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Festival considers changing motto over fears it may be seen as racist

Female Indian Dancers in the annual International Eisteddfod street parade in Llangollen North Wales - Howard Pimborough / Alamy Stock Photo
Female Indian Dancers in the annual International Eisteddfod street parade in Llangollen North Wales - Howard Pimborough / Alamy Stock Photo

A music festival is reviewing whether to change its motto over fears the Welsh language phrase could be deemed racist.

Llangollen International Eisteddfod’s motto "Byd gwyn fydd byd a gano. Gwaraidd fydd ei gerddi fo," is from a verse by the poet T Gwynn Jones meaning "Blessed is a world that sings. Gentle are its songs."

The problem, recently realised, is that gwyn means blessed but is Welsh for “white”, too.

Irish female folk dancers during the celebrations - Howard Pimborough / Alamy Stock Photo
Irish female folk dancers during the celebrations - Howard Pimborough / Alamy Stock Photo

It's claimed that it could be misinterpreted by some to mean "White is a world that sings".

An Eisteddfod spokesman said unanimous advice was "that the motto is beautiful when read with an understanding of the nuances of the Welsh language, but that for non-Welsh speakers and new generations of audiences and indeed Welsh speakers, the intended meaning is not clear enough".

King Charles III was a regular attendee of the festival when he was Prince of Wales - Mark Cuthbert/UK Press
King Charles III was a regular attendee of the festival when he was Prince of Wales - Mark Cuthbert/UK Press

Now a change is being reviewed over fears it could be misinterpreted.

Former MP and ex-Westminster leader of Plaid Cymru Mr Llwyd said he was “furious”.

Mr Llwyd, who is also a vice-president of the festival, which has been going for three quarters of a century, added: "Who has given this advice?

"I'm lost for words. T Gwynn Jones was one of our best ever poets."