Delegations of the Cultural Institute of Brittany and of Trignac Town Council in visit to Wales

Breton delegations in Wales

A delegation of the Cultural Institute of Brittany (ICB), lead by Jakez Gaucher, with Jakez Lhéritier and Hubert Chémereau, has been invited by Pontypridd Museum for the inauguration of a quadrilingual photographic exhibition entitled Welsh Coal - Breton Steel / Glo Cymru - Dur Llydaw .
(voir notre article)-french, (voir notre article)-english, (voir notre article)-breton : with photos of the exhibition.

This exhibition is the fruit of three years cooperation between Bretons and Welsh specialists to explore the numerous industrial and human links between South Wales and Sant-Nazer area in South Brittany. In 2007, the Breton specialists of the CREDIB* (Breton Cultural Center) of Sant-Nazer and the city of Trignac had set a first exhibtion. (voir notre article). For that event, the Trignac representatives – Mrs Sophie Duquesne, Councillor to Culture and Mr Christian Boustem, Councillor to Sport – had joined the ICB delegation.

During their staying in South Wales, the delegations had the opportunity to discover some top-places of the XIXth century industrial revolution. If most of the ancient mining places have been replaced by new green landscapes covered by new houses, the local authorities of Merthyr-Cynon-Taff have transformed the Lewis Merthyr mine into a Museum. Its visit was very important to discover the industrial and human period marked with diseases, hard life and many social problems.

The Breton delegation had magnificent receptions: lunch with Mrs Avril Green, Lady Mayor of Pontypridd, reception in the City Hall with the Mayor of the Rhondda-Cynon-Taff County, Mr Robert Smith. In front of the Pontypridd Museum was raised a beautiful «Gwenn ha Du» (the Breton flag); inside were exposed 19 panels explaining the various events which marked South Cymru and South Brittany at the end of the XIXth century until 1930: « The world is stretching out its hands to us for coal, and a plethora of gold may be obtained in exchange», said a journalist in 1873.

But this exhibition shows an unknown history of the coastal navigation across the Channel between our two countries, the working conditions, and labor solidarity (labor unions, strikes), the inter Celtic solidarity during the closure of the mines (1984), as well as the great importance of rugby in the mining villages of South Wales and in Trignac area.

An adults' choir and a children's choir, followed by a recital of harp (that of Taliesin James, grand-son of the father of the Welsh national anthem), allowed to close this evening.

Projects of exchanges (college, rugby) with Trignac were launched. It has been also the opportunity for the delegates of the ICB to invite their Welsh friends to come over to Breizh and participate to the Colloquium about the Britto-Welsh coastal navigation planned for 2011 by the Breton Cultural Institute: (voir le site)

Jakez Gaucher, president of the Interceltic and International relations department of the ICB.
Translation Maryvonne Cadiou from (voir notre article)

*CREDIB : Research and Diffusion Center of the Breton Identity (Saint-Nazaire), president Hubert Chémereau.