Hollywood and Owain Glyndwr?
Promoting Wales in the USA
The thing that's lacking is the good, exciting script. If that's had and sold, then there's a movie that can be cast. What's the story of Owain Glyndwyr? How can that be distilled into concepts you can make a film out of? (only 90 minutes to tell about someone and their life) What's the main thing to tell people about him as a person and then the main thing to tell people that he did?Following are some generalities that are my opinion and have also been true of me:Americans don't know they're Welsh. If you asked most Americans what Welsh family names like Williams, Davis, Davies, Evans, Thomas, etc, are they'll say "They're American," and when you press for what country they originally came from they'll guess that either someone at Ellis Island made those up or they're English names. I know because I've been doing this survey for several years. That and who's Welsh in American history always surprises people because we don't learn it: "Thomas Jefferson, no shit?" and many signers of the Declaration of Independence.I think this is partially so, and the lack of notice of Wales and the Welsh in America, because Welsh people are quiet, they don't boast, it's not in their character to draw everyone's attention to them themselves or the things they've done. It's more in their character to do whatever they're doing and get on to something else when it's done and why would you go on about that, it's done anyway? I had an Irish friend and he would go on at me about how the Irish never gave in, never stopped fighting and how his ancestors suffered as a result and the Welsh didn't experience that and there was even Welsh kings of England and I always said that we just didn't yell about it like he did and we were smarter, worked in the system and got a king or two and which was more effective? (never mind the Irish sea and all that other stuff...)Ceri and I have the americymru.com site and we've been talking for a long time about how to raise awareness in the US about being Welsh and what it is and how cool it is and we have a lot of ideas and some in progress. We have a great idea for a goofy Eisteddfod, which I think would go over FANTASTICALLY here in Portland, given its local character, and to start something like that in the schools, especially here where artistic creativity is the most prized thing.Other countries and cultures have qualities and characters that people think of and admire and recognize, what are Welsh? I think some of it is the quality of creative imagination and creativity, the many interesting brilliant polymath eccentrics and original forward thinkers, Wales leading a quiet and unrelenting battle for class equity, fearlessness and tenacious ability to grab something and work hard at it until it's conquered, that historical stereotype of being sneaky and untrustworthy is really being smarter and faster than those big loud Saxon types and thinking rings around them, etc. It's not that Taffy's sneaky, he's just sick and tired of waiting for you to figure out what the f**k he's talking about!
That should be part of state history in the elementary schools. I want to start a student eisteddfod at my sons' school - like a talent show but Welsh themed, on St David's Day (and of course we'll mention Meriwether Lewis, practically a god in Oregon), and then try to turn it into a system-wide practice.You ought to research that colony and write something for the schools on it? They might really like something else to add to their state history curriculum. LOL, elementary school US history here is practically "There was a disagreement with Britain but we like them ok today, then Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea came here in great detail all the way to the coast and stayed awhile until they had to go back to the east coast for some reason and then the Pioneers came on the Oregon trail in great detail and now we're Oregon."My grandparents never said a thing about it until my mother took my grandmother to the UK after grandad had died. They found a hill in Wales called Bubb Hill (grandad's family name) and I was all excited and then she said oh yes, his family's Welsh and mine, too, and that was it on it, that's all we ever heard.
