Do you have Eisteddfod in Wales?
During a chance encounter in 2014 between one of the Jamaican members of the team and a Welsh colleague, the question was posed: “Do you have Eisteddfod in Wales?” and on exploring further we found that there was this very substantive link, with much deeper significance, as Eisteddfod is well known in Jamaica as a festival of creative arts, sharing the same name for the common competitive performance practice of 'Eisteddfod' in both countries.
This opened up a whole range of new opportunities for research as we wanted to explore the Eisteddfod link and other links between Jamaican poetry and Welsh poetry. We based this on the well documented historical connection of the years of colonisation which embedded not only English and Scottish, but also Welsh culture on the “British” plantations across Jamaica. We found that even today schools, communities and colleges across Jamaica celebrate arts and culture competitively under the name and in the format of the Welsh Eisteddfod.
When the delegation from Wales was in Jamaica, we met the team from the Jamaican Commission for Cultural Development, JCDC, who were delighted to tell us about the evolvement of “Eisteddfod” in Jamaica to “Festival” at the time of Jamaican Independence. There is a similar pattern of competitive activity covering poetry, individual and group recitation, singing and dance, as well as other activities, like wine making and preserving, which would be unfamiliar at a Welsh Eisteddfod. Essentially “Festival” is a celebration of Jamaican culture, using both the languages of Jamaican and English in presentations. One of the JCDC team had good memories of the time he visited the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen a few years ago. Jamaican choirs have competed.
Vivian Crawford, the Director of the Institute of Jamaica, welcomed the Welsh delegation with a presentation he prepared on the history of Eisteddfod in Jamaica.
Click here for notes from the presentation.
Some of the students and staff at Bethlehem Teachers College in Jamaica were able to share their memories and understanding of Eisteddfod. Clips >
