Sat Aug 15, 2020 2:06 pm
I wasn't going to wade into this as I'm not a regular poster on CWM and discussions on Welsh identity and the language are often pointless and never-ending, but I felt I had to.
I'm a bit disappointed but not surprised by some of the comments on this thread. I do understand the mindset because, and I'm a bit ashamed to say this, for a long time as a teen and twenty-something I was a bit disdainful of ideas and displays of Welshness - it all seemed parochial and dreary in my immature mind. As I've got older, travelled to various countries, both rich and poor, violent and peaceful, and seen how much friends from overseas have loved visiting me here, I've come to appreciate Wales far more and have started learning the language over the last three years. These kinds of mindsets are inevitable when you live in a relatively poor country of a highly-centralised supranational state like the UK. Almost all of the news media and culture consumed in Wales come from London, resulting in a deep-rooted ignorance about Wales that often spills over into a cultural cringe and the mockery and resentment of any assertion of a distinctly Welsh identity (see several comments in this thread and the fledgling Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party, for example). This in turn can result in anyone showing appreciation for or interest in Welsh identity, regardless of how much of the world they've seen or their political outlook, being dismissed as parochial and somehow backward.
One thing I do outright resent is any description of the Valleys as a "wasteland". I'm from a small town north of Pontypridd and while it's still not a great place to be for an ambitious or outward-looking young adult due to economic decline and poor social opportunities, things are slowly improving and it's a highly distinct cultural region with massive potential for cultural tourism. Those on the right will scoff at any idea of promoting the industrial and radical political history of the area, but even they couldn't deny the potential. That said, even in the Valleys history far predates the Industrial Revolution; the ridges between the valleys are littered with Bronze Age burial mounds, standing stones and Roman Roads, unknown by an overwhelming majority of even local residents because of a complete absence of inclusion in school curriculums.
And what of the rest of Southeast Wales? Alongside the castles, off the top of my head there's Trellech, Caerwent, Caerleon, the Red Lady of Paviland, Tinkinswood, St Lythans and Cosmeston Village. How many of people know of Castell Morgraig above Cardiff, or Caerau Hillfort? Or that there are castles in Tonteg and Gelligaer, surrounded by modern housing developments? It seems absolutely absurd to me that Wales can have such extraordinarily visible and often well-preserved ancient history, yet it also remains neglected, unknown and un-promoted. It's not an exaggeration to say that Wales (along with the rest of Europe's Atlantic fringe) has among the densest concentration of visible and easily-accessible ancient history in the world. Continental Europe might have grander cities but, believe it or not, not every tourist demands the same old tourist sites; also, local residents in places like Barcelona, Amsterdam and Dubrovnik would prefer fewer tourists.
Wales is never going to be a destination of choice for those doing whistle-stop, one-to-two week tours of Europe from Asia or North America - nowhere in the UK except for London, Bath, Stonehenge, Stratford-upon-Avon and Edinburgh really are - but we need to be moving beyond these old ideas of identity, branding and promotion because, if we do, Wales will continue to lose out, culturally and economically.Tourism habits are undergoing a massive shift over the last five years with growing awareness of climate change, "over-tourism" and now the pandemic, and we need to adapt too.