The Gwrando programme was created as part of the United Nations Decade of Indigenous Languages and to allow artists to listen and learn from the many endangered indigenous languages of the world. Find out more about each individual artist’s journey here:
Researched and listened to the culture of her mother’s mother-tongue in Zambia with the Gawa Undi and the Chewa People listening to their concerns, thoughts, hopes for the present and future within a fast changing environment.
Created dialogue and exploratory writing between Welsh and Irish writers/artists working in Gaeilge and Cymraeg, exploring the notion of queer language-making and the importance of listening to endangered and minoritised languages and communities, in conversation with emergent queer and ecological sensibilities.
Worked with Lapdiang Syiem, a poet, activist and performer from the indigenous Khasi community of Meghalaya, Northeast India. They explored the complex connections between Welsh and Khasi people and the challenges facing both societies. Their work combined poetry, performance, music and audio/visual material in Welsh and Khasi, building on their ongoing collaboration on cultural identity, social justice and environmental issues.
Georgina Biggs – ‘Ways of Listening’
Georgina deepened her shared cultural and creative exploration of ways of listening, listening to voices of ancestors with Anthar Kharana alongside Javier Peralta (a visually impaired musician based in Bogota), exploring the traditional healing ritual of Colombia’s indigenous Muisca people.
Iola is interested in listening to the stories of indigenous women in Canada, sharing experiences and realities, contrasting the similarities and differences between communities in Canada and Wales.
Siri has been working with the Norwegian/Sami company GullBakken and Ole-Henrik Lifjell around the South Sami tradition of joiking. Siri who is from Norway and has recently discovered she has Sami ancestry, has been researching further into the rich and vast culture surrounding this tradition, as well as collaborating with Wales-based artists Cai Tomos and Jodie Marie.
Veronica Calarco – ‘Gwrando Dwfn Molla Wariga’
Developed an exchange between artists in Australia, Ireland and Wales, creating space for the artists to reframe how they learn from each other, and share knowledge of each other’s cultural, linguistic and creative explorations.