | |
as it changes its location every year. | 0:01:12 | 0:01:14 | |
This year, it's in Abergavenny, | 0:01:14 | 0:01:16 | |
a town that sits near the border between England and Wales. | 0:01:16 | 0:01:19 | |
It's not been here for over 100 years. | 0:01:19 | 0:01:22 | |
It is weird coming to a country you know really, really well, | 0:01:22 | 0:01:27 | |
which is kind of part of the United Kingdom, in which you live, | 0:01:27 | 0:01:31 | |
and not understanding a word people are saying. | 0:01:31 | 0:01:34 | |
I guess if I'm going to get the most out of my week here, | 0:01:34 | 0:01:37 | |
I need to learn some of the local lingo. | 0:01:37 | 0:01:40 | |
And who better to help me with that than Eisteddfod stalwart | 0:01:40 | 0:01:43 | |
Dewi Pws Morris? | 0:01:43 | 0:01:45 | |
-Hello, Dewi. -Will, shwmai? | 0:01:45 | 0:01:47 | |
-Yeah! -Shwmai, boi? Right. -Great to meet you. -Croeso. | 0:01:47 | 0:01:51 | |
-Welcome. Croeso to the Eisteddfod. -Croeso. -Come over by here, look. | 0:01:51 | 0:01:55 | |
-Shall we have a Welsh hug? -Yes, go on. Un mawr. Da iawn. | 0:01:55 | 0:01:58 | |
Gwd boi! | 0:01:58 | 0:01:59 | |
-Reit, nawr te. -Yes. -I heard you were coming, obviously. -Yes. | 0:01:59 | 0:02:03 | |
-And I've prepared some things. -Oh! | 0:02:03 | 0:02:05 | |
-They told me you had an interest in the Welsh language. -I do. | 0:02:05 | 0:02:08 | |
-Right, come on. -I do. -A quick course now. Can you say anything? | 0:02:08 | 0:02:12 | |
-Bore da. -Da iawn! Da iawn. That means "good". | 0:02:12 | 0:02:15 | |
Da iawn. Bore da, right. | 0:02:15 | 0:02:16 | |
-Now then, first thing. -Bore da. Bore da. -First thing, shwmai? | 0:02:16 | 0:02:18 | |
-Shwmai. -Shwmai. Will 'dw i. -I'm Will. -Yeah. -Will 'dw i. | 0:02:18 | 0:02:22 | |
-Da iawn! Dewi 'dw i. Shwmai? -Shwmai! -Will... | 0:02:22 | 0:02:26 | |
-Shwmai. Will 'dw i. -I will give you this. Bore da, you know this one. | 0:02:26 | 0:02:30 | |
-Reit, reit. -Bore da. Bore da. -P'nawn da. | 0:02:30 | 0:02:33 | |
-Afternoon. -Yeah. -P'nawn da. -P'nawn da. -Yeah. | 0:02:33 | 0:02:36 | |
-So, bore da is good morning. -P'nawn da... P'nawn da is good afternoon. | 0:02:36 | 0:02:39 | |
Good afternoon. The "good" is the "da". It comes after in the Welsh. | 0:02:39 | 0:02:42 | |
Nos da. No stars... What do you think? | 0:02:42 | 0:02:44 | |
-Nos da. -Nos da - no sun? -Nos da. -Oh, goodnight! | 0:02:44 | 0:02:46 | |
-Goodnight. -Good. Nos da. | 0:02:46 | 0:02:49 | |
Now then, the last one. Diolch. | 0:02:49 | 0:02:51 | |
-Diolch. -Thank you. Diolch. -Diolch. | 0:02:51 | 0:02:53 | |
Da iawn, you can say it. You can say it. Gwd boi. Right. | 0:02:53 | 0:02:57 | |
There we are. Welsh Is Fun, for you, to practise with. | 0:02:57 | 0:03:00 | |
Now then, I want you to stand here now, so that people know you're | 0:03:00 | 0:03:03 | |
learning Welsh and I want you to say - Shwmai? Will 'dw i. | 0:03:03 | 0:03:07 | |
-Tell the world. -Shwmai! Shwmai! -Will 'dw i. | 0:03:07 | 0:03:10 | |
-Will 'dw i. -And I'll see you at the end of the week. | 0:03:10 | 0:03:13 | |
-OK! -Shwmai! Will 'dw i. Carry on! Carry on! Carry on! | 0:03:13 | 0:03:15 | |
Go on. Oh! And here's "dysgwr", a Welsh learner's badge for you. | 0:03:15 | 0:03:19 | |
Da bo! | 0:03:19 | 0:03:20 | |
-Ta-ra! -Ta-ra! -Will 'dw i. | 0:03:20 | 0:03:22 | |
Armed with my Welsh Is Fun book, | 0:03:26 | 0:03:28 | |
I'm off for a sense of what this festival is all about. | 0:03:28 | 0:03:31 | |
And that means having a go at singing in a choir and | 0:03:31 | 0:03:34 | |
a spot of traditional clogging. | 0:03:34 | 0:03:35 | |
You know what they say at an Eisteddfod - if you see | 0:03:41 | 0:03:43 | |
a pair of clogs, whack 'em on. Sorry about the socks. | 0:03:43 | 0:03:47 | |
This is the first time I have ever worn a pair of dancing clogs. | 0:03:48 | 0:03:54 | |
They feel like they were made to measure. | 0:03:54 | 0:03:57 | |
All I need now is to find somebody to show me how to use them. | 0:03:57 | 0:04:01 | |
-Ho-ho! -Hello! | 0:04:01 | 0:04:02 | |
-Tudur, shwmai? -Shwmai, Tudur? | 0:04:02 | 0:04:04 | |
-You're a man who can operate a pair of clogs. -Just about, yeah. | 0:04:05 | 0:04:09 | |
-I have never worn clogs before, of this nature. -So be careful... | 0:04:09 | 0:04:13 | |
-Don't... -What do I do? | 0:04:13 | 0:04:15 | |
-The first thing I'll teach you is pitter-patter. -Pitter-patter. | 0:04:15 | 0:04:18 | |
-I love a bit of pitter-patter! -It sounds like pitter-patter. | 0:04:18 | 0:04:20 | |
It sounds like this... Pitter... Pitter... Pitter-patter... | 0:04:20 | 0:04:23 | |
That's nice. That's nice. | 0:04:23 | 0:04:24 | |
So, slowly, you put one foot down and then kick the bottom. | 0:04:24 | 0:04:28 | |
That's the one. | 0:04:28 | 0:04:29 | |
-It's controlling the sound off the right, though. -Then it's... | 0:04:31 | 0:04:35 | |
Nearly a jog, but you're kicking between a jog. | 0:04:35 | 0:04:38 | |
-Oh. -Do you want to try something a bit harder? | 0:04:40 | 0:04:43 | |
No, I can't even do this! | 0:04:43 | 0:04:45 | |
You do this. | 0:04:45 | 0:04:47 | |
Oh, you're joking, man! | 0:04:48 | 0:04:50 | |
I'm 50 years old! | 0:04:50 | 0:04:52 | |
Well, it's probably safer to do there... | 0:04:52 | 0:04:54 | |
Jump as high as you can, knees up, and then pull it under, if you can. | 0:04:54 | 0:04:59 | |
-You can do it! -Oh, I won't do that! | 0:04:59 | 0:05:01 | |
I won't do that, I can barely wear these clogs. | 0:05:01 | 0:05:04 | |
I think it'll be close. | 0:05:04 | 0:05:07 | |
New form of dancing here. | 0:05:07 | 0:05:09 | |
CHEERING | 0:05:09 | 0:05:12 | |
CHEERS AND APPLAUSE Oh, right. | 0:05:12 | 0:05:15 | |
I need a cup of tea! | 0:05:15 | 0:05:17 | |
At the heart of the Eisteddfod is the big Pavilion. | 0:05:19 | 0:05:22 | |
This is magnificent. The only pity for me, of course, | 0:05:24 | 0:05:28 | |
is that I can't join in because the golden rule of the Eisteddfod | 0:05:28 | 0:05:32 | |
is that all performances have to be in Welsh, | 0:05:32 | 0:05:35 | |
so unless I consume the contents of this book really quickly and | 0:05:35 | 0:05:38 | |
remember them, I won't be performing on this stage any time soon, | 0:05:38 | 0:05:42 | |
which is a shame for me, but not, I should imagine, | 0:05:42 | 0:05:45 | |
for the rest of the audience. | 0:05:45 | 0:05:47 | |
And for one local choir, that's been quite a challenge. | 0:05:47 | 0:05:52 | |
In 155 people - that's how many are in the choir - | 0:05:52 | 0:05:55 | |
only five speak Welsh. | 0:05:55 | 0:05:57 | |
One or two, like me, are learning it, | 0:05:57 | 0:05:59 | |
so it's been hard work for a lot of people to learn that much new | 0:05:59 | 0:06:03 | |
language to them, but they felt they really wanted to support the | 0:06:03 | 0:06:06 | |
festival and support the Eisteddfod. | 0:06:06 | 0:06:09 | |
CHEERS AND APPLAUSE | 0:06:09 | 0:06:12 | |
It's a massive journey. We've been rehearsing for over ten months. | 0:06:16 | 0:06:20 | |
# Oooh-oooh... # | 0:06:22 | 0:06:24 | |
-We are certainly going to be very entertaining. -Yes. | 0:06:24 | 0:06:27 | |
-That's for sure. -That's right. I mean, we give our all. | 0:06:27 | 0:06:30 | |
# O-o... # | 0:06:30 | 0:06:31 | |
# O, nefol ddydd! # | 0:06:31 | 0:06:33 | |
# O, nefol... # | 0:06:33 | 0:06:34 | |
When you hear these singing, it's a really musical thing. | 0:06:34 | 0:06:38 | |
# O fe ddaeth i'r byd | 0:06:38 | 0:06:40 | |
# Fe ddaeth i'r byd | 0:06:40 | 0:06:42 | |
# I'n uno | 0:06:42 | 0:06:44 | |
# Mewn un ffydd | 0:06:44 | 0:06:47 | |
# Oo, mewn un ffydd | 0:06:47 | 0:06:49 | |
# Mewn un ffydd... # | 0:06:49 | 0:06:52 | |
Lots of these people are singing for health and they're singing | 0:06:52 | 0:06:56 | |
for social benefits, singing to join each other in having good fun and | 0:06:56 | 0:07:00 | |
at the end of the day, they never thought that they would ever | 0:07:00 | 0:07:03 | |
compete on the National Eisteddfod stage. | 0:07:03 | 0:07:06 | |
# O, nefol ddydd | 0:07:06 | 0:07:08 | |
# O, nefol ddydd... # | 0:07:08 | 0:07:11 | |
They're proud of living in Wales. | 0:07:11 | 0:07:13 | |
I think a lot of people wanted to celebrate that really. | 0:07:13 | 0:07:16 | |
# ..Yr Ior | 0:07:16 | 0:07:18 | |
# Pan ddaeth yr Ior | 0:07:18 | 0:07:21 | |
# Pan ddaeth yr Ior | 0:07:21 | 0:07:24 | |
# I olchi'n beiau'n rhydd | 0:07:24 | 0:07:26 | |
# O, nefol ddydd. # | 0:07:26 | 0:07:28 | |
CHEERS AND APPLAUSE | 0:07:28 | 0:07:33 | |
It was wonderful. It was so exciting! | 0:07:33 | 0:07:36 | |
It really was! | 0:07:36 | 0:07:37 | |
The history of the Eisteddfod goes back centuries to old bardic | 0:07:40 | 0:07:44 | |
traditions, which have developed over time into | 0:07:44 | 0:07:47 | |
a national institution of Welsh arts, as chronicled in this essay | 0:07:47 | 0:07:50 | |
by Hywel Teifi Edwards, the father of a colleague of mine at the BBC. | 0:07:50 | 0:07:54 | |
What came through the book, | 0:07:56 | 0:07:58 | |
which surprised me, was how political it is in a way. | 0:07:58 | 0:08:01 | |
Very. | 0:08:01 | 0:08:03 | |
It is a complete nonsense to imagine that you can have an event of | 0:08:03 | 0:08:07 | |
this size, proclaiming itself to be a huge cultural event, | 0:08:07 | 0:08:11 | |
which wants to make an impact on all areas of Welsh life and | 0:08:11 | 0:08:14 | |
try to claim at the same time that it's not "political" | 0:08:14 | 0:08:18 | |
because it's an event that in my father's eyes was a big statement. | 0:08:18 | 0:08:21 | |
And a statement not just in Welsh terms but | 0:08:21 | 0:08:24 | |
a statement in European terms, very important for him. | 0:08:24 | 0:08:27 | |
What does it tell us about cultural life in Wales? | 0:08:27 | 0:08:30 | |
What does it tell us about national self-confidence? | 0:08:30 | 0:08:32 | |
What does it tell us about self-assertion in Welsh life? | 0:08:32 | 0:08:35 | |
For him, at a time when Wales didn't have | 0:08:35 | 0:08:37 | |
a lot of institutions that could project Welshness, | 0:08:37 | 0:08:41 | |
this really did fulfil a very important function. | 0:08:41 | 0:08:45 | |
-And today? -It still does, but in a slightly different way. -Go on. | 0:08:45 | 0:08:49 | |
Because today, we have clearly a different structure in the UK, | 0:08:49 | 0:08:52 | |
we have a devolved government in Cardiff Bay - that clearly is | 0:08:52 | 0:08:55 | |
a big voice for Wales, so you could turn round and say, | 0:08:55 | 0:08:58 | |
"OK, what does the Eisteddfod do now?" | 0:08:58 | 0:09:00 | |
I would argue that in terms of its function, | 0:09:00 | 0:09:03 | |
it still is important, in terms of reaching out. | 0:09:03 | 0:09:06 | |
For me, the real triumph is to bring an Eisteddfod to Abergavenny | 0:09:06 | 0:09:11 | |
and to areas of Wales where they are not immersed in Welsh culture | 0:09:11 | 0:09:15 | |
and to have it make a natural home and for people to feel welcome. | 0:09:15 | 0:09:19 | |
In your dad's book, | 0:09:19 | 0:09:20 | |
-he talks about the Eisteddfod being peripatetic, within Britain. -Yeah. | 0:09:20 | 0:09:24 | |
Scotland, London, all over the place, Liverpool. | 0:09:24 | 0:09:27 | |
-Well, some of the best ones were in London. -Yeah. -The Albert Hall. | 0:09:27 | 0:09:30 | |
Exactly. Will that happen again? | 0:09:30 | 0:09:32 | |
I'd love the National Eisteddfod to come to London. | 0:09:32 | 0:09:34 | |
Some of the famous Eisteddfods of the past, in Liverpool, | 0:09:34 | 0:09:37 | |
in Birkenhead, for example, or in London, elsewhere, | 0:09:37 | 0:09:39 | |
they've said something. You know, if you were talking about | 0:09:39 | 0:09:42 | |
putting Wales on an international platform, | 0:09:42 | 0:09:45 | |
-an Eisteddfod at the Royal Albert Hall is pretty good, isn't it? -Yeah. | 0:09:45 | 0:09:48 | |
Yeah? Those of us today who value our Welshness and value what it | 0:09:48 | 0:09:51 | |
means look at the Eisteddfod and look at the way that it's come | 0:09:51 | 0:09:54 | |
to this part of south-east Wales and think - it's worth fighting for | 0:09:54 | 0:09:57 | |
and it's a great sign of what modern Welshness is all about. | 0:09:57 | 0:10:00 | |
-Huw, that's fantastic. I'm sold. -Nice to meet you, Will. -I'm sold. | 0:10:00 | 0:10:03 | |
-I'll see you back in the newsroom. -Yes, see you back in the newsroom! | 0:10:03 | 0:10:07 | |
The vast majority of these festival-goers speak Welsh. | 0:10:07 | 0:10:10 | |
That's in stark contrast to the 80% of the population who do not. | 0:10:10 | 0:10:15 | |
So, how do you attract the country's non-Welsh speakers to come | 0:10:15 | 0:10:19 | |
to the Eisteddfod? | 0:10:19 | 0:10:20 | |
I'm in the wings of the main festival hall. | 0:10:23 | 0:10:26 | |
The finale's about to happen and I feel like Ant and/or Dec from | 0:10:26 | 0:10:29 | |
Britain's Got Talent, but this isn't some cheesy TV show. | 0:10:29 | 0:10:32 | |
It's way better than that. | 0:10:32 | 0:10:34 | |
This is the real thing and Wales has got masses of talent. | 0:10:34 | 0:10:37 | |
Just there are dancers from Ballet Cymru, the first time | 0:10:37 | 0:10:39 | |
the national ballet company has danced at the Eisteddfod. | 0:10:39 | 0:10:43 | |
Wonderful to see them here. | 0:10:43 | 0:10:45 | |
Incredible show! | 0:10:45 | 0:10:47 | |
Internationally acclaimed harpist Catrin Finch has curated | 0:10:56 | 0:10:59 | |
a concert to the stars. | 0:10:59 | 0:11:01 | |
I wanted to use everything that the Eisteddfod represents, | 0:11:02 | 0:11:05 | |
-basically, in one show. -Right. | 0:11:05 | 0:11:08 | |
And by that, I mean music, dance, poetry, singing. | 0:11:08 | 0:11:11 | |
I wanted it to include all these things, | 0:11:11 | 0:11:14 | |
but maybe in a different way to what it's used to. | 0:11:14 | 0:11:16 | |
And, you know, this was the first time that ballet | 0:11:16 | 0:11:19 | |
has ever been seen on the stage here at the Eisteddfod. | 0:11:19 | 0:11:23 | |
So I wanted to just include these traditions, | 0:11:23 | 0:11:27 | |
but possibly in a new way. | 0:11:27 | 0:11:29 | |
Do you think, with the Eisteddfod, | 0:11:33 | 0:11:35 | |
that it's kind of a little hermetically sealed, | 0:11:35 | 0:11:38 | |
that the Welsh speaking part of Wales knows it, loves it, | 0:11:38 | 0:11:41 | |
attends it, but the rest of Wales and particularly the rest of | 0:11:41 | 0:11:45 | |
Britain, kind of don't know anything about it? | 0:11:45 | 0:11:49 | |
Language can be a barrier, | 0:11:49 | 0:11:50 | |
but sort of the point of what we were trying to do tonight was | 0:11:50 | 0:11:53 | |
that to ensure that it didn't mean that you couldn't enjoy it if | 0:11:53 | 0:11:56 | |
-you didn't understand Welsh. -Why is Welsh so important? | 0:11:56 | 0:11:59 | |
Well, Welsh isn't more important than any other language, it's just | 0:11:59 | 0:12:02 | |
that for us as Welsh people, I think it's a celebration of who we | 0:12:02 | 0:12:05 | |
are and like I say, it's lovely that you have another language, isn't it? | 0:12:05 | 0:12:09 | |
It's like if you went to France and people didn't speak French, | 0:12:09 | 0:12:13 | |
it would just be completely wrong. | 0:12:13 | 0:12:16 | |
And that's what makes Europe so fantastic, | 0:12:16 | 0:12:19 | |
for me, is that you can travel around and you go to | 0:12:19 | 0:12:22 | |
a new country and there's a completely different language. | 0:12:22 | 0:12:24 | |
Shows like your show, | 0:12:24 | 0:12:26 | |
which is conceived to be something which would fit on any world | 0:12:26 | 0:12:29 | |
stage, which just happens to be at the Eisteddfod, | 0:12:29 | 0:12:32 | |
is a sort of new work that's needed, that can travel. | 0:12:32 | 0:12:36 | |
And some people will engage with this in Reykjavik and go, | 0:12:36 | 0:12:39 | |
-"My goodness, that's a beautiful language. I didn't know that." -Yeah. | 0:12:39 | 0:12:43 | |
-But to keep it just here... -It would be a great show. -I think. | 0:12:43 | 0:12:47 | |
So the challenge is now to ensure that this investment that we've put | 0:12:47 | 0:12:52 | |
in here is paid off and there is a push now to make these things | 0:12:52 | 0:12:56 | |
travel outside of Wales. | 0:12:56 | 0:12:59 | |
And to celebrate our culture around the world. | 0:12:59 | 0:13:03 | |
CHEERS AND APPLAUSE | 0:13:03 | 0:13:05 | |
FANFARE | 0:13:10 | 0:13:14 | |
Over the week, | 0:13:14 | 0:13:16 | |
6,000 people will compete in various competitions in the Eisteddfod. | 0:13:16 | 0:13:19 | |
The highlight for many here are the poetry prizes, | 0:13:19 | 0:13:23 | |
officiated by the colourful Druids from the Gorsedd of the Bards. | 0:13:23 | 0:13:26 | |
I spot a familiar face. My Welsh tutor, Dewi Pws. | 0:13:28 | 0:13:32 | |
-(Shwmai?) -Shwmai? | 0:13:32 | 0:13:34 | |
Bore da! | 0:13:34 | 0:13:35 | |
Da iawn! | 0:13:35 | 0:13:37 | |
'I want to find out a bit more about this seemingly ancient tradition | 0:13:39 | 0:13:43 | |
'and to do so, I'm meeting the Keeper of the Costumes backstage.' | 0:13:43 | 0:13:47 | |
Now, I can see from here there's a variety of robes. | 0:13:47 | 0:13:50 | |
-Can you just talk me through what means what, please? -Yes. | 0:13:50 | 0:13:53 | |
The sort of general Druids that are accepted either wear white, | 0:13:53 | 0:13:57 | |
green, or blue. | 0:13:57 | 0:13:59 | |
-Do they have different status? -Yes. | 0:13:59 | 0:14:02 | |
In as much, everybody's equal in status, | 0:14:02 | 0:14:04 | |
it's just that the white - they're the competition winners. | 0:14:04 | 0:14:08 | |
What does the green and the blue signify? | 0:14:08 | 0:14:10 | |
They're worn by people who have been in the community, working hard. | 0:14:10 | 0:14:13 | |
So, nothing to do with the Eisteddfod at all? | 0:14:13 | 0:14:16 | |
No, not necessarily. | 0:14:16 | 0:14:17 | |
I've got to be honest, if I was a Druid, | 0:14:17 | 0:14:20 | |
I'd be satisfied with those, but what I'd be looking for is these. | 0:14:20 | 0:14:24 | |
These look a little bit more glamorous. | 0:14:24 | 0:14:28 | |
-They're a little bit more showy. -Right. -What are these? | 0:14:28 | 0:14:31 | |
-The Archdruid wears this gown. -So that is the boss. -That is the boss. | 0:14:31 | 0:14:35 | |
-Yes. -OK. | 0:14:35 | 0:14:36 | |
And what about this, the red and the purple here? | 0:14:36 | 0:14:39 | |
It's the Mother and Maiden of the Area who wear these cloaks. | 0:14:39 | 0:14:44 | |
-It's all very mystical, isn't it? -Yes. | 0:14:44 | 0:14:47 | |
It feels like something out of the Hobbit or something like that. | 0:14:47 | 0:14:50 | |
-Well, it's been going on centuries, hasn't it? -Yeah. | 0:14:50 | 0:14:54 | |
And some of these haven't changed in their design since the 1920s. | 0:14:54 | 0:14:59 | |
-Really? -And previously to that perhaps as well. | 0:14:59 | 0:15:03 | |
-Is the whole thing sort of like a pagan concept? -No, no, no. | 0:15:03 | 0:15:07 | |
How does it work? | 0:15:07 | 0:15:09 | |
Obviously, I know Druids were sort of the intelligentsia, | 0:15:09 | 0:15:12 | |
I suppose, of the Middle Ages. | 0:15:12 | 0:15:14 | |
-At one time. Yes. -But what now? | 0:15:14 | 0:15:16 | |
-It's the culture, isn't it? The poetry and the music. -Yeah. | 0:15:16 | 0:15:21 | |
That is basically the Welsh way of life. | 0:15:21 | 0:15:24 | |
But you have to be a Welsh speaker to be a Druid, right? | 0:15:24 | 0:15:27 | |
-Yes. -You can't just be Welsh, that won't do. | 0:15:27 | 0:15:29 | |
No, you need to be a Welsh speaker before you can be accepted. | 0:15:29 | 0:15:32 | |
-OK. -But there are... | 0:15:32 | 0:15:34 | |
It's been pointed out recently even the Queen is a Druid. | 0:15:34 | 0:15:38 | |
But she can't speak English. Sorry, can't speak Welsh. | 0:15:38 | 0:15:41 | |
I think she can speak English! | 0:15:41 | 0:15:43 | |
-She can't speak Welsh. -That's your damehood gone. | 0:15:43 | 0:15:46 | |
Now, over here. What have we got over here? There's a massive sword. | 0:15:46 | 0:15:49 | |
Oh, my goodness! That is properly heavy! | 0:15:49 | 0:15:52 | |
-This is carried by Robin McBryde. -The old rugby player? -Yes. | 0:15:52 | 0:15:56 | |
Look at that! My goodness! | 0:15:56 | 0:15:58 | |
The theory behind it is it's never taken out of its case because | 0:15:58 | 0:16:04 | |
it's a sword of peace. | 0:16:04 | 0:16:06 | |
Ah. You are the Keeper of the Costumes. Are you also a Druid? | 0:16:06 | 0:16:11 | |
-I am a Druid, yes. -Oh, you are a Druid. | 0:16:11 | 0:16:14 | |
-What colour do you get to wear? -Green. | 0:16:14 | 0:16:16 | |
-So, you're green for doing good works? -Yes. Basically, yes. | 0:16:16 | 0:16:20 | |
Yeah. Are you elevated within the community? | 0:16:20 | 0:16:22 | |
-You're no different to anybody else. -Are you sure? | 0:16:22 | 0:16:24 | |
And I wouldn't want to be elevated at all. | 0:16:24 | 0:16:26 | |
You don't find yourself going in to restaurants and saying, | 0:16:26 | 0:16:29 | |
-"Lady Druid!" -Definitely not. | 0:16:29 | 0:16:31 | |
"We have a much better table for you over here." | 0:16:31 | 0:16:34 | |
Thank you very much indeed. | 0:16:34 | 0:16:35 | |
Look, I can see that to the uninitiated this might seem weird, | 0:16:38 | 0:16:43 | |
maybe even a bit silly, but you've got to respect it. | 0:16:43 | 0:16:46 | |
It's kind of an honours system for people who speak the Welsh language | 0:16:46 | 0:16:50 | |
and they take it really seriously. | 0:16:50 | 0:16:53 | |
And the costumes might look, I don't know, odd | 0:16:53 | 0:16:55 | |
and the whole concept of being a Druid, | 0:16:55 | 0:16:58 | |
but actually if you can just get over that and appreciate what | 0:16:58 | 0:17:01 | |
these people have achieved for their society and their culture, | 0:17:01 | 0:17:04 | |
and their commitment and their sincerity, well, | 0:17:04 | 0:17:07 | |
I think hats off to them, frankly. | 0:17:07 | 0:17:10 | |
One person who has been honoured for his work with male voice choirs | 0:17:10 | 0:17:13 | |
is Tim Rhys-Evans. | 0:17:13 | 0:17:16 | |
#..Wedi brifo | 0:17:16 | 0:17:18 | |
# A Dafydd y gwas ddim yn iach, oi-oi. # | 0:17:18 | 0:17:21 | |
Tim is the creator of the choirs Only Men Aloud and Only Boys Aloud. | 0:17:21 | 0:17:25 | |
Both made their names on shows like Britain's Got Talent and | 0:17:25 | 0:17:28 | |
Last Choir Standing. | 0:17:28 | 0:17:29 | |
At this year's Eisteddfod, he's encouraging everybody to sing, | 0:17:29 | 0:17:33 | |
including, I'm afraid to say, me. | 0:17:33 | 0:17:35 | |
THEY APPLAUD | 0:17:35 | 0:17:38 | |
-Well, Tim, that was good. Not by me, but by you. -You did very well. | 0:17:38 | 0:17:42 | |
-You didn't hear me. -Thank you for bearing with me. | 0:17:42 | 0:17:45 | |
-I did hear you, yes. -Oh! I can't sing. | 0:17:45 | 0:17:47 | |
What's this all about? | 0:17:47 | 0:17:50 | |
Well, we started Only Boys Aloud because I originally come | 0:17:50 | 0:17:54 | |
from not very far away from here at all, | 0:17:54 | 0:17:57 | |
a little village called New Tredegar, | 0:17:57 | 0:17:59 | |
and growing up as a Valleys boy, | 0:17:59 | 0:18:01 | |
the only access I had to live music was male choirs and the | 0:18:01 | 0:18:05 | |
male choir tradition has been ageing in recent years. | 0:18:05 | 0:18:10 | |
-And therefore dying out? -It's certainly not dying out. | 0:18:10 | 0:18:13 | |
There are a proliferation of male choirs still going in Wales. | 0:18:13 | 0:18:18 | |
However, you hear of choirs closing down and how difficult it is | 0:18:18 | 0:18:23 | |
to engage young boys. | 0:18:23 | 0:18:25 | |
Of course, Tim's been here before. | 0:18:25 | 0:18:27 | |
Not least at the 2010 Eisteddfod, when Only Men Aloud and | 0:18:27 | 0:18:30 | |
Only Boys Aloud sang together for the first time. | 0:18:30 | 0:18:34 | |
It helped popularise and change the image of male voice singing. | 0:18:34 | 0:18:38 | |
# A Dafydd y gwas yn ei fedd, oi-oi... # | 0:18:38 | 0:18:40 | |
If you saw them hanging around on a street corner in their | 0:18:40 | 0:18:43 | |
hoodies and whatever, you'd be forgiven for crossing the road. | 0:18:43 | 0:18:46 | |
Right. | 0:18:46 | 0:18:47 | |
But actually, you engage our lads in conversation - they're witty, | 0:18:47 | 0:18:51 | |
they're funny, they're bright, and they're a joy to be around. | 0:18:51 | 0:18:55 | |
Wales' global reputation for singing isn't limited to its male | 0:18:56 | 0:19:00 | |
voice choirs. The Manic Street Preachers and the Stereophonics, | 0:19:00 | 0:19:03 | |
of course, are world famous rock bands, | 0:19:03 | 0:19:06 | |
but they can't sing here because of the Welsh language only rule. | 0:19:06 | 0:19:10 | |
I could see you doing a fantastic session with the Stereophonics. | 0:19:11 | 0:19:15 | |
-Don't you think? -I would love to. -That would be great, wouldn't it? | 0:19:15 | 0:19:18 | |
Absolutely amazing! | 0:19:18 | 0:19:20 | |
-One or two people might come down. -Yeah, yeah. | 0:19:20 | 0:19:22 | |
A couple might even cross the border, Tim. | 0:19:22 | 0:19:25 | |
Oh, I think if the 'Phonics were to play the Eisteddfod, my goodness, | 0:19:25 | 0:19:29 | |
there would be tens of thousands of people walking round this Maes. | 0:19:29 | 0:19:32 | |
We have a responsibility to make sure that the Eisteddfod is | 0:19:32 | 0:19:37 | |
welcoming, that it is warm, and it is shown to be the vibrant, | 0:19:37 | 0:19:42 | |
hotbed of culture that it is. | 0:19:42 | 0:19:46 | |
-Tim, great stuff. Thank you very much indeed. -Cheers. | 0:19:46 | 0:19:48 | |
That's fabulous. | 0:19:48 | 0:19:50 | |
-# Oi-oi! # -CHEERS AND APPLAUSE | 0:19:50 | 0:19:53 | |
OK, so I'm about halfway through my Eisteddfod experience | 0:19:55 | 0:19:59 | |
and I have to say, by and large, I'm really enjoying myself. | 0:19:59 | 0:20:02 | |
There's so much to get into, | 0:20:02 | 0:20:03 | |
the welcome is as warm as I was promised. | 0:20:03 | 0:20:06 | |
But - and there is a but - | 0:20:06 | 0:20:08 | |
it does feel a little like a private party and that's not just | 0:20:08 | 0:20:11 | |
because the whole event takes place | 0:20:11 | 0:20:13 | |
in the Welsh language - I respect that. | 0:20:13 | 0:20:15 | |
In fact, I enjoy that. | 0:20:15 | 0:20:17 | |
I'm one of very few people I've met who is | 0:20:17 | 0:20:20 | |
a natural English speaker who doesn't speak the Welsh language. | 0:20:20 | 0:20:23 | |
And you look at things like this, | 0:20:23 | 0:20:24 | |
the big National Pavilion behind me, this is the main venue, | 0:20:24 | 0:20:28 | |
and there's no guidance whatsoever to the uninitiated about what | 0:20:28 | 0:20:32 | |
might be going on in there. | 0:20:32 | 0:20:33 | |
There's no sense of a welcome there at all. | 0:20:33 | 0:20:36 | |
And yet, this, that, is the heart of this whole event, | 0:20:36 | 0:20:39 | |
so that feels strange. | 0:20:39 | 0:20:41 | |
There is an element of it being a gated community and I think | 0:20:41 | 0:20:44 | |
that's just such a huge shame because this is a jewel, | 0:20:44 | 0:20:47 | |
this festival. It's got so much to offer, | 0:20:47 | 0:20:50 | |
not just the rest of the British Isles, but the world. | 0:20:50 | 0:20:53 | |
I've arranged to meet Professor Derec Llwyd Morgan, | 0:20:53 | 0:20:56 | |
who sits on the ruling council of the Eisteddfod. | 0:20:56 | 0:21:00 | |
The raison d'etre of the Eisteddfod is to celebrate Welshness | 0:21:00 | 0:21:03 | |
through the Welsh language. | 0:21:03 | 0:21:04 | |
Now, that is why it is. If it wasn't like that... | 0:21:04 | 0:21:08 | |
Why don't the English people, | 0:21:08 | 0:21:10 | |
non-Welsh speaking people of Wales, set up something for themselves? | 0:21:10 | 0:21:15 | |
They haven't done so. This has been going since the 1860s. | 0:21:15 | 0:21:18 | |
It's changed throughout the generations. | 0:21:18 | 0:21:21 | |
But it is still, | 0:21:21 | 0:21:22 | |
still the self-confident spirit and sound of Welshness. | 0:21:22 | 0:21:27 | |
And it should be that, not any other language. | 0:21:27 | 0:21:30 | |
I understand that, | 0:21:30 | 0:21:32 | |
and maybe there are English-speaking Welsh artists - | 0:21:32 | 0:21:36 | |
I'm thinking about pop acts maybe, or even poets - | 0:21:36 | 0:21:39 | |
who may be able to help that transition... | 0:21:39 | 0:21:42 | |
I don't want it to be transited. I don't want it to be changed. | 0:21:42 | 0:21:46 | |
What you're talking about is taking the Welshness of the | 0:21:46 | 0:21:49 | |
Eisteddfod into another field, isn't it? | 0:21:49 | 0:21:52 | |
To make it more accessible to English speakers and English | 0:21:52 | 0:21:55 | |
-listeners. -I suppose what I'm talking about is Welsh culture. | 0:21:55 | 0:21:59 | |
There is no reason to justify what we have here as | 0:21:59 | 0:22:02 | |
a monoglot eisteddfod because it's monoglot only on the stages. | 0:22:02 | 0:22:07 | |
Around the field, | 0:22:07 | 0:22:09 | |
there is as much English as Welsh in Monmouthshire this year. | 0:22:09 | 0:22:12 | |
Do you think, in ten or 20 years' time, that maybe this sort of famous | 0:22:12 | 0:22:18 | |
20% of Welsh speakers within the country of Wales will have | 0:22:18 | 0:22:22 | |
expanded, maybe to 30 or 40? | 0:22:22 | 0:22:24 | |
-That would be miraculous. -Would it? Why? | 0:22:24 | 0:22:28 | |
Well, it takes time for people to learn languages, doesn't it? | 0:22:28 | 0:22:32 | |
It means there should be a great shift. | 0:22:32 | 0:22:35 | |
I know the Government in Cardiff this week stated it wanted | 0:22:35 | 0:22:39 | |
a million speakers by the year 2050. | 0:22:39 | 0:22:42 | |
And that would represent a third of Wales. | 0:22:42 | 0:22:44 | |
It would represent a third of Wales and I don't know what | 0:22:44 | 0:22:47 | |
percentage of increase, but it's massive. | 0:22:47 | 0:22:50 | |
Massive. And we don't have that many teachers. | 0:22:50 | 0:22:53 | |
It's going to be a slow thing, but I hope it happens. | 0:22:53 | 0:22:55 | |
The question, I suppose, is how? | 0:22:57 | 0:22:59 | |
Right now, the overall number of Welsh speakers in Wales is | 0:22:59 | 0:23:02 | |
declining but there is an increase in young people speaking the | 0:23:02 | 0:23:05 | |
language and with that generational shift may come a new-found confidence. | 0:23:05 | 0:23:11 | |
Folk band 9Bach give a fresh twist on traditional Welsh music on | 0:23:11 | 0:23:14 | |
the international folk scene. | 0:23:14 | 0:23:17 | |
# Wylodd ddynoliaeth | 0:23:17 | 0:23:21 | |
# Drwy'r oesoedd | 0:23:21 | 0:23:23 | |
# Ac mae drysau hiraeth yn agor | 0:23:23 | 0:23:28 | |
# I gerddoriaeth pibydd hud | 0:23:28 | 0:23:33 | |
# Pob ddoe a aeth... # | 0:23:33 | 0:23:36 | |
Fantastic. I loved it. | 0:23:36 | 0:23:38 | |
Thank you. Thank you very much. | 0:23:38 | 0:23:40 | |
The thing about you two, | 0:23:40 | 0:23:42 | |
is although you're completely rooted in the Eisteddfod and the Welsh language, | 0:23:42 | 0:23:48 | |
your show and your act is all actually about getting out, isn't it? | 0:23:48 | 0:23:52 | |
Absolutely. | 0:23:52 | 0:23:53 | |
We do play and we do have a big massive fan base outside of Wales. | 0:23:53 | 0:23:58 | |
Which is very refreshing, and great for us - you know, | 0:23:58 | 0:24:02 | |
when we're standing on stages in Vietnam or when we're, you know, | 0:24:02 | 0:24:05 | |
in front of thousands of people | 0:24:05 | 0:24:07 | |
in a big international festival in Germany or wherever, | 0:24:07 | 0:24:09 | |
-it's amazing that you sing in your mother tongue. -Yeah. | 0:24:09 | 0:24:12 | |
It's like a brilliant, brilliant feeling, do you know what I mean? | 0:24:12 | 0:24:14 | |
When you're in Vietnam, it's just another language for them. | 0:24:14 | 0:24:17 | |
Yeah, and it's an attraction. | 0:24:17 | 0:24:19 | |
# Y galon weddw. # | 0:24:19 | 0:24:22 | |
-Normalise the Welsh language. -Yeah. | 0:24:25 | 0:24:27 | |
Go out there, sing your song that happens to be in the Welsh language. | 0:24:27 | 0:24:30 | |
Don't make a big thing about it. | 0:24:30 | 0:24:32 | |
Because it's important that, because, | 0:24:32 | 0:24:35 | |
if you start thinking in, um, | 0:24:35 | 0:24:37 | |
and keeping everything safe and Welsh, then that's the problem, | 0:24:37 | 0:24:40 | |
I think we're going to suffer as a Welsh nation, | 0:24:40 | 0:24:43 | |
-if we try and keep everything pure and precious. -Yeah. | 0:24:43 | 0:24:46 | |
And I'm very, very strong in my belief that we need to be inclusive. | 0:24:46 | 0:24:50 | |
We need to be outward thinking. | 0:24:50 | 0:24:52 | |
We need to get our stuff out there. | 0:24:52 | 0:24:54 | |
# Weddw... # | 0:24:54 | 0:24:57 | |
The issue of how you maintain AND take forward the Welsh language | 0:24:59 | 0:25:03 | |
is clearly highly charged, if not political. | 0:25:03 | 0:25:06 | |
There seems to me to be a divide between the traditionalists, | 0:25:06 | 0:25:09 | |
who are more about isolation, | 0:25:09 | 0:25:10 | |
and the modernists, who are more about collaboration. | 0:25:10 | 0:25:14 | |
And far be it for me to come in here and make any comment whatsoever, | 0:25:14 | 0:25:18 | |
other than to say, that what is here, | 0:25:18 | 0:25:20 | |
what I've discovered at the Eisteddfod is rich and wonderful | 0:25:20 | 0:25:25 | |
and in some way, shape or form, needs to be treasured. | 0:25:25 | 0:25:29 | |
Now, there is one thing I feel a little more confident about | 0:25:29 | 0:25:32 | |
commenting on, and that is fine art | 0:25:32 | 0:25:34 | |
and there's a tent here which I haven't been into yet, | 0:25:34 | 0:25:36 | |
which I want to go and explore, | 0:25:36 | 0:25:38 | |
which is over there and there's absolutely no issue about language! | 0:25:38 | 0:25:42 | |
The art pavilion gets 40,000 visitors during the week. | 0:25:50 | 0:25:53 | |
I was taken around by former winner Angharad Pearce Jones. | 0:25:53 | 0:25:58 | |
I was particularly struck by the installation by Richard Bevan, | 0:25:58 | 0:26:01 | |
which won this year's gold medal for fine art. | 0:26:01 | 0:26:03 | |
This one is The Physicist's Hands. | 0:26:05 | 0:26:07 | |
-I like that. -It's lovely, isn't it? -Yeah. Describing magnetic force? | 0:26:07 | 0:26:10 | |
Magnetic force, and when I take people around this show, | 0:26:10 | 0:26:12 | |
-I say to them, you know, "Years ago, he would have probably drawn that instance." -Yeah. | 0:26:12 | 0:26:17 | |
Um, or he would have painted those hands but now, | 0:26:17 | 0:26:19 | |
at our disposal as artists, we have so many different ways... | 0:26:19 | 0:26:22 | |
-Good hands, as well, aren't they? -They're lovely, aren't they? -They're great hands. | 0:26:22 | 0:26:27 | |
So, and this adds, of course, | 0:26:27 | 0:26:29 | |
reminds us, what film IS to be shown. | 0:26:29 | 0:26:31 | |
Yeah. Good old...is it 16 mil? | 0:26:31 | 0:26:33 | |
Yeah, 16 mil. | 0:26:33 | 0:26:35 | |
I was very surprised that Angharad, as a former winner, wasn't exhibiting. | 0:26:35 | 0:26:39 | |
So, Angharad, why isn't there any of your work in here? | 0:26:39 | 0:26:42 | |
-I was rejected this year. -No! -Yes. -That's rude. | 0:26:42 | 0:26:45 | |
I've been rejected as many times as I've shown | 0:26:45 | 0:26:47 | |
and many artists will say that in Wales. | 0:26:47 | 0:26:49 | |
I think that's really important and really democratic. | 0:26:49 | 0:26:52 | |
That's absolutely fascinating, cos that wouldn't happen in sort of, | 0:26:52 | 0:26:56 | |
the London art scene, where artists become brands and they've got to | 0:26:56 | 0:27:00 | |
be elevated and supported and they can never, ever do a work which is bad. Here... | 0:27:00 | 0:27:05 | |
-Oh, yeah. -It's... | 0:27:05 | 0:27:07 | |
You've got a proper criticism going on, | 0:27:07 | 0:27:09 | |
so an established artist like you, | 0:27:09 | 0:27:10 | |
or the ones who have won this year, can be completely rejected. | 0:27:10 | 0:27:13 | |
-Yeah, I think that's really democratic. -Wow! | 0:27:13 | 0:27:15 | |
And you get artists coming back. I mean, established artists of a | 0:27:15 | 0:27:18 | |
certain age are sometimes scared of putting their work in, | 0:27:18 | 0:27:20 | |
-cos, you know, they don't want to be rejected. -Right. | 0:27:20 | 0:27:23 | |
But that pushes them to make brand-new work, doesn't it? | 0:27:23 | 0:27:25 | |
So for the visual artist, is this sort of their Turner Prize? | 0:27:25 | 0:27:27 | |
This is Wales' contemporary national art gallery for one week | 0:27:27 | 0:27:33 | |
every year, because we don't have a national contemporary art gallery. | 0:27:33 | 0:27:37 | |
This is it for the time being. | 0:27:37 | 0:27:39 | |
That's beautifully put and an important point. | 0:27:39 | 0:27:43 | |
This is an excellent opportunity for me to see some | 0:27:43 | 0:27:46 | |
Welsh contemporary art, and, of course, I make the most of it. | 0:27:46 | 0:27:49 | |
You know what? I really like this piece by Susan Phillips. | 0:27:51 | 0:27:54 | |
Is it a sculpture? Is it a piece of pottery? Does it really matter? | 0:27:54 | 0:27:57 | |
If I could afford it, I would definitely buy it. | 0:27:57 | 0:27:59 | |
It is, for me, the standout part of this exhibition. | 0:27:59 | 0:28:02 | |
I actually also like these works by her. | 0:28:02 | 0:28:05 | |
The show is fascinating, because it's so broad. | 0:28:05 | 0:28:07 | |
There's sculpture, there's painting, there's photography, there's installation, there's film. | 0:28:07 | 0:28:11 | |
It is, of course, like all these things with contemporary art, hit and miss. | 0:28:11 | 0:28:15 | |
There's some work in here, I have to say, I like a little less. | 0:28:15 | 0:28:17 | |
There are some naive paintings which have taken the naive concept | 0:28:17 | 0:28:20 | |
a little too far but I think it is fantastic | 0:28:20 | 0:28:24 | |
that there is an environment like this where contemporary artists | 0:28:24 | 0:28:27 | |
with some sort of connection to Wales and the Welsh language | 0:28:27 | 0:28:31 | |
can show their work. | 0:28:31 | 0:28:32 | |
I find it staggering, absolutely staggering, | 0:28:32 | 0:28:35 | |
that there is no national museum of modern art, | 0:28:35 | 0:28:39 | |
or contemporary art in Wales and this kind of...the period of the Eisteddfod | 0:28:39 | 0:28:44 | |
for six or seven days is that thing. | 0:28:44 | 0:28:46 | |
That seems to be short-changing the public a bit to me. | 0:28:46 | 0:28:49 | |
It's the final afternoon in the Eisteddfod and time for me to go home. | 0:28:57 | 0:29:01 | |
I was really looking forward to it, | 0:29:01 | 0:29:03 | |
but I have to say, I had no idea how great it was going to be - | 0:29:03 | 0:29:06 | |
the vitality, the variety and the quality of all the arts on show | 0:29:06 | 0:29:10 | |
has been absolutely extraordinary. | 0:29:10 | 0:29:12 | |
I've loved every single second of it. | 0:29:12 | 0:29:14 | |
Next year, it's going up to Anglesey. | 0:29:14 | 0:29:16 | |
I'm going to go along. I hope to see you there. | 0:29:16 | 0:29:19 |