The festival was so popular I had to stay outside Machynlleth, at the Gwesty Minffordd in the Talyllyn valley. Set in probably the most breathtaking scenery in Britain the hotel is right at the base of the mountain known in Welsh as Cadair Idris (the armchair of the giant astronomer Idris). This latter is an appropriate spot in relation to the Victor Jara festival because the Welsh bards used to climb to the summit to sleep, in the hope they would find inspiration for poetry writing (more...)
Visitors to Wales don’t always realise that, while such areas are beautiful, they are also impoverished. Entire villages have become playgrounds for tourists, as tourism provides their only income. Farmers have lost their traditional livelihood, youth leave the area, there are high rates of unemployment while drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and mental health problems are common. Machynlleth is no exception.
One solution is boosting the local economy, the promotion of local goods and services - in particular the local production and consumption of food. At present 50% of Welsh lamb is exported to the EU and then Wales imports the same amount from New Zealand. Think of the food miles, not to mention the increase in cost. In north Wales there has been some move to set up farmers’ cooperatives and run regular traditional farmers’ markets. Often, though, it is “farmers’ wives” who, like women everywhere, take the initiative for diversification in order to keep the family together in times of crisis.
Another aspect is community development. Imogen Pettit works with Mentro Allan (venture out ) one of the projects under the Dyfi Valley Partnership. This is a research project funded by the lottery and the Sports Council for Wales to see what kind of activities are most successful in getting people out and about and involved in developing their skills, interests and relationships with others.
Until recently there has been a big emphasis on training in information technology skills for the development of rural Wales. As I work a lot from home and have connections with people around the world via the internet, I argue that IT can help reduce rural isolation. Imogen is a little scathing about the concept: “If you only focus on IT and not on the community as well, people are going to become even more isolated than before.” She sees her work – engaging disaffected youth in group gardening and street art or exploring the possibilities of organising childcare to enable young mothers to take part in other activities – as a form of social justice. “We have real potential here, an abundant sense of community, incredible scope.”
Imogen previously set up Seedsavers – an imaginative and far-seeing project to collect and swap seeds that keen gardeners and allotment keepers have individually been re-using for 20 years, developing their own strain. The aim is to ensure diversity in vegetable production because “we just don’t know what we’ll need to grow in the future.” The project has boomed, developing a network of seed-swappers across the UK, Europe and north America with Seed Swap events taking place regularly.
“It was mainly women who were involved, particularly (us) younger women who have the time to be politically outraged. We know it can be more difficult for women with home and garden and children to take care of. But we’d also like one of those allotments! There’s a waiting list 60 years long! It highlighted for us the inequality related to access to land, even in Wales.” A local version has been set up in Machynlleth . “Seedsavers is about the food we eat, how we can feed ourselves safely, about providing jobs for local people. What can be more feminist than that?” .
