By Elen Morlais
Cardiff University and its Students’ Union have joined forces this month to launch ‘Gŵyl Gymreig: Embrace your Welshness’, a ten-day celebration showcasing Welsh culture, language and identity across campus.
The campaign aims to bring all students into the festivities, from fluent Welsh speakers to those simply curious about Welsh culture.
Cardiff Students’ Union emphasised its pride in its national identity, stating: “As an institution in the capital of Wales, we are very proud of our Welshness and it is therefore a pleasure to encourage and promote the special traditions and culture of Wales to all our students.”
The events have been deliberately curated to be varied and inclusive, offering “something for everyone,” from Welsh cake baking sessions and Welsh language taster classes to a traditional Twmpath, one of Wales’s oldest communal dance traditions.
One of the most anticipated events is the Welsh-themed takeover of the SU’s iconic YOLO club night, rebranded as IOLO, taking place on Wednesday, the 25th of February.
Cynwal ap Myrddin, the Students’ Union’s Welsh Vice President, said the night will feature Welsh music, including songs by artists such as the Stereophonics, and will encourage students to dress up as their favourite Welsh icons.
“The aim of the night is to be inclusive so everyone experiences a taste of Welsh culture,” he said.
The campaign also coincides with a key event in the Welsh-speaking student calendar: the Eisteddfod Rhyng-Golegol, which Cardiff is hosting this year for the first time in a decade.
Cynwal explained: “On the 28th of February, the Eisteddfod Rhyng-Golegol will be held. Twice a year, Welsh societies from universities across Wales and beyond come together and around 600 students are expected to come to Cardiff over the weekend, all Welsh speakers.”
The weekend will include a variety of musical and sporting competitions to determine which university will win the annual Eisteddfod shield.
For Cynwal, this year’s Gŵyl Gymreig is about more than a programme of events; it’s about shifting the culture of the university itself.
“I’m of the opinion that Cardiff University, being a university in the capital city, sometimes loses its Welsh identity. Sometimes we don’t celebrate or take enough pride in our Welshness,” he said.
He hopes the initiative becomes a lasting tradition: “My hope is that this becomes a kind of legacy I leave for the Union, and that there will be an unofficial agreement that the Welsh Vice President works with the Dean of Welsh to make this event an annual thing.”
The campaign also raises awareness about the visibility of Welsh on campus. While bilingual signage and resources are standard as a matter of policy, Cynwal believes campaigns like this can drive change: “Most students don’t actually notice that ‘Y Taf’, ‘Y Plas’ and ‘Yr Hybiau’ are all Welsh words used by the university.
“A shift is happening, but campaigns like this can help make that change more visible.”
Ultimately, the goal of this campaign is to ensure every student, Welsh-speaking or not, feels connected to the culture of the nation they’re studying in.
“If you asked a non-Welsh-speaking student in Cardiff to define Irish culture, I’m pretty sure they’d have a better awareness and understanding of that than Welsh culture. Changing that is the aim of the campaign. I want people to realise that Wales isn’t the same as England.
“We have our own traditions, language and culture.”
Cynwal added that the intention of this campaign is not only to celebrate Welshness but also to distinguish Cardiff from universities outside of Wales and to encourage students to take pride in their Welsh identities.