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Following on from Academi’s success in Washington DC, Wales will take centre stage this summer

The scene of President Barack Obama’s historic inauguration as 44th US President just a few weeks ago - the National Mall in Washington DC - will take on a distinctly Welsh flavour this summer.
 

Wales is set to be the featured nation at the 2009 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, over the weeks straddling the 4th July holiday. Together with a range of ancillary activity across the city and beyond, this makes up a programme of activity that together forms ‘Wales Smithsonian Cymru’. Welsh writers, poets, storytellers and performers featuring at the festival include Ifor ap Glyn, National Poet Gillian Clarke, Aneirin Karadog, Gwyneth Glyn, David Ambrose, Daniel Morden, Mab Jones, Esyllt Harker, Jon Gower, Ceri Wyn Jones, Twm Morys and Sharon Morgan.

First Minister Rhodri Morgan headed to the US capital earlier this month to launch the action-packed programme at a Wales Week reception he hosted with the British Ambassador, Sir Nigel Sheinwald and his wife Lady Sheinwald at the Embassy on Thursday 5 March. Guests got to hear a little of Wales with the BBC Last Choir Standing winners “Only Men Aloud”, Welsh musician and poet Gwyneth Glyn and the students of Trinity College Choir, Carmarthen.

Speaking ahead of his visit to Washington, First Minister Rhodri Morgan said:

“…The joyous scenes on the National Mall in Washington on the day of President Obama’s inauguration were very striking - there was hardly any room to move on that historic day. This same location will be filled with the sights and sounds of Wales for 10 days this summer.

Wales Smithsonian Cymru will present a dynamic view of Wales, its cultural and economic impact on the world, with themes ranging from the traditional to the contemporary and highlighting diversity and innovation – past, present and future. We will highlight the use of traditional methods to create new green solutions, products and processes. Indeed, the overarching theme of the Wales presence in the US capital will be sustainability.  This is very timely with the new President’s emphasis on the environment, global warming and ‘green collar’ jobs…"

An exciting programme will await visitors to the Wales area at this year’s Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Some 100 participants will represent Wales at the event, on an area the size of four football pitches. This will be split into different themed areas, each telling a different story of:  Wales in the World; Language and Literature; Industry, Heritage and Innovation; Building and Landscapes; Ecotourism and Pastimes; Home and Community; Along the Water, and; Music and Dance. There will also be a narrative stage, a ‘pub’ stage and main stage. Wales’ site design will reflect the Welsh built and rural environment through site builds that include items such as a Ty-Unnos (overnight house), rugby posts, slate and metal fencing and stone walls to name but a few. Visitors will be invited to participate in hands-on activities that include adding to a recycled art project, building with straw bales and calculating their carbon footprint.

The First Minister continued: 

“…To be the featured nation is a great honour and a massive opportunity for Wales.  The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is a major event, attracting more than one million visitors from across the USA and further afield.  This means that this will be a fantastic showcase for Wales where a great many visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about Wales and its contemporary cultures and traditions. Hopefully, this in turn will inspire them to visit Wales to see the country and its beautiful landscape for themselves, and buy products and services from us and study in our universities or even locate film and TV series here. All of this will give a boost to our economy and tourism industry…”

Wales’ presence at the festival will be greatly extended through a range of ancillary programmes presented in collaboration with partner organisations in Washington DC. These activities and events will include a wide range of contemporary arts, a focus on sustainable living and climate change as well as trade and tourism initiatives.

These activities have already started (18-24 March) with some of the best Welsh writers performing their work in Washington as part of a week-long celebration of contemporary Welsh literature, organised by Academi. Other events planned include a lecture series on sustainable futures and climate security, potentially the biggest trade mission from Wales to North America, a new Smithsonian Folkways Recordings CD of Welsh music, a Davies Sisters lecture and public panel discussions, a Welsh arts critics exchange programme, a contemporary ceramics exhibition, a contemporary theatre festival, Smithsonian Associates events and performances promoting Wales as a place to visit, a moving images film event, and activities engaging young people in opera as well as performances on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Centre.

The First Minister said:

“...This is a unique and fantastic opportunity to promote Wales in Washington at a time when the American people are taking a new path, with a new President. What better way could there be to see the deep-rooted and vibrant culture and creativity of Wales than this showcase right in the heart of the capital of the United States. I thank all those individuals and organisations across Wales who are supporting this huge partnership project which has massive potential benefits for Wales…”

To find out more about Wales Smithsonian Cymru, go to
www.wales.com/smithsonian