Dafydd Iwan's rendition of the American folk song "This Land Is Your Land" embodies the cultural trials and tribulations faced by Wales in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1956, the eviction and flooding of Capel Celyn, a predominantly Welsh-speaking community, was made to make room for a reservoir despite local opposition. The declining presence of the Welsh language and similar crises kindled a new wave of cultural activism. Dafydd Iwan's 1966 song invokes native place-names in order to assert the claim of Welsh-speakers to their native land, that every part of Wales is the heritage of every Welsh person.
Performed by the Hennessys (Y Caneuon Cynnar), 1993.
6 сен 2024
