Despite setbacks due to COVID and a fast-changing political landscape across the UK, Welsh arts and culture has continued to be resilient and dynamic. In recent years there has been an increase in efforts to give voice to the inequalities which persist in our society through education, activism and reform. From improving accessibility to the arts in Wales to raising awareness of how we can fight the climate crisis, here are ten Wales Arts Review interviews with a focus on enabling and inspiring change in Wales and beyond.
Peter Hain in Conversation | The Ordinary Activists
Former Secretary of State for Wales and MP for Neath, Peter Hain, was a significant figure in the campaigns against apartheid in his native South Africa in the 1970s and eighties. His new book, Ad and Wal, tells the story of his parents anti-apartheid activism in Pretoria in the 1960s, from extremely close quarters.
Read the full interview here.
In Conversation With Ken Skates AM
In 2015, Cerith Mathias interviewed Labour Assembly Member and Welsh Government Deputy Minister for Culture and Sport, Ken Skates, about his aspiration to make Wales the most creative nation in Europe and ensure the arts are accessible for all.
Read the full interview here.
In Conversation | Chloë Clarke
In an interview produced in collaboration with Disability Arts Online, Cardiff-based theatre-maker and audio description consultant Chloë Clarke talked to Joe Turnbull about the problems with traditional audio description for theatre shows and her creative solution to make theatre more inclusive.
Read the full interview here.
In Conversation | Suryatapa Mukherjee And Glitter Cymru
Moving onto filmmaking, here two members of the BAME LGBT+ group Glitter Cymru discussed the short film they created in collaboration with the Iris Prize Festival and the importance of improving representation of marginalised groups.
Read the full interview here.
Kristian Evans And Zoë Brigley | Life After Covid
Almost a month after the first Coronavirus lockdown began, Kristian Evans and Zoë Brigley considered the possibility of COVID-19 acting as an awakening, motivating society to change.
Read the full interview here.
Sarah Nicolls In Conversation | 12 Years
In the lead up to Sarah Nicolls’ performance of her innovative composition 12 Years at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, the musician spoke to Holly McElroy about the inspiration behind the work and about her ‘Future Piano’, which seeks to lower the carbon footprint of touring.
Read the full interview here.
Charlotte Williams In Conversation
At the beginning of this year, Professor Charlotte Williams OBE, Chair of the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Communities, Contributions and Cynefin in the New Curriculum Working Group, discussed changing Wales’ education system with Darren Chetty.
Read the full interview here.
Christine Grosart | Ghost Fishing UK
Here, Holly McElroy spoke to Christine Grosart about her involvement with Ghost Fishing UK, a charity which works to remove discarded fishing gear which poses a threat to marine life from our seas.
Read the full interview here.
Mya-Rose Craig On Black2Nature
At the age of 14, Mya-Rose Craig set up Black2Nature, an organisation which campaigns to make nature more accessible for people from Visible Minority Ethnic backgrounds. In this interview, Craig explains the inspiration behind her organisation and the importance of inclusivity in making positive changes to help the environment.
Read the full interview here.
Andrew Ogun In Conversation | Driving Change
Following the Arts Council of Wales appointing writer, designer and activist Andrew Ogun as their Agent for Change, Caragh Medlicott spoke to Ogun about commitment to cultural change in the arts and how he plans to confront the barriers people from marginalised backgrounds face.
Read the full interview here.
