 |
| Dolavon, Chubut, Argentina |
Tonight's football match against Argentina has reminded me of the 1988 International Bar Association conference in Buenos Aires, which I attended. It took place only 6 years after the Falklands War and diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom had not been restored. I had to obtain a visitor's visa through the Argentine interests section of the Brazilian consulate. As there was no direct air service between the UK and Buenos Aires, I had to fly Lufthansa via Frankfurt.
The conference was excellent, and there was only one incident of Anglophobia. A cattle breeders' association staged a show of its members' skills in horsemanship for the conference attendees. As a finale, the riders staged a gallop across the arena. Each rider carried a flag representing the nation of at least one attendee. The only flag that was missing was the Union flag, notwithstanding that the British delegation was one of the largest. The gauchos rubbed in their snub even more pointedly by carrying a saltire.
After the conference, I explored the massive nation, visiting Mendoza, Trelew and Ushuaia. On those trips I saw wonderful things, such as mighty Mount Aconcagua, the highest point outside Asia and the glaciers of Tierra del Fuego. However, the most memorable was a day trip to Dolafon in the heart of Y Wladfa.
After the conference, I explored the massive nation, visiting Mendoza, Trelew and Ushuaia. On those trips I saw wonderful things, such as mighty Mount Aconcagua, the highest point outside Asia and the glaciers of Tierra del Fuego. However, the most memorable was a day trip to Dolafon in the heart of Y Wladfa.
As a frequent visitor to Eryri, I had heard of the voyage of the Mimosa in 1865, the Mayflower of the Welsh colony in Argentina. The area where the ship's passengers disembarked could not be more different from North Wales. It is flat and arid and the first sight of that countryside must have broken their hearts.
But they did not give up. They learned from the indigenous people how to irrigate the land and plant crops. Within a few decades, they were winning prizes and commendations at international agricultural shows. Sadly, they were unable to create a uniquely Welsh-speaking community in Chubut because the Argentine government encouraged settlement by immigrants from the rest of Europe. Welsh speakers are now a minority in the Wladfa to a greater extent than the Welsh speakers in Wales.
Nevertheless, they are still there, or as the song goes, "yma o hyd." Before I landed in Trelew, I noticed that the Argentines pronounce the "w" in Trelew as a long "o" and not as a consonant. Across the road from my hotel there was a red brick chapel which would not have looked out of place in Bethesda. Next door was an organisation called Canolfan Dewi Sant. Since my visit, Welsh-medium schools have been set up in Chubut, and there is a teachers' exchange programme between Wales and Argentina.
But they did not give up. They learned from the indigenous people how to irrigate the land and plant crops. Within a few decades, they were winning prizes and commendations at international agricultural shows. Sadly, they were unable to create a uniquely Welsh-speaking community in Chubut because the Argentine government encouraged settlement by immigrants from the rest of Europe. Welsh speakers are now a minority in the Wladfa to a greater extent than the Welsh speakers in Wales.
Nevertheless, they are still there, or as the song goes, "yma o hyd." Before I landed in Trelew, I noticed that the Argentines pronounce the "w" in Trelew as a long "o" and not as a consonant. Across the road from my hotel there was a red brick chapel which would not have looked out of place in Bethesda. Next door was an organisation called Canolfan Dewi Sant. Since my visit, Welsh-medium schools have been set up in Chubut, and there is a teachers' exchange programme between Wales and Argentina.
No comments:
Post a Comment
This blog is moderated, If you want to comment, please do so here.