The Welsh Narrative

We we inching forward with our attempts to define this, in the full knowledge that it has been done dozens of times before, mainly by Welsh historians.  Apologies to all of those whose opinions have been ignored.  All comments welcome!!

The Welsh narrative?

"Wales is a small country on the Celtic fringe of Europe with magnificent landscapes and rich natural resources. It is too close to England to have remained truly independent, and not far enough away for bloody rebellions ever to have taken hold. Throughout its history it has fought to resist the depredations of powerful neighbours; and against all the odds it has retained its language, its culture and its pride whilst encouraging toleration and liberal values and adapting to dramatic change. It has learned how to be subversive and seductive, and how to be spiritual and mischievous at the same time. In its history it has not suffered the same deep traumas as Scotland and Ireland. Its people are romantics, prone to wild swings of emotion; both melancholia and euphoria feature in the national psyche. Welsh people have a powerful "sense of place" and an abiding fondness for family histories, legends, ceremonial and ancient traditions. Eccentricity is embraced, while great value is placed upon learning. There is a tendency towards radical protest and an ever-present desire for social reform. Ultimately, Wales wants the respect of others -- and to be left in peace to enjoy and endure the ups and downs of the Welsh rugby team."


Points to be considered:

1. The Visit Wales new “brand” does not owe much to the Welsh narrative. It steers well clear of anything that can be construed as negative in marketing terms, and concentrates on “positive” buzzwords including these: authentic, creative, innovative, alive, epic, memorable, inspiring, fresh, legendary, iconic, rich, distinctive, accessible, contemporary, immersive, inclusive. The immediate response to this, from many in the tourist trade, is that it’s all very modern, bright and breezy -- but that every other tourist authority in the world uses the same words and sells the same message. Nobody seems very clear what it is about Wales that makes it unique when compared to everywhere else, and more particularly, what makes it different from Scotland and Ireland. Some of the old tourism straplines might have got closer: so near and yet so far, familiar and yet foreign, two hours and a million miles away, life on the edge.......

2. It’s accepted that the Welsh narrative and the Welsh “brand” are not the same thing -- the former is about identity and the latter is about marketing. But there does need to be a relationship between the two. The brand should emerge from the narrative, and visitors to Wales should ideally be made aware of the history and character of the country. Those who are involved in the tourist trade should be proud of their heritage, and should sell it to visitors as part of the tourism experience.

3. We should embrace the “negative” aspects of the Welsh narrative rather than hiding them away. Is Wales as melancholic and unhappy as it is portrayed in “Hinterland”? No way. Melancholia is a part of the Welsh psyche, but it is balanced by an undying optimism and by expressions of euphoria whenever great things happen in the country. And people may sometimes seem reserved, but there is a real warmth in the welcomes given to others. “Croeso!” means so much more than “Welcome!” Yes, “hiraeth” is about loss and longing, but it is more than that -- it is ultimately about belonging, and the unbreakable bond between people and place. The word “bro” means community or neighbourhood, and it must be understood not just in terms of geographical demarkation but also in terms of sociology, history and psychology. The word “gwerin” can be interpreted in a condescending way, as meaning “the common people” -- but it also means “folk” and “democracy”, and everybody knows that Welsh language and culture would not have survived without the determination and the resilience of the gwerin, at times when the gentry and the “educated classes” were espousing Englishness in all its forms. Certainly Welsh people can seem reticent and cautious at times, and there is no great evidence of consuming ambition or towering aspirations. There is a certain reluctance to make instant decisions and to take risks -- but therein, perhaps, lies an explanation for the survival of Wales as a special place with a unique language and a mystery round every corner........

4. There are probably many narratives, but I suspect that everybody who tries to write down their version would emphasise to some degree the complex relationship between Wales and England down through the centuries. England is seen (over-simplistically) as arrogant, over-bearing and condescending, always intent upon "the rape of the fair country”. Wales sees itself (over-simplistically) as oppressed, downtrodden, and exploited -- whereas it has of course made a specialism of internal feuding and squabbling between petty princedoms and has grown its own crop of bombastic squires and brutal ironmasters without any great help from England.  Nonetheless,  while the English are hated or just tolerated, there is a close bond -- born of shared experience-- with the Irish. And with Scotland too.

5. One must not get too serious about all of this. Isn’t there room for some humour in our view of Wales, or indeed in its branding and marketing? I quite like the idea of Wales endlessly subverting and screwing up the political and military ambitions of one English king after another! This suggests a national instinct for resilience, resistance, dogged determination and sheer bloody-mindedness. OK -- the Normans conquered Wales, and then the English kings defeated Llewelyn the Great, and Owain Glyndwr and put down many short-lived rebellions -- but the aspiration for independence never went away, and the mountainous heartland of Wales, facing Cardigan Bay, never really submitted to foreign rule. Ferocious Anglo-Norman feudal lords married Welsh girls and themselves became softer, gentler and kinder! Anyway, that’s what we like to think. Local loyalties persisted, and the language survived. Magic and enchantment always were a part of the Welsh storytelling tradition, but there has always been a great respect for mischief as well. Mischievous pranks abound in the stories of the Mabinogion, and in the poems of Dafydd ap Gwilym, and in the adventures of Twm Shon Cati. The ultimate prankster was Iolo Morgannwg. One might argue that there is really a sort of mischievous national plot to stop the English from ever achieving complete dominion over Wales and the Welsh, whilst lulling them into a false sense of security........

6. So if these elements can be incorporated into a Welsh national narrative, what are the positive buzzwords that might be used in future branding? Here are a few: generous, warm-hearted, eccentric, mischievous, sensitive, intuitive, whimsical, enigmatic, musical, poetic, dramatic, spirited, steadfast, ironic, ebullient, demonstrative, enduring, colourful, lyrical, resolute, mysterious, proud, faithful, accessible, loyal, adaptable, enchanting, quirky, understated, unpretentious. These words will not fit very well into a strategy of hard branding and marketing -- they are too soft and mellow. But they may just be more effective in flagging up the unique qualities of Wales, especially with the Year of Legends almost upon us.

7. It’s interesting that when we went round the table at the meeting, seeking adjectives that might describe the Welsh narrative from assorted points of view, words such as these kept on cropping up: light, mood, water, feeling, atmosphere, cosiness, “cwtchyness”, familiarity, security, comfort. All very atmospheric and even ethereal -- but significant as to how some people at least feel about Wales.

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Finally, just a few quotes from Jan Morris’s book called “The Matter of Wales”:

“.....it is a small country..... but its smallness is not pretty; on the contrary, it is profound. Intense and unaccommodating continuity is the essence of the place.......”

“Its image is habitually blurred: partly by this geographical unfamiliarity, partly by the opaque and moody climate, partly by its own somewhat obfuscatory character,which is entrammelled in a dizzy repertoire of folklore, but most of all by historical circumstance.”

“.... despite the overwhelming proximity of the English presence, a force which has affected the manners, thoughts and systems of half the world, for better or for worse Wales has not lost its Welshness.”

“Among all the Roman possessions of the western empire, only Wales was never overrun by its heathen successors, and Welsh literature was the first in all Europe to emerge from the debacle.”

“...... the Welsh came to see themselves as inheritors of Roman urbanity and Christian devotion, and as trustees of a lost Celtic civilization which was to become ever more marvellous in the imagination, peopled by ever more heroic heroes, inspired by saintlier saints, until the very dream of it became part of the whole world’s consciousness in the legendary paragon of King Arthur. Wales was the folk-memory of Europe!”

“The Welsh never lost their sense of separateness and specialness, never allowed their language to die, and never altogether abandoned their perennial vision of a golden age, an age at once lost and still to come.....”

“... if there is one constant to the Welsh feel of things it is a sense of what might-have-been, tinged sometimes with despair.”

“Owain Glyndwr’s was a vision of the place as a human-entity, not just a country but a nation: not just a state but a fellowship, and a culture, and a heritage, and a sense of home, and a reconciliation of time, in which the affairs of the remotest past might overlap the present and embrace the future.”

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Many thanks to Bishop Wyn Evans and to the attendees at the St David’s networking meeting on 6th December. It will be apparent that many of the points raised in our discussions are incorporated above!

Finally, a reminder that there is more than one Welsh history.  The photo above was taken on the set during the making of the famous TV series in which Wynford Vaughan Thomas and Prof Gwyn Alf Williams argued about what has actually happened in Wales, and how it should all be interpreted.

Visit Wales consultation: lots of tactics but no strategy

Visit wales is running a big consultation on its future marketing strategy.  It's one of these "directed consultations" which I hate, asking 10 questions and guiding respondents to work to the template.  OK -- I can understand the logic, in that vague rambling letters from all sorts of different respondents can be a nightmare to analyse and collate -- but all of the questions are about tactics and none of them are about strategy.  So either the strategy is set in stone, or there just isn't one.........

This is the response sent a few days ago:

In response to your new consultation…….. I was not very inspired to answer those ten questions, since not one of them addressed what is in my mind the key issue.

https://businesswales.gov.wales/tourism/sites/tourism/files/documents/TourismSummit2019_-_10_Questions_Lets_Shape_the_Future.pdf

Does Wales have a USP? It would appear not — in the document inviting comments, it seems that the Visit Wales satrategy is simply to sell Wales to the world as “more brilliant at everything than everywhere else”.  Sadly, that’s not a very smart strategy, since the great majority of other countries try to sell themselves in exactly the same way.  The clever ones identify something UNIQUE and use that as the main focus of branding and marketing strategy.

Will you please consider the following points? They arise from a number of round-table discussions in St David’s in 2016 (involving around 20 tourism operators) at which concerns were expressed about the Visit Wales strategy at that time. Not much seems to have changed between then and now.

There is no sign that Visit Wales seeks to capitalise on a unique Welsh narrative. Here is one attempt to define it:

"Wales is a small country on the Celtic fringe of Europe with magnificent landscapes and rich natural resources. It is too close to England to have remained truly independent, and not far enough away for bloody rebellions ever to have taken hold. Throughout its history it has fought to resist the depredations of powerful neighbours; and against all the odds it has retained its language, its culture and its pride whilst encouraging toleration and liberal values and adapting to dramatic change. It has learned how to be subversive and seductive, and how to be spiritual and mischievous at the same time. In its history it has not suffered the same deep traumas as Scotland and Ireland. Its people are romantics, prone to wild swings of emotion; both melancholia and euphoria feature in the national psyche. Welsh people have a powerful "sense of place" and an abiding fondness for family histories, legends, ceremonial and ancient traditions. Eccentricity is embraced, while great value is placed upon learning. There is a tendency towards radical protest and an ever-present desire for social reform. Ultimately, Wales wants the respect of others -- and to be left in peace to enjoy and endure the ups and downs of the Welsh rugby team."

1. The Visit Wales new “brand” does not seem to owe much to the Welsh narrative. It steers well clear of anything that can be construed as negative in marketing terms, and concentrates on “positive” buzzwords including these: authentic, creative, innovative, alive, epic, memorable, inspiring, fresh, legendary, iconic, rich, distinctive, accessible, contemporary, immersive, inclusive. The immediate response to this, from many in the tourist trade, is that it’s all very modern, bright and breezy -- but that every other tourist authority in the world uses the same words and sells the same message. Nobody seems very clear what it is about Wales that makes it unique when compared to everywhere else, and more particularly, what makes it different from Scotland and Ireland. Some of the old tourism straplines might have got closer: so near and yet so far, familiar and yet foreign, two hours and a million miles away, life on the edge.......

2. It’s accepted that the Welsh narrative and the Welsh “brand” are not the same thing -- the former is about identity and the latter is about marketing. But there does need to be a relationship between the two. The brand should emerge from the narrative, and visitors to Wales should ideally be made aware of the history and character of the country. Those who are involved in the tourist trade should be proud of their heritage, and should sell it to visitors as part of the tourism experience.

3. We should embrace the “negative” aspects of the Welsh narrative rather than hiding them away. Is Wales as melancholic and unhappy as it is portrayed in “Hinterland”? No way. Melancholia is a part of the Welsh psyche, but it is balanced by an undying optimism and by expressions of euphoria whenever great things happen in the country. And people may sometimes seem reserved, but there is a real warmth in the welcomes given to others. “Croeso!” means so much more than “Welcome!” Yes, “hiraeth” is about loss and longing, but it is more than that -- it is ultimately about belonging, and the unbreakable bond between people and place. The word “bro” means community or neighbourhood, and it must be understood not just in terms of geographical demarkation but also in terms of sociology, history and psychology. The word “gwerin” can be interpreted in a condescending way, as meaning “the common people” -- but it also means “folk” and “democracy”, and everybody knows that Welsh language and culture would not have survived without the determination and the resilience of the gwerin, at times when the gentry and the “educated classes” were espousing Englishness in all its forms. Certainly Welsh people can seem reticent and cautious at times, and there is no great evidence of consuming ambition or towering aspirations. There is a certain reluctance to make instant decisions and to take risks -- but therein, perhaps, lies an explanation for the survival of Wales as a special place with a unique language and a mystery round every corner........

4. There are probably many narratives, but I suspect that everybody who tries to write down their version would emphasise to some degree the complex relationship between Wales and England down through the centuries. England is seen (over-simplistically) as arrogant, over-bearing and condescending, always intent upon "the rape of the fair country”. Wales sees itself (over-simplistically) as oppressed, downtrodden, and exploited -- whereas it has of course made a specialism of internal feuding and squabbling between petty princedoms and has grown its own crop of bombastic squires and brutal ironmasters without any great help from England. Nonetheless, while the English are hated or just tolerated, there is a close bond -- born of shared experience-- with the Irish. And with Scotland too.

5. One must not get too serious about all of this. Isn’t there room for some humour in our view of Wales, or indeed in its branding and marketing? I quite like the idea of Wales endlessly subverting and screwing up the political and military ambitions of one English king after another! This suggests a national instinct for resilience, resistance, dogged determination and sheer bloody-mindedness. OK -- the Normans conquered Wales, and then the English kings defeated Llewelyn the Great, and Owain Glyndwr and put down many short-lived rebellions -- but the aspiration for independence never went away, and the mountainous heartland of Wales, facing Cardigan Bay, never really submitted to foreign rule. Ferocious Anglo-Norman feudal lords married Welsh girls and themselves became softer, gentler and kinder! Anyway, that’s what we like to think. Local loyalties persisted, and the language survived. Magic and enchantment always were a part of the Welsh storytelling tradition, but there has always been a great respect for mischief as well. Mischievous pranks abound in the stories of the Mabinogion, and in the poems of Dafydd ap Gwilym, and in the adventures of Twm Shon Cati. The ultimate prankster was Iolo Morgannwg. One might argue that there is really a sort of mischievous national plot to stop the English from ever achieving complete dominion over Wales and the Welsh, whilst lulling them into a false sense of security........

6. So if these elements can be incorporated into a Welsh national narrative, what are the positive buzzwords that might be used in future branding? Here are a few: generous, warm-hearted, eccentric, mischievous, sensitive, intuitive, whimsical, enigmatic, musical, poetic, dramatic, spirited, steadfast, ironic, ebullient, demonstrative, enduring, colourful, lyrical, resolute, mysterious, proud, faithful, accessible, loyal, adaptable, enchanting, quirky, understated, unpretentious. These words will not fit very well into a strategy of hard branding and marketing -- they are too soft and mellow. But they may just be more effective in flagging up the unique qualities of Wales, especially with the Year of Legends almost upon us.

7. It’s interesting that when we went round the table at the meeting, seeking adjectives that might describe the Welsh narrative from assorted points of view, words such as these kept on cropping up: light, mood, water, feeling, atmosphere, cosiness, “cwtchyness”, familiarity, security, comfort. All very atmospheric and even ethereal -- but significant as to how some people at least feel about Wales.

I hope that these points might be helpful to Visit Wales in identifying the way forward.

With all good wishes

Brian John

Wales -- and its portrayal as a land of idiots

I missed this article when it first came out.  It's almost 2 years old now, but strikingly relevant, given the recent fuss about the exploitation of Wales by the TV and film media and the failure of the Welsh Government to insist on a proper portrayal of Wales as a country withy its own unique (and valuable) narrative......

Quote:  Wales is almost wholly reliant on the British Broadcasting Corporation for much of its political information as well as its understanding of who the Welsh are and what part they play in society.  A number of the BBC’s shows are now #MadeinWales but very few of them are actually set in Wales.  Dr.Who is not a Welsh show. It does not show the peculiarities of modern Welsh life. It is rather a British show that is filmed in Cardiff.

Sounds familiar?

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We must fight back against a popular culture that depicts the Welsh as idiots

Nation Cymru, 28th June 2017

Samuel Parry

https://nation.cymru/opinion/we-must-fight-back-against-a-popular-culture-that-depicts-the-welsh-as-idiots/

Everyone in Wales is familiar with the British stereotypes about their language and culture.

We’ve all probably been told at some point that our language is pointless as ‘everyone speaks English anyway’ or that we should go home to copulate with a sheep.

These aren’t just the opinions of some bigoted trolls – they’re ingrained in popular culture.

Blackadder said that you need “half a pint of phlegm in your throat just to pronounce the place names” in Wales, and Gwen from Gavin and Stacey was called a “leek-munching sheep shagger”.

In Notting Hill, the stupid Welshman, Spike (Rhys Ifans), is juxtaposed with the wonderfully bourgeois, quintessentially English Hugh Grant.

In ‘The Thick of It’, there is only one Welsh voice throughout; a woman that asks the Secretary of State if he knows what it’s like to clean up his own mother’s piss.

This scene wasn’t even based in Wales, yet the accent was used to accentuate the comedic effect.

Another example is MTV’s show ‘The Valleys’ where every commercial and poster included at least one sheep, not to mention the fact that the South Wales Valleys is a conglomerate of around 1 million people, made up of over 20 Valleys, all with distinct histories.

The opening sequence is heartbreaking as one of the cast states “there are no jobs and nothing going on. There are no opportunities for us at all”.

These are real, material issues and concerns of people that live in these regions yet this is unimportant for the viewer; economic impoverishment coupled with a strong, regional, accent (which is often used to convey unintelligence) equals comedic viewing.

If we complain about these jokes and stereotypes we’re told that we have a chip on our shoulder, and that we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously.

But there is no such thing as ‘just a joke’. These barbs have a completely serious purpose.

Comedy perpetuates the myth of the Welsh clown; the Welsh are portrayed as simple, poor, indolent and unable to cope on their own.

R.S. Thomas explains the effect that popular culture has had on the Welsh psyche; “We are second-class citizens. And that status creates a very real feeling of inferiority among us”.

Popular culture is crucial in understanding mechanisms of domination and hegemony.

By imposing on us an inferior Welsh identity the aim is to put pressure on us to adopt a ‘superior’ British identity.

Assimilation

This has not been a recent development. In fact, the way Wales and the Welsh have been depicted has been a deliberate strategy by the English and then British state for hundreds of years.

It began when Wales was annexed by England in 1536. Political annexation was coupled with a campaign of cultural homogenisation; the Welsh language, the language of the peasantry, was banned from any job that had high status – that is, administrative and legal circles.

If the Welsh gentry wanted to maintain their status they had to assimilate into the world-view of the dominant group. They were born Welsh but had to become culturally British.

This led to a cultural division being superimposed on the class division; Welsh culture was identified as inferior and associated with the ‘backward’ peasantry and working classes.

The gentry were also the patrons of the Welsh bards. The Welsh bards were the early modern period equivalent of a national news service. They roamed Wales, spreading news, entertainment, and keeping Wales’ history and mythology alive.

In other words, preserving a sense of Welsh national identity as something that wasn’t inferior to Englishness.

When the gentry turned their backs on Welsh culture they also stopped giving these bards money. This would be the modern equivalent of every Welsh newspaper, TV and radio station, or news website suddenly finding its funding cut.

Lacking a printing press until the late 18th century, the Welsh become dependent on English and then British sources of information.

These sources of information associated Britishness with the middle class and the bourgeoisie. Welsh culture, meanwhile, became the reason that people were poor and ‘less intelligent’.

The most notable example of this was the Treachery of the Blue Books (Brad y Llyfrau Gleision); a Parliamentary report published by William Williams, the MP for Coventry in 1847.

The report stated that education provision in Wales was extremely poor (which was probably correct). However, the commissioners concluded that the Welsh were also ignorant, lazy and immoral.

But they were stupid, ignorant, lazy and immoral because of the Welsh language and culture. If they became British they would be ‘just as good’ as everyone else!

Economic exploitation

But why do this? Because hand in hand with the cultural domination of Wales has come political domination and economic exploitation.

Wales is a country rich in natural resources. The aim was and still is to extract these resources while keeping the country underdeveloped and dependent.

This is the main reason as to why all major rail and road links in Wales flow from West to East, rather than South to North; infrastructure is for extraction, not to create an indigenous Welsh economy.

The only way to justify this is to convince Wales that she was ‘backwards’ and could not look after herself. For Wales, this is a vicious circle:
the periphery is poor partly due to extraction by the core.
the core asserts the reason the periphery is poor is due to its distinct culture.
this justifies the core’s presence in the periphery and allows it to extract raw materials.

There was nothing nuanced about the propaganda that supported this process. Here is the Times on the subject in 1866:

“It is true [that Wales] possesses valuable minerals, but these have been chiefly developed by English energy and for the supply of English wants. A rare existence on the most primitive food of a mountainous race is all that the Welsh could enjoy if left to themselves…

“All the progress and civilization of Wales has come from England, and a sensible Welshman would direct all his endeavours towards inducing his countrymen to appreciate their neighbours instead of themselves.”

How do you stop other cultures and nationalities from asking for independence? You make them think that they are unable to be independent due to flaws inherent in their nationality.

It is a much stronger, and cheaper, tool than weapons and coercion.

Today, Independence is deemed impossible because Wales is ‘too poor’ to be independent, without grasping the role of the British state in this dependency and poverty.

Independence is also impossible due to the character of the Welsh, usually due to our indolent nature; there isn’t even a Welsh word for ‘entrepreneur’.

We are poor, we are unintelligent. And it remains the case that, as in the days of the Blue Books, we are poor and unintelligent because we’re Welsh.

Counter-narrative

So what can be done to challenge the ‘common sense’ orthodoxy that surrounds Wales in popular culture?

The reality is that Wales cannot change how other identities choose to depict them, but Wales can create a counter-narrative against these depictions.

Current attempts are failing. Wales’ reliance on British media outlets create problems across civil society; political knowledge is poor in Wales, including the knowledge of what is devolved and what isn’t.

Wales is almost wholly reliant on the British Broadcasting Corporation for much of its political information as well as its understanding of who the Welsh are and what part they play in society.

A number of the BBC’s shows are now #MadeinWales but very few of them are actually set in Wales.

Dr.Who is not a Welsh show. It does not show the peculiarities of modern Welsh life. It is rather a British show that is filmed in Cardiff.

So how shall we create these counter-narratives? Much of it starts with education.

I was left horrified after watching the BBC’s 6 Nations trailer for the 2017 competition where people were asked to name famous people and inventions from their nation.

The majority of the answers were stereotypes and caricatures yet the differences in the answers between nations was staggering.

England had Horatio Nelson and the internet, Scotland Robert the Bruce and the television, and Wales? Tom Jones and the invention of “red dragons”.

Wales hs much more to offer than an ageing pop star and an imaginary animal, yet in Wales, we are never taught about Welsh history.

We have no idea that the equals sign (=) was invented by a Welshman or that the theory of natural selection was published by a Welshman before Darwin.

The Assembly should put a more concrete focus on Welsh, rather than British history in order that Welsh people be able to place themselves within the narrative of the nation.

We need to move away tired clichés of leeks and sheep and move towards the concrete reality of life in modern Wales and the past that has led to it.

We need to reform education in Wales, as well as devolve the Welsh media, and start making TV shows that truly reflect the Welsh nation.

Perhaps then, when asked about famous Welsh people we will answer: Raymond Williams, the father of the theory of cultural materialism. Robert Recorde, the creator of the equals sign. Alfred Russel Wallace, who came up with the theory of natural selection.

Perhaps it’s time that we take ourselves just a little more seriously.

Back to the Welsh Narrative

Premise: As compared with Scotland and Ireland, Wales does not have a very strong “brand image”. Something needs to be done about it if we are to enhance the tourism economy, attract inward investment, reduce social inequality and spread the benefits of tourism into the “negected areas” where poverty levels are unacceptably high. Those of us who live in Wales are constantly frustrated by our own conservatism, timidity and reluctance to take risks or to promote our assets. For the benefit of our own internal dynamics and our place in the world, the profile of Wales needs to be much more heavily promoted.

We need to think and act strategically — first of all by defining who we are and what makes us WELSH. I have explored this issue before on my blog:
http://brian-angelmountain.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-welsh-narrative.html
http://brian-angelmountain.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-welsh-narrative-again.html
http://brian-angelmountain.blogspot.com/2017/11/michael-sheen-gives-raymond-williams.html

Let’s use the “pitch” technique:

Log Line:

A small nation with extravagant natural and historic resources resists the depradations of a powerful neighbour and learns to maintain self respect and to keep alive its unique language and culture through a combination of subversion, adaptability and good humour.

Narrative

"Wales is a small country on the Celtic fringe of Europe with magnificent landscapes, a cultural heritage stretching across 6,000 years, and rich natural resources. It is the home of Celtic Christianity, but throughout its history it has mounted bloody and short-lived rebellions designed to resist the depredations of a powerful neighbour. Against all the odds it has retained its language, its culture and its pride whilst encouraging toleration and liberal values and adapting to dramatic change. In its history it has not suffered the same deep social traumas as Scotland and Ireland, but it has seen the best and the worst effects of mining and quarrying, heavy industry and the Industrial Revolution. It has learned how to be tolerant, subversive and seductive, and how to be spiritual and mischievous at the same time. Its people are romantics, prone to wild swings of emotion; both melancholia and euphoria feature in the national psyche. Welsh people have a powerful "sense of place" and an abiding fondness for family histories, legends, ceremonial and ancient traditions. Eccentricity is embraced, while great value is placed upon learning. There is a tendency towards radical protest and an ever-present desire for social reform. Today, Wales is a place where pride and humility coexist -- and the warmth of its welcome to visitors is legendary.” (See Note 1)

Tourism strategy (and the Welsh USP) should be based on the above, or on some version of it. It is not appropriate to say “Wales has a multitude of narratives, and they all need to be told" — because the central message is then drowned out by the noise. Nor is it satisfactory to say “Welsh speakers know what Wales is all about and know what “hiraeth”, “bro”, “croeso" and “gwerin” mean, and the rest of us should simply accept that and get on with life.” English-speaking Welsh people have an equal claim on “Welshness”, and their achievements, perceptions and aspirations have eqivalent value. It is more important than ever to stress that those of us who see Wales as our home have a shared story. So let’s see if we can define what that is, see if we can obtain a broad level of acceptance for it, and use it as the central strategy for selling Wales to the world.

Beneath this level promotional or marketing tactics should be devised which home in on specific aspects of the narrative — eg. landscapes, language, activities, food traditions, music, spirituality and pilgrimage, symbols of a violent past (castles and fortifications), sport, industry, writers and artists, eccentrics and celebrities. Visit Wales already does fantastic job on most of those, and on many more topics — and here the keywords can come in: authentic, creative, innovative, alive, epic, memorable, inspiring, fresh, legendary, iconic, rich, distinctive, accessible, contemporary, immersive, inclusive. 

Here are a few more adjectives that came up in a seminar when we all tried to define “the essence of Wales”: generous, warm-hearted, eccentric, mischievous, sensitive, intuitive, whimsical, enigmatic, musical, poetic, dramatic, spirited, steadfast, ironic, ebullient, demonstrative, enduring, colourful, lyrical, resolute, mysterious, proud, faithful, accessible, loyal, adaptable, enchanting, quirky, understated, unpretentious. Some of these slightly softer and more subtle words might also have a “marketing value” worth exploring……...

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Note 1:

This version of the narrative is based very much on the writings of Jan Morris. The version given by Michael Sheen in his famously passionate November 2017 lecture — with Wales portrayed as a victim, viciously and cynically exploited and suppressed by a powerful and predatory neighbour — is in my view not sufficiently nuanced, and would be impossible to use as a key component of a tourism marketing strategy aimed principally at English holidaymakers!

Is the Visit Wales marketing strategy actually working?

The indications are that in spite of all the uncertainties and hardships faced by the nation at the moment -- caused mostly by this obscenity called Brexit -- there has been a slight increase in tourism numbers and tourism spending in Wales in 2017 as against 2016.  Some of the info is here:

http://gov.wales/docs/caecd/research/2017/171205-wales-tourism-business-barometer-wave-4-2017-en.pdf

Naturally enough, Visit Wales will insist that this rise is all down to the wonderful success of its marketing campaigns, but the truth is more difficult to discern. Has Wales done better, or worse, than Scotland, England and Northern Ireland?  To what extend is the gradual upward trend the result of a UK-wide increase in tourism, related to global or international trends, exchange rates and changing holiday preferences?  Would the Welsh tourist industry be doing better, or worse, if Visit Wales did not exist?  I don't want to be critical here, since we all accept that we need a tourism promotion authority, and it needs to be as innovative as possible to succeed in a highly competitive global market-place.  But we do need, as taxpayers, to scrutinise what is going on.........

So we have a new Welsh dragon, a new graphic typeface, and many new activities and marketing stunts associated with the "EPIC" campaign and the themed years, including the Year of Legends this year.  A lot of people have put in a great deal of hard work to get these initiatives moving, and all credit to them.  But could their work have had a sharper and more unique focus, and might it have been more effective if it had a clearer narrative and a more closely defined "sense of place"?

In answer to that question, I have been trying for many months now -- without success -- to find out what the Welsh narrative may be, underpinning the highly visible marketing campaigns which attract the attention of the media.

http://brian-angelmountain.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/the-welsh-narrative.html

http://brian-angelmountain.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/the-welsh-narrative-again.html

I have to conclude that this is something that Visit Wales would prefer not to think about.......

FOR WALES,  READ "ALMOST ANYWHERE"...........

The same problem occurs when we try to identify what the "sense of place" might be that answers the question "WHAT are the unique features of the Welsh landscape that make it a desirable holiday location?" 

If we examine the overarching Visit Wales promotional strategy we get rather a shock, because there is nothing in it that demonstrates a strong sense of place or a real sense of a unique history.  

Let's take the form of words used in the glossy Visit Wales marketing materials over the past 12 months.  Just for fun, I have substituted  “Sweden” instead of Wales in the “brand strategy” which we all know and love. The "marketing text" is unchanged.   Here we go:

Grannskapet och Världen. Sweden in the World.

Sweden belives in the balance between local and global – an approach rooted in our communities, shaped by our landscape and with real social purpose (our ‘Grannskap’), whilst being purposely outward looking, open to new ideas and opportunities – and ready to compete on a global platform (the ‘Värld’).
The best of both worlds.

These are our values:

Authentic:
Sweden is the real deal. Open, honest – our country is built on the foundations of a proud history and heritage, and shaped by a bold and beautiful landscape. We care deeply for community, culture and ‘kommun’ (one’s square mile) and want to lead the world in protecting them. Because these resources power us: green growth, global creative exports, adventure attractions, quality local produce. Our authenticity is the key to our future.

Creative:
Creativity is at the heart of our nation. Our rich and enduring culture is thriving: in music, literature, art, film, television and theatre. But it’s much more than that. Everywhere you look in Sweden, there are bright new ideas being put into action. It’s happening in design studios and quarry mines, factories and laboratories across the country. There’s an entrepreneurial spirit in the air. We’re not just dreaming big, we’re making it happen.

Alive:
A new Sweden is emerging. Inspired by our past but looking towards the future with responsibility, and creativity. Our landscapes are alive with nature and adventure. Our culture is alive with imagination. Our communities are alive with opportunity and real innovation. A new generation is investing in a bright and sustainable future, driven by talent and skill. Full of life.

See what I mean?  These are fine words that could have come straight out of a marketing textbook. But virtually every word of the strategy could be used for virtually any country on the planet. 

So what is different and special about Wales?   If I was a prospective tourist, I think I might wonder whether there is anything special at all………. and maybe go somewhere else instead.

CONDESCENSION RULES, OK?

I was recently in touch with one of the big London literary / media agents, to see if he might be prepared to act on my behalf in any forthcoming negotiations on the sale of media rights in the Angel Mountain saga. He shall be nameless, but his response was interesting. Not to put too fine a point on it, he was really rather condescending, and beneath the flannel there was a clear implication that he can't be bothered to deal with anything from Wales because the money is probably not good enough and because nothing from Wales is going to attract the attention of the big broadcasters anyway. He also stated quite directly that the TV production companies within Wales are probably too small to do big deals and to achieve global network sales. He appeared quite disinterested in whether the story narrative was a compelling one with wide appeal, and whether the lead character (namely Martha Morgan) was likely to be strong enough and charismatic enough to attract a faithful following  across the globe.  It does not seem to have occurred to him that we might just have here something to compete with Poldark, Pride and Prejudice or Downton Abbey........ so is there an anti-Welsh bias operating here?

The agent's attitude reminded me that nothing much has changed since I wrote "On Angel Mountain" and tried to find a publisher or a literary agent to take it on, back in the year 2000.  I wrote to more than 50 agents and more than 50 publishers.  Most of them never bothered to reply, let alone ask for sight of some written material.  Those that did all took the following line:  "Forget it.  There is no market for historical fiction from Wales."  I derive a certain grim satisfaction from the fact that 16 years later the novels have racked up sales of 80,000 and have achieved some sort of iconic status in a small country where a book is counted as a best-seller if it sells 700 copies.  I'm also quite pleased that I have not needed to shell out a 15% or 20% commission to any agents on my total sales income over all those years!

So what is it about Wales that turns off the London literary / media establishment?  Well,  it has to be said that Wales does not exactly help itself. 

On the literature front, the Welsh publishing industry survives almost entirely on large subsidies paid by the taxpayer via the Welsh Books Council, on the pretext that this is required for the maintenance of a vibrant literary culture in Welsh and English.  Most books sell very few copies, but that does not matter, since the subsidies ensure that few of them actually make a loss.  Accurate sales figures are hard to come by.  Writers too are subsidised, this time with grants disbursed through Literature Wales.  The only books that are exposed to the harsh commercial realities of the world, and which have to compete in an open market-place, are those (like mine) that are self-published -- since by the bizarre rules of the game in Wales, they are debarred from receiving grant aid of any sort.   So if I was a London-based literary agent asked to assess the commercial potential of a Welsh novel, my default position would be one of extreme scepticism.  I would have no way of assessing its real quality based on market performance.  I might even assume that if the novel was written in Wales and published in Wales, it would probably never even have seen the light of day if it had been submitted to an English publisher.  It might even be complete rubbish.

As far as film and TV media are concerned, it has to be said that Wales probably does punch above its weight, given that the Welsh Government provides great support for new projects and given that there are a number of top-class studio and production facilities in Cardiff, Swansea and elsewhere.  Wales can handle big budget productions, and the country has a great track record of attracting inward investment from companies that would expend far larger budgets if they were to use facilities in England. Films and TV series roll off the production line.  But hardly any of them are about Wales or are even set in Wales -- in spite of the amazing scenic resources available for location shooting. So Wales "stands in" for China, or Avalon, or New York or Berlin.  BBC Wales has been heavily criticised for its lack of commitment to the production of Welsh dramas, most recently by one of the Welsh Assembly's influential committees.  But the truth is that it has very little room for manoevre, since its budget is controlled from London.  ITV does not have a strong Welsh presence, and S4C has good intentions but a miniscule budget.  So the broadcasters do not have the resources to buy into large Welsh drama productions,  and production companies in Wales tend to be small because they have no reliable drama market-place to sell into.

Wales suffers too from not having a very strong or coherent image of itself. This has been pointed out by scores of writers over the years.  So Visit Wales markets the country as being magnificent, exciting and authentic;  the trouble is that every other country in the world does exactly the same thing.  Scotland and Ireland seem to have far stronger images of themselves, and far stronger global brands.  There is some excellent destination marketing going on here, year after year,  but what is the Welsh narrative, and how can it be sold to the world?  Nobody seems quite sure........

So we have an ill-formed self-image, a distorted and unreliable literary market-place and and a TV production scene dominated by small and enthusiastic production companies with limited broadcasting opportunities.  A doom and gloom scenario?  One can see where our condescending London agent is coming from, and one is justified in feeling a bit resentful about it, since in an ideal world every project is assessed strictly on its merits. 

But I prefer to see this as an opportunity rather than as a problem.  In the year 2000 I treated the negativity of the London publishing scene as a self-publishing opportunity, and when I look back on it now, I can afford to feel just a little bit smug!  In the same way, I think there is a real opportunity for the Angel Mountain Saga to become a really big TV costume drama success, whatever the London literary establishment might think.  It is not at all beyond the bounds of possibility that a smallish Welsh TV production company with big ambitions can pull together a team of many players to make a drama which tells a genuine Welsh narrative and which finds the global broadcasters to take it on.  I know that within Wales there is a predisposition to be supportive.  Ultimately it will be down to the quality of the product on offer.  The story and the characters are already in the mix -- what is needed now is a fantastic screenwriter to do the adaptations, an inspired director, an experienced executive director who knows her / his way around the world of media finance, and a few well-known actors prepared to commit.  I reckon that the whole of Wales will get behind an Angel Mountain project, since in scores of discussions with most of the key players I have encountered nothing but goodwill.   People want it to succeed, since they want to see the first-ever top-quality TV costume drama that tells -- in the manner of all good allegories -- the story of Wales.

So let's go for it!

The Welsh narrative -- again

There was an interesting meeting today in St David's, where a number of us mulled over the need for a coherent welsh narrative, and discussed how best to use it as a means of increasing Welsh self- awareness, self-esteem and pride.  We agreed that not enough people have a clear concept of what our story is in Wales, or of how it differs from the stories of Scotland and Ireland.  In those two countries there have been deep national traumas associated with the Great Famine and the Plantations and Clearances -- and also mass exoduses of people to the New World. In Wales, there have been traumatic episodes, but never on such a scale that millions have died -- and overall the story is not one of people leaving, but of people flooding in to fuel the Industrial Revolution that took place particularly in the nineteenth century.  So the population was not decimated, but grew as people from all over the UK and further afield arrived and settled in, resulting in great ethnic diversity and the establishment of a very large population of settlers who did not speak Welsh.  There is to this day a tension between "Welsh Wales" and "English Wales"........ but that does not have to be looked on in a negative light. Indeed, it may be counted as an asset, as many observers have agreed.

We agreed at our meeting that Michael Sheen's narrative of Wales as a victim, exploited and suppressed by a powerful and predatory neighbour, was not entirely accurate, and is a difficult to use in the context of tourism marketing!   Far too negative.  Something much more nuanced is appropriate, flagging up positives.  I remain convinced that the "potted narrative" needs to be something like this:

"Wales is a small country on the Celtic fringe of Europe with magnificent landscapes and rich natural resources. It is too close to England to have remained truly independent, and not far enough away for bloody rebellions ever to have taken hold. Throughout its history it has fought to resist the depredations of powerful neighbours; and against all the odds it has retained its language, its culture and its pride whilst encouraging toleration and liberal values and adapting to dramatic change. It has learned how to be subversive and seductive, and how to be spiritual and mischievous at the same time. In its history it has not suffered the same deep traumas as Scotland and Ireland. Its people are romantics, prone to wild swings of emotion; both melancholia and euphoria feature in the national psyche. Welsh people have a powerful "sense of place" and an abiding fondness for family histories, legends, ceremonial and ancient traditions. Eccentricity is embraced, while great value is placed upon learning. There is a tendency towards radical protest and an ever-present desire for social reform. Ultimately, Wales wants the respect of others -- and to be left in peace to enjoy and endure its own strange obsessions.”

Culture Committee reports on film and major TV programmes, but where is the strategy?

At long last, the Assembly's Culture Committee submitted its report of film and major TV production in Wales -- it appeared in May 2019, and can be downloaded here:

https://www.assembly.wales/laid%20documents/cr-ld12524/cr-ld12524-e.pdf

This is very much a factual report, concentrating on nuts and bolts rather than strategy, vision or design -- and it is in truth extremely disappointing.

I have occasionally drawn attention on this blog to the comments from industry experts on how Wales is portrayed in the output coming from Welsh studios -- and how little of the Welsh output is actually devoted to telling the story of Wales, for viewers within the country, and for the benefit of viewers across the world.  It seems that the Welsh strategy -- insofar as there is one -- is to encourage the belief in the creative industries that Wales is an excellent place for the telling of other people's stories, with no attempt made to concentrate on the telling of the Welsh narrative.  If a decent Welsh story gets told every now and then (like "Keeping Faith" or "Hidden"), all well and good -- but one gets the feeling that the Culture Committee and the Welsh Government are scared to death of frightening off the big production companies and the big money by suggesting too strongly that productions ABOUT Wales and SET IN Wales might be quite a nice idea..........

For example, Angela Graham, Dylan Wyn Williams, Gary Raymond, Steve Blandford, Dave Ball, Sam Parry, and many others,have expressed themselves quite forcefully:

http://brian-angelmountain.blogspot.com/2019/03/angela-graham-on-bbc-portrayal-of-wales.html

http://brian-angelmountain.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-bbc-portrayal-of-wales.html

http://brian-angelmountain.blogspot.com/2020/01/netflix-and-wales.html

http://brian-angelmountain.blogspot.com/2019/12/what-does-gavin-and-stacey-say-about.html

http://brian-angelmountain.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-portrayal-of-wales-litany-of.html

https://nation.cymru/opinion/the-pitching-in-disaster-shows-that-you-need-to-make-in-wales-not-just-set-in-wales/

https://www.walesartsreview.org/sex-education-accidental-elegy-for-post-industrial-wales/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-47310251#

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-44385773

https://www.walesartsreview.org/tv-the-story-of-wales/?fbclid=IwAR36pj5rGRAl-8bEwzWiAXy2x6g9UeB03zvFjS6nruZg865vbwWIO7wEbgA

https://nation.cymru/opinion/we-must-fight-back-against-a-popular-culture-that-depicts-the-welsh-as-idiots/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-47231099?mc_cid=7d425cb298&mc_eid=e8544fd014

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/raymond-williams-question-who-speaks-13935418

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-42871831

https://theconversation.com/were-seeing-plenty-of-welsh-locations-in-bbc-dramas-one-day-they-may-be-shows-about-wales-92628

http://brian-angelmountain.blogspot.com/2019/02/wales-and-its-portrayal-as-land-of.html

I don't imagine for a moment that Dafydd Ellis Thomas or Eluned Morgan (who hold the key portfolios in the Welsh Cabinet) are unaware of this as an issue, but it is a bit of a surprise that the Culture Committee can produce a lengthy report like this one without saying ANYTHING about the issue of a "Welsh portrayal" strategy.  The Committee members know all about it, because I have been in correspondence with some of them, and they read the media just like the rest of us.

Such timidity is a grave disappointment, and if Wales is ever to compete on a world stage it needs to brand itself much more clearly and to market itself much more aggressively as a country with its own character and its own narrative.

So yes, by all means let's have "Casualty", "Doctor Who" and "His Dark Materials" made in Wales, in fantastic state-of-the-art studios by fantastic teams of film-making geniuses, but until many more genuinely Welsh stories are told on film and in big TV productions, the people of Wales are not being well served.

--------------------

Finally, a reminder of what happens in Ireland (similar criteria apply to both film and TV production funding):

SCREEN IRELAND
Principles & Criteria

FÉ/SI's funding programmes are guided by some fundamental principles which form the basis of the decision-making process


Developing Talent, Cultural & Industrial Priorities

Consistent with its government remit and responding to the present perceived needs of the Irish audiovisual production industry, FÉ/SI considers that certain projects, in terms of their content, provenance or benefit to the industry, represent clear priorities for its funding.

Strong preference will be given to submissions on behalf of projects which:
*are of Irish initiation in a creative sense; that is, conceived, written, produced and/ or to be directed by Irish talents
*entail new and emerging Irish talent in key creative roles, i.e. director, writer, producer, composer, principal actor
*tell Irish stories, drawing on and depicting Ireland's culture, history, way of life, view of the world and of itself

(I think we can take the above as a strong and decisive steer to project developers who are looking for funds.)

Now for Wales:

http://www.ffilmcymruwales.com/attachments/article/93/Ffilm%20Cymru%20Wales%20Development%20Guidelines%202018.pdf

FFILM CYMRU WALESIn Wales, Development Funding Guidelines

SELECTION CRITERIA

When selecting projects the following criteria will be considered:
The quality, potential and originality of the work
The benefit to Welsh filmmakers
The depiction of Welsh cultural content – Wales and Welsh life, whilst not essential this will be considered
The viability of the project in terms of budget and partnership funding and the capability of the key creative personnel
The project’s ability to qualify as a British film. Please refer to BFI website for qualification details.
The project’s market appeal. We would expect any application to clearly show an identifiable and reachable core audience and the means by which this audience will be reached.
The range and number of projects already being supported by Film Cymru Wales

(The wording here is much more vague, with far less emphasis on Welsh talent, Welsh origination, and the telling of the Welsh story. Instead of "strong preference" we have ".......whilst not essential this will be considered." So the Welsh requirement can, by and large, simply be ignored.)

================================

I dealt with this in a press release about a year ago,and nothing much seems to have changed:

http://www.brianjohn.co.uk/press-releases.html

Welsh tourism spend down 17% while Scotland and Ireland roar ahead

This is a main BBC Wales story today -- bemoaning the fact that there was a 17% drop in tourism spend in Wales between 2016 and 2017.  I would not mind betting that the figure will be down again for 2018.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-45060541

One doesn't like to say "I told you so" -- but for several years now many people have bemoaned the fact that there seems to be no clear narrative or marketing strategy being sold for Wales, apart from the message:  "Come to Wales.  It's great!  In fact, it's greater than anywhere else!"  Well yes, but....... there is little if any uniqueness in the message.  What is the USP?  Is there one?

We think the Welsh narrative needs to be expressed much more specifically and clearly, but nobody in the Welsh Government seems to be very interested in defining what it is.  Some of the Welsh tourism marketing initiatives are great, but they can be defined as battleground tactics.  What is the strategy?

And while we are about it, why is there no support from the Minister or from AMs for a much more clearly expressed requirement to be placed on the makers of TV programmes and films in Wales to TELL THE WELSH STORY?  If the Welsh story is not told, Wales will not be sold effectively to a global audience.

And while we are about it, why is it that I am frustrated at every turn when I seek to garner support for a big landmark costume drama set in Wales, which will tell the Welsh story for a global audience?  At the official level, there seems to be a policy that no one project should be favoured or supported above any other -- so the impression is inevitable that there is a complacency and a timidity in Wales about anything ambitious.  People back off, lie low, and pass the buck when, in another cultural context, there would be a project team working hard and trying to make something happen. Angel Mountain has the narrative, and the heroic characters, to guarantee the success of a 32-part costume drama series --with the right screenwriters, director, and actors.  But the project needs advocacy and endorsements, in a Welsh environment where the word "success" seems like a dirty word.  Poor little Wales, located somewhere beyond England.........

Gripe over.

Here is the text of the article:

Despite a multimillion pound campaign to boost tourism, Wales is "standing still" in attracting foreign tourists, an expert has said.

Simon Calder added it was "really concerning" visitor spending dropped by 17% at a time when the pound is weak.

A record 39.2m visitors came to the UK in 2017 - but headed mainly to London and Scotland, new figures show.

The Welsh Government said its tourism barometer survey was "overwhelmingly positive" overall.

Numbers of foreign tourists rose by 0.5% but their spend dropped by 17% in the 12 months £5m was spent on the Year of Legends campaign, which aimed to give visitors legendary experiences.

Mr Calder said the lack of flights from major countries meant Wales was regarded as "an add on" to a trip to England rather than a destination in its own right.

"These figures are really concerning for the Wales tourism industry," he said.

"Scotland in particular has done very well while Wales is effectively standing still."

The tourism analysis published by the Welsh Government describes UK-wide increases being driven by visitors from north America and non-European countries.

Overall, 20m headed for London (up 4% on 2016) and 3.2m for Scotland (up 17%).  In comparison, there were 1.1m visitors to Wales (up 0.5%).

However, while these visitors' spending increased by 14% in London to £13,546m and by 23% in Scotland to £2,276m, the figure dropped in Wales by 17% to £369m.

Mr Calder added: "The spend is really troubling because the pound is pretty pathetic and you would expect it to go up.

"This could be down to the length of time people can be persuaded to stay if they are using Wales as an add on to a trip to England."

He said tourists' imaginations had been captured through the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland and North Coast 500 in Scotland.

However, even with "fantastic movie set locations", people needed to get to Wales.

"There has a been a huge increase in flights between Edinburgh and north America, that will explain a lot of the increase," Mr Calder said.

"Wales will be hoping the new Qatar link does the same."

While he said it was too early to know if it would be a success, it made Wales one stop from large cities such as Shanghai.

The Wales Tourism Alliance described the figures as "disappointing".  Domestic UK overnight visitors to Wales fell in 2017.  There was a 3% decrease to 9m who spent £1,628m (a 3.6% drop) while UK-wide there was a 1% increase to 120.68m, who spent £23,683m (a 2.6% increase).  A Welsh Government spokeswoman said its tourism survey showed 80% of businesses reported a greater or similar level of business compared to 2016.

"There is no doubt that tourism is a hugely competitive global sector and we will continue to work with the industry to further improve what we have to offer in Wales and maximise opportunities to introduce new audiences and grow both overseas and domestic visitors so we can look to build on the 10 million overnight visitors we welcomed in 2017," she added.

The spokeswoman said themed years have been "very well received" and the £5m invested in the Year of Legends marketing campaign helped generate an additional £365m for the Welsh economy.

In 2018 so far, more than 100 cruise ships have visited Wales, bringing 51,000 passengers from countries such as the USA, Canada and France.

This represents a 15% increase on 2017, with the 54 stopping at Anglesey, 30% more than last year.

Welsh TV support mechanisms -- why is there no requirement to promote Wales?

The Welsh Assembly's Culture Committee has been investigating broadcasting in Wales, and has issued its Report entitled The Big Picture".

www.assembly.wales/laid%20documents/cr-ld10916/cr-ld10916-e.pdf
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-38813102

In the Report, the Committee ponders on this question:  why is it that "the Welsh narrative" is not effectively told on TV and in film?  It refers to the need for a "portrayal objective" to be taken on board by BBC Wales, and asks the BBC to commit an extra £30 million per year "for English language drama and broadcasting about Wales."  It is not alone in wanting to see the BBC and the film industry doing more to reflect and portray Welsh society and perspectives, and indeed to sell Wales to the world.

I've done some checking to see the extent to which the Welsh Government itself is promoting those objectives through its grant aid / subsidy programme for the broadcasting and film industries.  The answer is "Hardly at all......"  I was a bit surprised by that!  We all know that Wales is now a fantastic location for shooting cinema films and TV series:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuvfYgU_ItQ

The marketing approach of Screen Cymru is that Wales is a great place for telling other people's stories -- magnificent locations, easy proximity to London, favourable financial arrangements, top notch studios, expert crews, supportive and cooperative local authorities and property owners, etc.  That's wonderful, and the full "package" has brought £138.6m into the local economy since 2012.

www.o-spi.co.uk/wp-content/.../SPI-Economic-Contribution-Study-2015-02-24.pdf
http://www.theknowledgeonline.com/the-knowledge-bulletin/post/2016/12/19/wales-targets-high-end-tv

But when you look at the TV and film support mechanisms in detail, there is virtually nothing about a requirement to "reflect and portray Welsh society and perspectives, and to sell Wales to the world".  For example, the Welsh Government Media Investment Budget, with links to Pinewood and Sky Vision, is available to film and TV productions without any requirement -- or even encouragement -- to portray and promote Wales.

High-end TV drama -- tax relief
http://www.britishfilmcommission.org.uk/hetvtaxrelief/

Welsh Govt Media Investment Budget (£30 million)
https://businesswales.gov.wales/walesscreen/funding-and-support

Pinewood  -- http://pinewoodpictures.com/funding/

Sky Vision
http://www.skyvisionmicrosites.com/WelshFund/Home/Guidance
The only body that actually does encourage a real involvement with the story of Wales is Ffilm Cymru, with the following words:  "Ffilm Cymru Wales aims to identify and nurture Welsh filmmakers – particularly producers, writers and directors - by supporting and encouraging the development of their work and ambitions. We are also keen to encourage films with Welsh cultural content, reflecting Wales and Welsh life, as part of our portfolio."  So -- thumbs up for Ffilm Cymru!
Ffilm Cymru
http://www.ffilmcymruwales.com/index.php/en/
Although the boundaries between film and TV are now a bit blurred, Ffilm Cymru has traditionally concentrated on cinema rather than TV films -- and this means that as far as TV is concerned, there is nothing in any guidance notes or in any eligibility or selection criteria to encourage producers, directors and screenwriters to think that Wales has a story to tell and that the big wide world might be interested in it......

Parts of the Welsh budget are being disbursed here -- why cannot we have the words

"We are keen to encourage projects which tell the Welsh story, reflect and portray Welsh society and perspectives, and promote Wales to the world."  

That would not in any way discourage the making of global blockbusters, but it would at least give some encouragement to local Welsh talent in the creative industries!

BBC -- to what extent is it rooted in the Welsh landscape?

Gavin and Stacey -- the BBC's most-watched Christmas show of 2019.  Very jolly, 

and thoroughly entertaining -- and set in Wales -- but where is the 

BBC Wales commitment to sell Wales to the world?

This is an interesting review of the BBC Writers Room Festival, held this year in Cardiff.  As the review points out, there was much emphasis on Welsh writers and on TV productions (like "His Dark Materials") made in Wales -- and that's something we should all be happy about.  

Quote:  The day was certainly a testimony to Welsh presence in the media. Half of the parallel panels had a Welsh focus, and even those events with a less local flavour testified to the BBC’s current effort to root itself in the Welsh landscape.

Quote:  Less present in the discussion was the question of what representations of Welshness are perpetuated on screen........

Sadly, not much has changed over the past few years -- Wales now has a substantial TV industry, but the BBC in Wales is still open to the charge that it promotes Wales as a great place for the telling of other people's stories -- and does relatively little to "represent Welshness" on the screen, or to sell the Welsh narrative to the world.  Cash constraints may have something to do with this, but as I have said many times before on this blog, this deficiency must be addressed at a POLITICAL level as well as at the level of BBC Wales strategy formulation.

======================

https://www.walesartsreview.org/live-bbc-writersroom-festival/

LIVE | BBC WRITERSROOM FESTIVAL

Marine Furet reports from a day of discussion on industry and craft at the BBC Writersroom Festival in Cardiff.

The air is still buzzing from a keynote given by Russel T. Davies. In the entrance hall of the National Museum of Wales, experienced showrunners, budding screenwriters, and busy executive producers are rubbing elbows under Dippy the Dinosaur’s tail, desperately trying to get through their cup of scalding tea in time to attend the day’s next showstopper, a plenary panel given by the creative team behind His Dark Materials. Everyone is a playwright with a business card at the ready. Congratulations, you have made it to the 2019 edition of the BBC Writersroom Festival.

The BBC Writersroom is a redub of the TV Writer’s Festival. First created in 2010; the event has gradually expanded to include comedy and, this year, radio drama. The Festival is an invaluable hub for anyone wishing to meet industry leaders and gatekeepers while garnering advice from some of the BBC’s most successful writers. It is also an opportunity to showcase some of the BBC’s new writing talents. Last but not least, it is a TV and radio geek’s paradise. This year’s events included a flurry of prestigious names and newcomers. This was the festival’s first stop in Wales, and at a time of expansion in the Welsh arts and media scene, the event undeniably had a lot of questions to answer. The first, and foremost, is perhaps to know whether we are now to expect a more diverse cultural landscape.

The day was certainly a testimony to Welsh presence in the media. Half of the parallel panels had a Welsh focus, and even those events with a less local flavour testified to the BBC’s current effort to root itself in the Welsh landscape. In addition to including some guest-talks by revered Welsh figures, such as Russel T. Davies (Doctor Who, Torchwood, Queer as Folk), Rhiwbina-born Andrew Davies (House of Cards, Pride and Prejudice, Les Misérables), Ruth Jones and Rob Brydon (Gavin & Stacey), the programme put the spotlight on a number of Wales-engineered production successes. One of the first was evidently His Dark Materials, the BBC’s current hit adaption in collaboration with HBO, produced by Cardiff-based Bad Wolf.

For an enthusing hour, Bad Wolf’s co-founder Jane Tranter, script editor Xandria Horton and production designer Joel Collins go through their creative process. It was hard not to feel some degree of excitement every time the trio casually referred to Philip (Pullman). We quickly got into the practical details of bringing a show of this amplitude to the screen from inception to end. Tranter emphasized the Britishness of His Dark Materials – a ‘complex, knotty, gnarly’ work – and the importance of a good, visual writing to bring the books’ universe to the screen. Tranter remarked that this often implied going in and out of each volume of the series, rather than reading them linearly, and occasionally embracing their gaps and inconsistencies. Joel Collins also brought fascinating insights, particularly about the role of design to crack open visual issues in the book and script. Mrs Coulter’s apartment, in particular, was fully brought to life in its full icy luxury. The set was a mix of Cardiff locations and London views, and employs Welsh skills and craft, partly thanks to a partnership between Bad Wolf and Wales’s Higher Education sector.

Tone was also of great concern – allegedly 46 drafts had to be binned before the show came to life – particularly for a show employing a huge team of creatives, and aimed at a public potentially unfamiliar with science fiction and genre drama. In Tranter’s words, His Dark Materials functioned not as a democracy, but definitely as a collaboration. The desire for authenticity of tone and for a univocal feel to a show strongly came through in another panel on writing multilingual drama, which featured Welsh writers Roger Williams (Bang) and Caryl Lewis (Craith/Hidden). Writing in Welsh and English with a team of writers comes with its own host of challenges: not only to ensure that all writers ‘get it’ and do not divert the show from its natural voice, but also to find the right balance between the shows’ idioms Both Bang and Craith allow for experiments with language and identity, and as Caryl Lewis observed, some ideas can feel different in English and Welsh. Less present in the discussion was the question of what representations of Welshness are perpetuated on screen: at a time when the National Theatre Wales, for example, has introduced Located residencies that question, among others, the role of migrant communities in constituting contemporary Wales, such discussion might have also proven a relevant addition to the day. This debate, however, is also determined by material considerations. For example, all present agreed on the difficulty to produce a show entirely in Welsh, particularly in view of the financial constraints involved in such an endeavor. Even despite the success of bilingual enterprises like Bang and Craith/Hidden, sourcing the necessary funds for a show in English and Welsh remains a challenge, and an all-Welsh screenplay risks being met with raised eyebrows.

Indeed, the financial implications of writing and producing were a recurrent topic throughout the day. In short, savviness to the funding market is a must, and multiple bids are needed to finance a single show. While His Dark Materials owes a great deal to Welsh locations, the involvement of international funding, a prestigious cast, and high production quality mean that the show balances both local and global scales. It is, as Jane Tranter put it, ‘a mighty amount of money’, which meant for example that the show’s pilot had to be ready for money to be secured. The same preoccupation weighed on BBC Drama commissioning editor Ben Irving, whose presentation was a reminder that good television is also a number-crunching game. The current scarcity of $$$ is of course the reality of all areas in the creative world. The academic in me could not help but shiver at the mention of the Arts and Humanities Research Council, one of the biggest funding organisms for higher education, during the panel on radio drama. However, the finance question is a particularly significant one for Wales, as the new concentration of production societies and artistic talents of all provenances in the nation can only be perennial if followed by an expanding funding pool.

From masterclasses delivered by industry giants to an exhibition fayre including BAFTA Cymru and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, the day was an opportunity to hear from some major figures of the television and film industry. In a context of increasing competition, the concerns of young authors in the audience were telling: the question of how to best pitch your writing is on everyone’s lips. Andrew Davies had the last word on this, encouraging writers to “stick up for [their] own ideas, producers and editors don’t necessarily know what they’re talking about” – much to the delight of said producers and editors, no doubt. Davies’s charisma and his knack for storytelling shone through even during a Q&A-style conversation, but insights on the craft of writing also came from less established players. On a panel dedicated to audio drama, writer Janina Mathewson (Within the Wires), writer and composer Timothy X Atack (Forest 404) and Welsh actor and filmmaker Darragh Mortell (I Am Kanye West) reflected on the intimacy of radio storytelling, and its connection to musical composition. With I Am Kanye West, a podcast fiction dedicated to the famous rapper, Darragh Mortell experimented with a mix of narration and sampling. Mortell’s suggestion that the audio drama sits halfway between the film and the novel was a good way to think about ways in which we consume radio both as an immersive and mobile medium. As an expanding form allowing for forays into narrative experimentations, the podcast genre has drawn much attention to itself in the last few years. With the development of new technologies, coupled with the BBC’s desire to address itself to younger and more diverse demographics, it will be interesting to see how radio drama develops into new and experimental shapes in the next few years.

Overall, the festival reflected the tensions and transformations currently changing the writing industry. In the last few years, Cardiff and Wales have increasingly claimed their own seat at the table, and the crowd in attendance on the day was a testament to the bustling creativity waiting to be tapped into by the industry. The BBC’s gradual turn towards new mediums and technologies, and its asserted desire to speak to new audiences may also be an opportunity for creative talents of all kinds in Wales and beyond. While a success of the scale of His Dark Materials should give us hope for the future of arts and media in Cardiff, the city’s growing creative scene must now rise to the challenge.

Michael Sheen gives Raymond Williams Memorial Lecture

Michael Sheen pictured prior to giving his lecture.  He looks happy! A lot of the content of his lecture was deeply serious and more than a little depressing -- but we are where we are, and there is no great point in becoming too miserable about it........

On Thursday 16th Nov, in Merthyr, Michael Sheen gave the annual Raymond Williams lecture, having chosen the theme "Who speaks for Wales?"  It was quite a long lecture, at more than 90 minutes, but it was crammed with good things -- fluently presented (as one would expect), beautifully written and carefully researched.  It covered a vast range of topics, and everybody who has heard it has come away enlightened and even inspired.  It's available in two locations on the web:

https://www.pscp.tv/w/1mnxerwgapNKX
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbVdA7zS8dE&feature=share

One of the things I found most interesting in the talk was the short section on Welsh broadcasting, in which Michael expressed disquiet about the "sort of Wales" which is reflected to the people of Wales (and the rest of the world) by our broadcasters, including BBC Wales and S4C.  He implied, that we, the people of Wales, are being short-changed by the broadcasters, who feed us largely on a "British" diet when much of it should be much more specifically Welsh. That is not to argue that Wales should be more introverted or parochial.   He suggested that unless the current situation changes, the broadcasters will be complicit in the campaign to write Wales out of history and to deny Wales a recognition of its own character and its own narrative.

This, of course, is exactly what I have been saying on this blog for a very long time.  Why us there no strong requirement placed upon BBC Wales and the others who make programmes in Wales to tell the Welsh story alongside the telling of other people's stories?  Why is there still no big Welsh TV drama capable of selling Wales to the world?  Why do the BBC studios in Wales (and the other studios run by Pinewood and other companies) put virtually all of their efforts into the making of programmes which have nothing whatsoever to do with Wales?  Many other questions too.......  We know the answers to some of the questions, and most of the answers have to do with money -- but the politicians and the broadcasters need to consider carefully why the TV and film industry has developed as a very successful exporter of products involving minimal added value as far as Wales is concerned.  Water, coal, slate, farm products, films, TV programmes -- extracted from Wales, admittedly creating jobs, but bringing most benefits to those who live elsewhere.

http://brian-angelmountain.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/welsh-tv-support-mechanisms-why-is.html

Back to the Welsh narrative.   As readers will know, we played around with this earlier in the year, and came up with something like this:

"Wales is two hours and a million miles away -- a small country on the Celtic fringe of Europe. The country’s green acres have seen a valiant struggle for self determination against a powerful and predatory neighbour.  From the days of its ancient myths and native princes, to the ring of castles built by its conquerors, to its soaring rocky peaks and wild coasts, to its rich bardic and linguistic heritage, and the coal and iron that forged a global industrial revolution, Wales has always been a nation of survivors.  Melancholia features large in the national psyche -- but so does euphoria, and the old mystics talked of two fighting dragons.  Welsh people still have a powerful sense of place and an instinct for subversion and social justice.  They still have an abiding fondness for family histories, mysteries and legends, poetry and music, ceremonial and eccentric traditions.  And in Wales you will find a living language, an open-hearted generosity of spirit, a real sense of mischief, and the warmest of welcomes."

That was one version that many commentators liked.  Here is another, slightly less poetic:

"Wales is a small country on the Celtic fringe of Europe with magnificent landscapes and rich natural resources. It is too close to England to have remained truly independent, and not far enough away for bloody rebellions ever to have taken hold. Throughout its history it has fought to resist the depredations of powerful neighbours; and against all the odds it has retained its language, its culture and its pride whilst encouraging toleration and liberal values and adapting to dramatic change. It has learned how to be subversive and seductive, and how to be spiritual and mischievous at the same time. In its history it has not suffered the same deep traumas as Scotland and Ireland. Its people are romantics, prone to wild swings of emotion; both melancholia and euphoria feature in the national psyche. Welsh people have a powerful "sense of place" and an abiding fondness for family histories, legends, ceremonial and ancient traditions. Eccentricity is embraced, while great value is placed upon learning. There is a tendency towards radical protest and an ever-present desire for social reform. Ultimately, Wales wants the respect of others -- and to be left in peace to enjoy and endure its own strange obsessions.”

So, bearing in mind the points made by Michael, how do we get this story told in a manner which will increase Welsh self-awareness and self-esteem and increase the respect of the rest of the world?  We are working on it......

PS.  The text of the lecture us now available.  The PDF can be accessed here:



http://www.learningandwork.wales/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/RW-LW-Lecture-Michael-Sheen.pdf