Swansea University will sponsor the Babell Lên (literary pavilion) and contribute to several online sessions as part of this year’s Eisteddfod AmGen programme.
Among the week's events, the University, led by Academi Hywel Teifi, has organised various sessions in the Cymdeithasau virtual tent, y Lle Hanes, Theatr y Maes and the Babell Lên. The events will all be available on the Eisteddfod website, the AM app, S4C, BBC Radio Cymru, the BBC Cymru Fyw website, and catch-up sessions will be available on YouTube.
Session details:
Thursday, 5 August, 11.30am, Pabell y Cymdeithasau
More than a Hashtag - Shaping the 2021 Peace and Goodwill Message.
Gwennan Mair, Theatr Clwyd's Director of Creative Engagement, will lead a discussion with Swansea University students and Mared Edwards, President of Urdd Gobaith Cymru, about their ideas and experiences in shaping the2021 Peace and Goodwill Message, which was shared across 59 countries and in 65 languages, reaching more than 400 million people through global media attention. The powerful message on behalf of the young people of Wales calls for equality for women across the world and the discussion will consider the international picture and the challenges facing women before outlining the next steps that the Urdd, Swansea University and others will take to contribute to achieving the goal.
Thursday, 5 August, 6pm, Y Babell Lên
Hanes Cymry: Lleiafrifoedd Ethnig a'r Gwareiddiad Cymraeg (University of Wales Press) with Dr Simon Brooks and Professor Daniel Williams.
Hanes Cymry is the first volume to discuss the history of ethnic minorities in Welsh-speaking Wales. It is also the first volume to discuss the subject in terms of the Welsh intellectual tradition. In this session, the author, Simon Brooks, will be in conversation with Daniel Williams.
Friday, 6 August, 11.30am, Theatr y Maes
Gwlad yr Asyn and The Tempest: an interview between the playwright Dr Wyn Mason and Professor Tudur Hallam, under the auspices of the Swansea Welsh Drama Society.
Wyn Mason, author of the new play, Gwlad yr Asyn, a joint production between Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru and Os Nad Nawr, will discuss how the play responds to Shakespeare's The Tempest. He will be joined by Professor Tudur Hallam of the Department of Welsh, Swansea University, where Wyn recently gained a PhD in the field of drama and creative writing. The session is sponsored by the Swansea Welsh Drama Society.
Saturday, 7 August, 3pm, Y Lle Hanes
The Meaning of Richard Burton's Life
The Life of Richard Burton exhibition at the National Museum is one of the cultural highlights of 2021. Swansea University has collaborated with the Museum to create the exhibition, making extensive use of the papers and diaries in the University’s Richard Burton Archive. In this session, some of the University's academics – Dr Gwenno Ffrancon, Dr Gethin Matthews and Professor Daniel Williams – will be joined by another of the Afan Valley celebrities, Cleif Harpwood, to explore the meaning of Burton's life. This discussion will build on the exhibition's effort to expose the man behind the headlines, and the Welshman behind the Hollywood glamour.
Professor Elwen Evans, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University, said: "Although our Eisteddfod will once again be virtual, we very much look forward as an institution to contributing to the lively programme of lectures, discussion panels and talks that will be held across the Maes. The Eisteddfod is a special annual opportunity for us to stage the work and expertise of Swansea University's bright writers, scholars and friends.
“This year we are delighted to see some of our students sharing their message for a better world for all by discussing their experiences in shaping the Urdd's Message of Peace and Goodwill 2021. We are very proud of our partnership with the National Eisteddfod and are proud to be able to support one of Wales's leading cultural institutions in its effort to stage and celebrate the richness of Welsh culture."
National Eisteddfod Chief Executive, Betsan Moses, said: “We look forward to working with Swansea University over the next three years to further develop literary events on the Eisteddfod Maes. We are very grateful to them for sponsoring the Literary Pavilion, and I am sure that this will be a successful partnership for both organisations.
“Our literary events are an integral and important part of the Eisteddfod, and it is great to know we have the support of an organisation like Swansea University to work with us for the next few years, starting this year at the Conwy County National Eisteddfod.”