ALUMNI ELIN RHYS FOUNDER, TELESGOP BSC BIOCHEMISTRY Back in February Pablo Josiah, President of the Students’ Union, invited me, as a member of the University Council, to the Swansea Ethno Gala celebration event. And what a celebration it was! Different cultures from all over the world coming together to enjoy themselves, all in colourful outfits – all celebrating our cultural differences. This took me back to my days as a student at Swansea University in the seventies and reminded me of why this university is such a special place. I remember like yesterday being part of organising Swansea University’s Welsh Society team to compete in the Intercollege Eisteddfod at Aberystwyth University. At that time, Welsh speakers tended to flock to Aberystwyth and Bangor Universities – as many subjects could be studied through the medium of Welsh at those Universities. So, the Swansea Gym-Gym always came last in the Eisteddfod competitions, and we felt a bit out of place with the bards and the singers! So, we decided to try and do something about it.
I had a friend in Gilbertson Hall, the boys’ hall adjacent to Clyne Gardens. Rehman Rashid was an unrivalled singer - and played the guitar in his own unique style. He was from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We’d often meet in my room to sing together – and he always showed a respect and interest for Welsh music. I suggested that maybe including him in the line-up would be an idea – singing a song of his own composition. He agreed to participate and raised the roof! And then we discovered a singing group from Chile who also offered to help us - wearing their traditional dress and singing in perfect harmony. Saturday night of the Eisteddfod is the legendary Noson Lawen competition. Each university providing entertainment for a quarter of an hour and competing for the coveted title of best Noson Lawen. The Swansea University team arrived on the stage with the talented Ieuan Thomas from Pwll taking the lead. We had a few items from us Welsh, a pop group called Be Nesa (What Next!), and traditional folk dancers. But there with us on stage were Chile and Malaysia! For the first time ever Swansea University won the Noson Lawen competition! There was no end to the celebrations. Rehman Rashid became a famous writer in his country. But sadly, he passed away at the age of 62 in 2017. A huge loss. The lesson I learned at the Inter-college Eisteddfod that year was that combining talent, and collaborating across countries with completely different cultures is valuable and can create miracles. This all came back to me on the night of the Swansea Ethno Gala; it’s so good to know that the University still celebrates diversity and supports different cultures. I’ve been running a TV and radio company here in Wales for over 30 years now. The office is in Bay Studios, opposite the new campus. We’re a company that tries to showcase Welsh art as much as we can. It is very difficult to get programmes on the British network to show Welsh culture. But broadcasting from the Young Farmers’ Eisteddfod, and the Cerdd Dant Festival is important to us. Our main series, Ffermio, reflects rural life and agriculture. And the Welsh countryside is key to the prosperity of our nation’s culture. But science is my main interest. And there’s art in science, too.
Read the full interview on our website at swan.ac/elinrhys
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