Pedr Bonnell's Article

I read Sion Llwyd's article in Llais, November 2007 (Special Report Wales 2007 and Onward) and thought I would send a contribution from Melbourne following on from the ideas and theme of Sion's article.

I agree with many of Sion's comments and I also believe we are at a critical point in our history in Wales. We are at a crossroads. We now have a National Assembly, the language is getting more and more support however the Anglicisation of Wales is happening in many ways as well as by economic stealth with cashed-up English people buying properties in Wales. What happens next will affect what happens to Wales as a potentially separate culture. Will there be enough appeal and hwyl for the natives as well as the newcomers and their families to embody the culture and language or will Wales become just another part of England?

This problem is worldwide or course, not just in Wales, television and movies bring popular culture into our homes - the march of the English language and of US culture is inexorable. For me that is one reason I cleave to my Welsh roots. I believe the Welsh culture is a positive and life-affirming one, a community-minded culture, and last but not least it is mine!

I teach management and communications in Melbourne and many of my students are immigrants, from China, Vietnam, and from many other places. My philosophy is that if people live and work in Australia then they need to become proficient in English to become a part of Australian society. However I also encourage them to retain their own language and culture and to pass it on to their children, to be proud of it and to incorporate the best facets of that into their family life and working life in Australia. Otherwise I feel we are stagnating as a nation instead of going forwards.

Here are some of my thoughts on how we can retain and enjoy our Welsh culture:

I think it is important to be active and express our Welshness in everyday life; to be proud of it and tell people that we are Welsh and explain what that means. Wear the Welsh dragon (the oldest national flag in the world) and learn about our history and the amazing struggle of Welsh people over the ages; what a momentous journey against huge odds and `yma o hyd' - we are still here. When you see or hear of such misinformation let people know. I attach below a letter that was recently published in the Sunday Age (17/02/08).

Start to see through the centuries of misinformation. It is so true that the `victorious' write the history books and the history of the British Isles has been re-written from the perspective of the Empire builders; of the ruling upper classes. The act of `colonising' is not only people's lands but also their culture and their achievements.

To give an example I take you back to the 6th Century AD, to the age of the Saints when the impetus of the Welsh Saints spread Christianity throughout Britain and Ireland and kept the light of civilisation alive whilst the rest of Europe stumbled blindly through the Dark Ages. It was this culture that birthed Arthur Pendragon and the ethos of `Right over Might'; whose civilising message was so profound that it was adopted by the English and European courts as their own - you see what I mean about history's slant. So complete has been this takeover that we Welsh somehow feel that this mythology and history is no longer ours. However we can choose to regain it and hold it up as a part of our culture that is so positive that it has stood the test of time and is a vision for others in the world.

It makes me smile when people remark about quirky English qualities; the ability to laugh at oneself, the support of the underdog, the humour and romance in music, poetry and written word that still has great depth. All characteristics that the Anglo-Saxon or Germanic culture is not renowned for! I'm making huge generalisations here, I know, but I'm making a point that actually these qualities are more of the nature of the Celtic people that once populated all of the British Isles, the remnants of which, in the main, are the Welsh, the Irish and Scottish. There is now growing evidence that these peoples remained in present day England rather than being forced West and North. They remained to form the fabric of society over which the organising structures which the English are so good at was laid. So don't believe everything you read in books, often great people are standing on the shoulders of giants!

I guess when it comes down to it, the real difference that sets us apart is the language itself - so become bi-lingual and learn to speak and understand it. I think this is the real difference and the way we will reclaim ourselves as a nation. Join your local Welsh language group or learn with BBC - Catchphrase or Acen over the internet. I was told recently that there are now 26,000 Welsh speakers in Cardiff. When I was in Cardiff in the 70s I barely heard the language at all.

In Melbourne, not so long ago, we had our St David's celebrations. A great Gymanfa Ganu and the Victorian Welsh Male Voice Choir organised a concert where hundreds came along. The Melbourne based Welsh language folk group Pendragon Dreaming performed, as did Huw Jones from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Welsh dancers, Soprano and bass-baritone opera singers, Delilah was sung in Welsh! - I know you have your own ones in Sydney and elsewhere, make them living cultural events.

Join Plaid Cymru, it's the only way Wales will slow the creeping Anglicisation and turn the sea-changers into Welsh speaking Welsh nationals. In Melbourne we have a branch of Plaid Cymru with about 50 members, we adopted Llanelli in the last by-elections in Wales and they won the seat! Email us and get in touch and join - see the website below.

Reclaim your heritage and don't forget - mwynhau.

Pedr Bonnell lives in Melbourne and is a member of Pendragon Dreaming (www.pendragondreaming.com/), Plaid Cymru (www.plaidaus.org/) and is Editor of the www.welshaustralian.com/ website; a place where people in Australia can explore what it means to be Welsh.