Taking place on Saturday the 23rd of April, Chwoant Festival will be a celebration and a bridge between two worlds. They will welcome active young people from Brittany to hold discussion panels and workshops with their Welsh counterparts. Some of the topics that will be discussed throughout the day include language campaigning, podcasts, the film world, and contemporary music. This ground-breaking event offers a unique opportunity for further collaboration in the future.
Given that Wales and Brittany are so close in geographical and linguistic terms, it’s surprising that we know little about each other - Chwoant Festival will be a great way to fill these gaps and to enrich each other by sharing, learning, and inspiring through our experiences. The day will offer an invaluable experience of shared learning around the similar linguistic context and the struggle to create, live and campaign through these languages.
Felix Parker-Price, one of the festival's organisers, said "It's time for the young people of these languages to come together to have their say and to forge the links between these two countries!"
Marine Lavigne, one of the singers of Ahez, a Breton group that will also be representing France in this year's Eurovision competition, added, "I'm really looking forward to coming to Wales to take part in Chwoant Festival in order to learn and share with the Welsh. We're really looking forward to performing live fest-noz too in the afternoon.”
Entry to the event is free, and everyone is welcome.
There will also be a live music gig at the end of the day. Chwoant Festival takes place at the Urdd Centre, Cardiff on 23 April 2022 from 10:00am-7:00pm BST.
This exchange is supported by Wales Arts International, Cymdeithas yr Iaith and Cymdeithas Cymru-Llydaw.
Speakers and sessions include:
10:30-11:30 Language taster sessions
Azenor Kallag
Felix Parker-Price
11:30-12:30 Language campaigning in Welsh and Breton
Talwyn Baudu
Talwyn Baudu is half Breton and half Cornish and works as a production assistant for the Breton language web-TV Brezhoweb. Talwyn recently submitted his PhD research looking into the role of formal education in shaping language activism amongst pupils in Brittany and Corsica. He is a member of the pressure group Ai’ta and a number of different Breton organisations.
Mabli Siriol
Mabli was elected as the Chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith in 2020 and has been campaigning with the organization for over a decade. Mabli campaigns on a wide range of fields – from education, legal rights, rights in the digital world, maters on creating sustainable Welsh communities. She’s also played a vital role in hosting events with Cymdeithas yr Iaith from weekends for learners, art auctions, comedy nights to live music gigs.
13:00-14:00 Independent Creative Comedy
Lors Jereg
Lors Jereg is a comedian primarily known for making Breton language comedy videos online. He enjoys making short, funny videos or songs in Breton and imitating or making parodies of famous Breton artists and celebrities. Lors could be considered a pioneer of Breton comedy online and is vital in providing Breton language humor on social media, filling a previously neglected space in the language revitalisation movement. Lors started making comedy sketches on the radio but set up his YouTube channel as he believed this was necessary to reach a younger Breton speaking community who do not necessarily listen to the radio.
Mel C Owen
14:00-15:00 Broadcasting in a minoritised language: alternative methods of creative expression
Enora Molac - Bro Gwened Independent Radio
A professional radio presenter, Enora currently presents on a live morning radio show (Radio Bro Gwened), in Breton. Enora covers topics includes talking about politics, health, ecology, feminism and many more, always with a sight making it interesting for the Breton speaking listeners and living current affairs in Brittany.
Tudi Crequer - Klozet Podcast
A radio journalist Tudi has worked on public radio stations and also creates his podcast 'Klozet' with Metig Jakez-Vargas. They launched the podcast in March 2020 when the first covid lock-down started in France when the two were roommates and decided to create a podcast about their life under lock-down. Tudi and Metig did about 40 episodes, inviting friends and others to participate by phone at the podcast.
Juliette Cabaço Roger & Gwenael Delanoe – Splann
Juliette Cabaço Roger & Gwenvaël Delanoë, both journalists and founders of 'Splann!' - investigation journalism in Breton. Juliette has worked for newspapers, and for a breton webtv, Brezhoweb, with whom she produced a show called Tudo Breizh. Juliette also spent time in the Amazon to write about how the colonial education system in French Guyana had a negative impact on indigenous populations. Gwenvaël Delanoë has worked in many local radios as Arvorig FM, RBG or RKB and works on environmental issues and on all the subjects around minoritised people.
Mari Elen - Gwrachod Heddiw Podcast
Mari Elen founded the Gwrachod Heddiw (Witches of today) podcast back in 2020 and has discussions with some of Wales' most frank talking women. The aim of the podcast is to celebrate the women of Wales, by trying to find out what features they share with conventional witches.
Nick Yeo - Sgwrsio Podcast
Having been a Welsh learner himself, Nick decided to start a Welsh learners podcast (Sgwrsio) to show learners' journey with their Welsh. He's discovered learners all over the world, from the states of America to Argentina and Russia. The purpose of the podcast is to demonstrate that you do not have to be fluent or perfect to use your Welsh.
15:00-16:00 A stage for our arts: Music festivals and language initiatives
Azenor Kallag – Gouel Broadel ar Brezhoneg (GBB)
Gouel Broadel ar Brezhoneg (GBB) - The Breton language national festival is an emblematic event of the Breton language movement. Azenor plays an active role on the festival’s organising committee. The first GBB dates back to 1974 when three non-government organisations involved in Breton language acquisition teamed up to organise in Guingamp the first-ever Breton language festival. GBB is a unique and vital festival that has allowed young and old to speak Breton without restraint in a festive atmosphere while assuring that one of the most important initiatives of the Breton language movement of the 1970s and 80s is maintained.
Caryl McQuilling - Tafwyl
New to the role, Caryl is Tafwyl's Chief Officer and she has exciting ideas for the development of the festival! Tafwyl is an annual festival celebrating the Welsh language, arts and culture. It was established in 2006 as part of the core work of Menter Caerdydd, a charity that promotes and extends the social use of the Welsh language in Cardiff.
16:00-17:00 The Film World
Klet Beyer
Klet has had over 20 years of experience in the Breton film industry - from dubbing and acting in films, tv programmes and documentaries on local and national television. He's a part of many production groups focusing on creative short films and acts in them too. Some projects that he's been a part of are Morzhol Prod, Tuning life, Krogit, Flandur ac Ar C’hoef.
Hedydd Tomos
Hedydd started making short films when he was about 9 -a decade onwards, Hedydd has made over twenty short films, set up his own production company, and been named the 'star of the future' by various film festivals across the UK. As well as being a digital content creator with Frân Wen, Hedydd continues to produce films and has started to engage with different art forms such as design, fashion and music.
17:00-18:30 Fest-noz dance to a performance from Sterenn Diridollou & Marine Lavigne
Sterenn Diridollou and Marine Lavigne
Sterenn Diridollou and Marine Lavigne started singing at a very young age in “festoù-noz” , the Breton traditional dance parties. They met in the Diwan highschool in Carhaix, the only immersive highschool in breton language at the time, and immediately shared their passion for kan-ha-diskan, the traditional singing for dancing of Center-Brittany. As members of the new generation, they pay attention to the meaning of the songs and Marine started writing present time stories, regardful of the traditional style.
DJ Carl Morris