Gwenno Teifi

Last updated

Gwenno Teifi (full name Gwenno Teifi Ffransis, born 1987) is a Welsh language activist from Llanfihangel-ar-Arth, Wales. In February 2006 she became the first member of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (The Welsh Language Society) to serve a jail sentence for a language protest in 11 years. [1]

Contents

Radio Carmarthenshire protest and jailing

Gwenno was arrested along with four other language protestors on 24 July 2004 at the studios of Radio Carmarthenshire in Narberth and charged with criminal damage. [2] She was jailed after refusing to pay the £200 compensation to Radio Carmarthenshire ordered by Carmarthen Magistrates Court. [3] She was sentenced to five days beginning 13 February 2006 at Eastwood Park Prison in Gloucestershire but released after three days for good behaviour.

Brantano's protest and second jailing

She was jailed a second time in July 2007 for refusing to pay a fine in connection with a language protest at Brantano's shoe store in Aberystwyth in October 2006. [4]

Morrisons supermarket protest and arrest

Gwenno was arrested again in connection with a language protest at Morrisons supermarket in Bangor on 27 January 2007. [5] She was not jailed.

Education

Gwenno has a degree in Welsh and International Politics from Aberystwyth University. [1]

Post-graduation

Gwenno worked in a Christian Mission House in Amsterdam, and is currently a Youth Officer in the Presbyterian Church of Wales. [6]

Family background

Her father is long-time Welsh language activist Ffred Ffransis, currently the education spokesperson for Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, and her mother is another well-known activist, Meinir Ffransis (nee Evans). Thus Gwenno's grandfather was Gwynfor Evans, the first member of Plaid Cymru elected to Parliament. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welsh Language Society</span> Organisation to promote the Welsh language

The Welsh Language Society is a direct action pressure group in Wales campaigning for the right of Welsh people to use the Welsh language in every aspect of their lives. The chair of the Welsh Language Society since October 2023 is Joseff Gnagbo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cynog Dafis</span> Welsh Plaid Cymru politician

Cynog Glyndwr Dafis is a Welsh politician and member of Plaid Cymru. Born Cynog Glyndwr Davies at Treboeth in Swansea, Glamorganshire, Wales, he was initially a school teacher and researcher before entering politics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwynfor Evans</span> Welsh politician (1912–2005)

Gwynfor Richard Evans was a Welsh politician, lawyer and author. He was President of the Welsh political party Plaid Cymru for thirty-six years and was the first member of Parliament to represent it at Westminster, which he did twice, from 1966 to 1970, and again from 1974 to 1979.

Cymuned was a Welsh communities pressure group. Established in 2001, the group campaigned on behalf of local communities in Wales, particularly Welsh-speaking and rural ones, which it perceived to be under threat due to demographic change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welsh Language Board</span>

The Welsh Language Board was a statutory body set up by Her Majesty's Government under the Welsh Language Act 1993. It was an Assembly Sponsored Public Body. It began its life under John Walter Jones, and its last chief executive was Meirion Prys Jones, with Meri Huws acting as chair.

Robert Maynard Jones, generally known as Bobi Jones, was a Welsh Christian academic and one of the most prolific writers in the history of the Welsh language. A versatile master of poetry, fictional prose and criticism, he was born in Cardiff in 1929, educated at the University of Wales, Cardiff and University College Dublin. Jones held the chair in Welsh language at Aberystwyth from 1980 until his retirement. He died on 22 November 2017.

Ffred Ffransis, is a prominent member of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg.

David James Jones, commonly known by his bardic name Gwenallt, was a Welsh poet, critic, and scholar, and one of the most important figures of 20th-century Welsh-language literature. He created his bardic name by transposing Alltwen, the name of the village across the river from his birthplace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meredydd Evans</span> Musical artist

Meredydd Evans, known colloquially as Merêd, was a collector, editor, historian and performer of folk music of Wales. A major figure in Welsh media for over half a century, Evans has been described as influencing "almost every sphere of Welsh cultural life, from folk music and philosophy to broadcasting and language politics".

"Tynged yr Iaith" was a radio lecture delivered in Welsh by Saunders Lewis on 13 February 1962. Reaction to it brought about a major change in the politics of Wales. Historian John Davies has said that the lecture was "the catalyst" for the formation of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, and the start of a period of direct-action agitation to enhance the status of the Welsh language. Its direct effect on the formation of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg is described in a history of that society. It has been said that "of all the memorable phrases coined in the twentieth century none has greater resonance for the Welsh speaker than Tynged yr Iaith. .. which still haunts or inspires champions of the native tongue on the cusp of the new millennium". It had the unintended effect of establishing language agitation as a movement separate from the mainstream of nationalist politics. The burgeoning effects from the initial stimulus of Tynged yr Iaith were listed by Gwyn Williams:

The history of the Welsh language spans over 1400 years, encompassing the stages of the language known as Primitive Welsh, Old Welsh, Middle Welsh, and Modern Welsh.

Steve Eaves is a Welsh poet, songwriter and singer, working in the Welsh language. He has lived for most of his life in the Bangor area of North Wales. He has been a performing musician for over 45 years. During the late 1960s and early 1970s he worked as a labourer and musician, with frequent forays to Chester, Crewe and other locations to perform at folk clubs and underground venues of the period. He also performed at the now legendary Les Cousins folk club in Soho, sharing the floor spot with legendary blues singer Jo Ann Kelly. He also performed with various 'underground' luminaries of the time such as Al Stewart, Tea and Symphony, and the Sutherland Brothers.

Emyr Llywelyn Jones is a Welsh political activist, who was active during the 1960s and 1970s. Mudiad Adfer was established based on his philosophies, and those of Owain Owain and Professor J. R. Jones. Commonly known as Emyr Llywelyn, he is also known as Emyr Llew. He is the son of author and poet T. Llew Jones.

House prices increased in Wales during the Housing market crisis in the United Kingdom (2008). There has been political debate that this has contributed to a decline in the number of speakers of the Welsh language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angharad Tomos</span> Welsh author and activist, born 1958

Angharad Tomos is a Welsh author and prominent language activist. She is a recipient of the Tir na n-Og Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryn Fôn</span> Welsh actor and singer-songwriter

Bryn Fôn is a Welsh actor and singer-songwriter. He also became the first ever artist to play live on BBC Radio Cymru in 1977.

Eileen Beasley was a Welsh teacher who, along with her husband Trefor, conducted a campaign of civil disobedience in the 1950s against the Rural District Council of Llanelli in a demand for council rate bills in the Welsh language. Her stand has led Welsh language campaigners to describe her as the "mother of direct action" and her protest helped to lead to the creation of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Bevan</span>

Gareth Jamie Bevan is a Welsh language campaigner from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales and a prominent member of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg. Bevan refused to pay fines and costs to Merthyr Tydfil Magistrate's Court for breaking into Conservative Party offices in north Cardiff the day before a visit from David Cameron in a demonstration against cuts to S4C.

Y Blew was a Welsh rock band founded in 1967. Although short lived, having pressed and released just one single, the band are recognized as the first rock band to sing in Welsh.

Meinir Ffransis is a Welsh political activist, best known for her activities as a prominent member of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg. She served jail sentences for various offences while campaigning for recognition for the Welsh language.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "First language protester locked up in 11 years". icNorthWales. 14 February 2006. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  2. "Language society leader must pay out after protest". icNorthWales. 20 April 2005. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  3. "Gwenno sentenced to 5 days in prison". Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg. 13 February 2006. Retrieved 10 March 2008.
  4. "Language campaigner jailed for second time". Daily Post. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2008.
  5. "3 protesters arrested at supermaket blockade". Indymedia. 27 January 2007. Retrieved 10 March 2008.
  6. "John a Rachel yn cyfarfod Gwenno Teifi". 11 September 2009.