To mark St David’s Day 2023, Wales Arts International – the international agency of the Arts Council of Wales - has announced the names of the nine recipients of the Gwrando (Listening) programme. This programme has been created in order to support artists to listen to and learn from the many endangered indigenous languages of the world as part of the UN Decade of Indigenous Languages.
The Arts Council of Wales is committed to supporting the Decade, and investing in Welsh language and bilingual initiatives, in Wales and internationally.
The artists / projects who will receive support on their journey of listening are:
Siri Wigdel - 'Govledh’
Chembo Liandisha – ‘Namvwa’
Iola Ynyr – ‘Coflaid’
Dylan Huw – ‘cyfiaith/queer’
Georgina Biggs – ‘Ways of Listening’
Veronica Calarco – ‘Gwrando Dwfn Molla Wariga’
Gareth Bonello – ‘'Sai-thaiñ’
Ailsa Mair Fox
Abby Sohn
The diverse range of projects include: learning around the ancient Sámi song tradition of Joiking; connecting with their mother tongue by listening to the Gawa Undi and Elders of the Chewa People; theatre and performance research into the intertwining of trauma, culture, the earth and spiritual world within Canadian indigenous communities; listening to the voices of ancestors and the traditional healing ritual of Colombia’s indigenous Muisca people; listening and reciprocity between artists in Australia, Ireland and Wales including an exhibition of the works created; continued exploration of connections between Welsh and Khasi people through poetry, music and performance; and a period of dialogue and exploratory writing on queer language-making in Gaeilge and Cymraeg.
Gwrando has been supported by Welsh Government and is an opportunity for Wales to continue to develop its role of listening to and learning from other languages. Poet and academic Mererid Hopwood shared her ideas on the art of listening in this short film which you can watch here.
Eluned Haf, Head of Wales Arts International said:
“Every 2 weeks an indigenous language dies. These languages not only carry thousands of different cultures but also connect to the land where they are spoken. As part of our responsibility to future generations, Wales Arts International has set out to listen to and support some of these languages. The Welsh language is our indigenous language, and its survival has been made possible thanks to poetry, song and other cultural expressions. The arts offer an important way of listening to other languages and culture as well as a powerful tool to share different lived experiences and ways of relating to nature and protecting the earth.”
Dylan Huw, a Gwrando (Listening) Fund awarded artist said:
“I'm over the moon to be pursuing new research and collaborations as part of the Gwrando programme, initiating what I'm hoping will be a rich period of dialogue, experimentation and learning alongside artistic peers from different minoritised language contexts. The funding will enable me to expand upon some longstanding research interests around translation, queerness and exploratory methods of collaboration, and I'm hugely excited to follow the development of all the other Gwrando projects too.”
Read more about the supported artists and their gwrando journeys below.
Siri Wigdel – ‘Govledh’
Following on from recent work with the Norwegian/Sami company GullBakken, learning about the ancient South Sami tradition of joiking, Siri will research further into the rich and vast culture surrounding this tradition, and share newfound knowledge widely. Govledh means “to listen” in the South Sami language, believed to be spoken by between 500-600 people in Sweden and Norway.
Iola Ynyr – ‘Coflaid’
An opportunity to work with female artists within the field of theatre or performance within indigenous communities in Canada, Iola will be exploring trauma, and connecting it with culture, the earth and the spiritual world.
Dylan Huw – ‘cyfiaith / queer’
This project will be a period of dialogue and exploratory writing between Welsh and Irish writers/artists working in Gaeilge and Cymraeg. They will explore the notion of queer language-making and the importance of listening to endangered and minoritised languages, and communities in conversation with emergent queer and ecological sensibilities. The project will include a research visit and will culminate in the publication of a multilingual pamphlet.
Georgina Biggs – ‘Ways of Listening’
Georgina will deepen her shared cultural and creative exploration of ways of listening. She will be listening to voices of ancestors with Anthar Kharana alongside Javier Peralta (a visually impaired musician based in Bogota), exploring the traditional healing ritual of Colombia’s indigenous Muisca people, and to songs and stories from her own practice, performed in ensemble with landscape.
Veronica Calarco – ‘Gwrando Dwfn Molla Wariga’
This project will develop deep listening and reciprocity between artists in Australia, Ireland and Wales, creating space for the artists to reframe how they learn from each other, and share knowledge of each other’s cultural, linguistic and creative explorations. Stiwdio Maelor will host a curated exhibition of the works created during the project, showcasing the artist’s sketchbooks and drawings as well as completed works.
Chembo Liandisha – ‘Namvwa’
Chembo, who grew up in Wrexham area, will research and listen to the culture of her mother’s mother-tongue in Zambia with the Gawa Undi and Elders of the Chewa People, listening to their concerns, thoughts, hopes for the present and future with a fast changing environment. Namvwa is a Nsenga/Chewa word that loosely translates in English as "I have heard/Listened".
Gareth Bonello – ‘'Sai-thaiñ’
Gareth will work with Lapdiang Syiem, a poet, activist and performer from the indigenous Khasi community of Meghalaya, Northeast India. Together, they will explore the complex connections between Welsh and Khasi people and the challenges facing both societies. Their work will combine poetry, performance, music and audio/visual material in Welsh and Khasi. This will build on their ongoing collaboration in which cultural identity, social justice and environmental issues feature prominently.
Ailsa Mair Fox
Welsh musician Ailsa Mair Fox (Machynlleth) has received an initial award to develop her interest with Persian languages.
Abby Sohn
A USA born artist living in Wales, Abby has received an initial award to build on her previous research, exploring perceptions of boundaries and borders in relation to language and the environment. She will be looking at how she can develop her existing relationships with First Nations people in USA and Welsh artists.