THE official music video for the Welsh national football team’s World Cup campaign has been hailed for embracing Welsh identity and giving a “nod” to the independence campaign.
The politically-charged video features former Plaid Cymru president Dafydd Iwan singing his hit Yma O Hyd to clips of events such as the miners’ strikes, Welsh language rights marches, protests against the investiture of Charles as the Prince of Wales in 1969, and iconic images of Ron Davies – former Welsh Secretary – speaking on the morning after Wales voted for devolution in 1997.
Yma O Hyd translates as “still here” and speaks of Wales overcoming struggles – including those dealt to Welsh people by “Maggie and her crew” – and keeping the Welsh language alive despite various attempts over the years to banish it.
Heledd Fychan, Plaid Cymru’s sport spokesperson in the Senedd, said the emotional video showed an “awakening of identity” and a political shift in the minds of Welsh people following Brexit and attempts by the UK Tory government to undermine devolution.
And she feels it even gives a “nod” to the rise in support for Welsh independence.
She said: “The fact you have people mobbing Dafydd Iwan – who is 79 – in the video and treating him like a hero, that you have Gareth Bale and all of the team singing Yma O Hyd after Wales qualified, that’s something that would’ve been unimaginable in the past, so the fact it’s all been tied together in terms of this sense of Welsh identity is very striking.
“It shows an awakening of identity.
Ry'n ni yma o hyd, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth. Er dued yw'r fagddu o'n cwmpas, ry'n ni'n barod am doriad y wawr!#ArBenYByd | #TogetherStronger | #YWalGoch pic.twitter.com/5ykc1expNv
— Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) November 7, 2022
“Dafydd has been to prison over the [Welsh] language, and he’s been very clear about Welsh independence throughout his life, so the fact that he’s the face of this campaign and it's this song being used reflects a change in Wales.
“There is also clip in it of the morning after the referendum in 1997 and Ron Davies saying 'good morning, and it is a very good morning in Wales' following devolution.
“The fact they’ve used that clip from the last devolution vote is a nod to where some people want to see Wales going and to that [independence] movement and awareness."
The song was originally recorded in 1983 and has been remastered from its original tapes, with elements re-recorded and mixed with the voices of Welsh fans singing it after Wales qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1958.
Iwan has said in the past the inspiration for Yma O Hyd was the result of the devolution vote in 1979 – when the idea was rejected by the majority of Welsh people – and the fear many felt about Wales’ future.
Fychan added: “I watched the video with my son and my first reaction was I cried.
“I was so moved by the imagery, the fact it told so much of our history as a nation and brought the meaning of the song to life.
“While it celebrates Wales being in the World Cup, it represents what Wales stands for in terms of human rights and fights for justice within our home nation.”
Fychan said it was particularly poignant to see a song released almost 40 years ago – when the Tories gained a giant majority at Westminster under Margaret Thatcher – being relevant again today.
Many of the historic clips used also bear significance to current political debates. Issues such as the Prince of Wales title and whether that should continue have reared their head again alongside frustrations with a Tory government at Westminster which many Welsh people feel do not represent them.
Fychan said she was delighted to see the video paying tribute to darker aspects of Welsh history.
She added: “It’s a very different period now [compared to the 1970s and 1980s], but here we are again with a Tory government. Interestingly in the video there are protests about the investiture of Prince Charles in 1969 which is now again in the spotlight.
“It’s quite a divisive issue in Wales, whether there should be a continuation of the title, or whether there should be an investiture of Prince William as Prince of Wales. So the fact even that’s in the footage is quite striking.
“I think what’s special about the video is it’s not the stereotypical image of Wales you normally get with male voice choirs and things like that.
“It’s telling a lot about our history and struggles since we were last in the World Cup.”
