Defending the Language at the National Eisteddfod
Hywel Pitts reflects on the recent furore that has seen some artists’ decisions to withdraw from performing at this year’s National Eisteddfod in protest against the Welsh language rule.
Recently, Welsh drill artist, musician and poet Sage Todz voiced his disappointment at being unable to perform at this year’s National Eisteddfod. He had been offered a space performing with the Welsh Pops Orchestra on the festival’s biggest stage, with the proviso that he perform exclusively Welsh language material in accordance with the Eisteddfod’s long-standing Welsh language rule. Sage is a bilingual artist through and through, and rather than rewriting his material he chose not to take part.
Last week, two more excellent artists – Izzy Rabey and Eädyth Crawford – announced their intention to step down from their slated slots at the National Eisteddfod in solidarity with Sage. While I fully support and respect an artist’s right to convey themselves through whichever medium they feel the most comfortable, the discourse around the Eisteddfod’s Welsh language rule has become needlessly toxic.
The whole point of the Eisteddfod is to celebrate the Welsh language and the culture to which it is integral; the music, the literature, the art that’s created through the medium of Welsh.
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