The Crowd Gathers

In November 2022, The National Poet of Wales, Hanan Issa, was commissioned by FAW and Literature Wales to write ‘The Crowd Gathers’; the official poem for Gŵyl Cymru Festival. Gŵyl Cymru Festival was a 10-day arts event which was held as the nation supported Wales during their 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign in Qatar.

The poem has been translated by Grug Muse into Welsh, under the title ‘Mae’r Dorf yn Ymgynnull’. Both Hanan Issa and Grug Muse feature in ‘The Crowd Gathers’ official poem video, citing lines from the poem in English, Welsh and Arabic, accompanied
by music from Welsh artist, Sage Todz. The video poem has been funded by the Arts Council of Wales.