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Aberdare Tang Soo Do Students Help Defend the Welsh Language in Patagonia Argentina

Students of Aberdare Tang Soo Do School Penywaun

The students of Penywuan Tang Soo Do Aberdare are used to practising their self-defence and other skills that will help them face life’s challenges.

While visiting Patagonia in Argentina at the end of 2007, their instructor Mrs Siân Moran discovered that the town of Aberdare and its surrounding communities played an important part in the history of the country. Amongst the 150 people who sailed on board the Mimosa in 1865 to a better life in Patagonia Argentina, were about 50 people from the Aberdare area. Amongst them was Abraham Mathews, a young minister who went on to become a leading member of the Patagonian Welsh colony. In the early years, the community faced difficult challenges in order to survive in a harsh windy and arid landscape that was also prone to flooding. Many gave up and left for Canada, but Abraham Mathews set about encouraging more Welsh speaking people to emigrate there from Wales and America, in order to expand the Welsh speaking community.

Map of Chubut showing Welsh colony in Chubut, Patagonia, Argentina

Although many thought that the Welsh language would die out there before the start of this century, it is still spoken, but by a minority and as a second language to Spanish. There are numerous initiatives working to try and ensure the future of Welsh there and one of the ways is by providing Welsh language education for young children. Coleg Camwy in Gaiman still teaches Welsh on its secondary level curriculum and, and, as its Welsh school motto: “Goreu Arf, arf dysg” says, the best weapon is education. The students at Aberdare Tang Soo Do Penywuan are therefore aiming to raise money throughout 2008, in order to help safeguard the future of the language in Patagonia through educational initiatives.

Sandra Day and the Ricardo Jones Berwyn library management committee

As a first step, the students have already sent 30 Welsh language books worth over £200 to Sandra Day at The Ricardo Berwyn Library in Gaiman, to start a collection of Welsh books. With luck, the books should all arrive before Easter, thanks to Meirion Davies of Menter Conwy, the Conway Welsh Language initiative that aims to promote Welsh use in North West Wales. He is currently visiting Patagonia in order to finalise the establishment of a similar initiative in Patagonia, called Menter Y Wladfa. Meirion and several workers and volunteers will each be taking some of the books for us to save costs.

Throughout 2008 the students will also be sponsoring Ysgol Yr Hendre Trelew, one of the Welsh schools in Patagonia. This school receives no financial support from the Chubut local government to maintain the school, pay wages of the teachers or to purchase resources. These costs therefore have to be met by contributions from the children’s parents and without help the school’s future may be in the balance.

The teachers and youngest pupils of Ysgol yr Hendre School Trelew Chubut Patagonia

On Sunday February 17th Mrs Moran’s students faced a very different challenge than usual as they were sponsored to not only attend the class which was being conducted through the medium of Welsh, but also to talk about themselves in Welsh for 2 minutes. This was a big challenge for them, since the students all attend English schools in Aberdare. Everyone enjoyed themselves and the students actually surprised themselves as they saw that they did actually understand Mrs Moran’s Welsh instructions. It was also obvious that they’d made a big effort to prepare their talks, with Richard Morgan even communicating as if he were a fluent speaker.

As a result, £200 was raised for Ysgol Yr Hendre School. Although this seems a small amount to us, wages and the general cost of living are much lower there so the £200 will help pay the wages of the teachers for the month of March and be transferred in time for the school to celebrate its 2nd birthday on March 6th.

Teachers and older pupils of Ysgol Yr Hendre School Trelew celebrating

If you want any information about Ysgol Yr Hendre or on how you can help, or donate money to the school, please contact Mrs Moran by e-mail on sian.moran@tangsoodo.co.uk or phone 01639 710595, or call round to the class at The Penywuan Community centre, Gwladys St; Penywaun, Aberdare any Sunday 6-7.30 or Wednesday 7-8.30.