Look for the Women

This year, International Women’s Day is about Inspiring Inclusion – something the Bando’r Beirdd Team are passionate about. Our Swynwraig Dee Dickens wrote this brilliant poem for the launch of our Swynwraig Record label and performed it at Rufus Mufasa’s album launch to rapturous applause and one or two ruffled feathers. 

For #IWD24 we asked women to contribute a line each, recorded going about their everyday lives. We hope the poem inspires inclusion.

Angel A

“Sharing language, expression, and creativity is such a powerful way to bring people and ideas together. No one should be excluded from that. It is exciting for me to be able to bring the three languages that I use everyday together in this context. Exploring the interpretation of poetry  written in Welsh and English is a journey I’ve only just seriously embarked upon, and one I hope to explore further by looking at how I can work more closely with writers and performers to create more free and meaningful translations of their work for Deaf audiences (which stay true to their original intentions)”
Cathryn in dramatic red light, signing a song animatedly.
Cathryn McShane-Kouyate
BSL Welsh English Interpreter
"When I wrote Swynwraig - Look for the Women for the album launch I was thinking about all the brilliant, quietly strong and fierce women I know. Because of that, now the poem is out in the world, though I wrote it, it feels like it belongs to all of us. And that is exactly as it should be."
Dee Dickens
Swynwraig and Author of the Poem - Look for the Women

“We pulled this off with such a short turnaround & that is testament to this creative cooperative that we have nurtured over the last two years. We do not just make art, we go on journeys. Every one of the films brought tears to my eyes & equally filled my heart with huge joy.

When I saw the Welsh language version I was especially floored with emotion, because as a passing first language Welsh speaker (I hate that term but am using it here for context) I understand that there can be so many confidence barriers to the language around reasons that I don’t feel I need to explain or elaborate on. What needs to be celebrated here is that the majority of the participants are not fluent in the language and trusted us profoundly that they were in a safe space & were included in ways that can only progress their engagement with Welsh & change access & inclusion to a language that absolutely belongs to them. Dee has been a huge champion & advocated these ways of working with us & something she said to me made me pause & reflect, the enormity of it still echoing days later.

"I come from a people whose language was stolen when they were. I understand how important a language is, even if I don't speak it. That's what I mean about feeling at home. These ways of working have made me feel like I have been shrouded in a Welsh shawl. These women are amazing.

I will always fight to preserve a native language because there is more to it than words. A language is the story of its people. These are my people. This is my Wales. The language is mine. The language is yours.

Previously, every time I’ve wanted to get involved with Welsh language projects, I’ve been told I’m too English. Only by birth buddy, and not really even then.

Dee

 

This project has healed so much hurt for us collectively. There are new terms in town.

You are all very welcome.

So we invite you to celebrate International Women’s Day with us, reflect on the hashtag & what this really means … #InspireInclusion

We may not be able to get into certain spaces, women’s valid contributions to society & sectors may still not be celebrated in the ways that they should, but you can not stop us taking up space & putting our elbows out in the digital domains, and this is our offering, please share with all the women that you love”

Rufus Mufasa

 

Photo Credit – Cathryn by Gerhard Kress

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