Voices of Conscience short films and discussion in Aberteifi/Cardigan

On Wednesday 26th November Cardigan Quaker meeting will be showing the films from the Voices of Conscience series followed by time to discuss the issues raised.
A warm welcome to all at Canolfan Byd Bychan/Small World Theatre, Aberteifi/Cardigan 7.30pm - there will be tea and coffee served! 
The project was initiated by South Wales [Quaker] Area Meeting - the DVDs have teachers notes and have been sent out to all schools and FE colleges in the South Wales area. teachers would be most welcome to this event to explore the ideas.

A link to Small World's information page for address and parking information

you can see the short films here in Cymraeg or English

"This new resource aims to explore a lesser-known aspect of World War I through the true stories of people who made a personal stand against war on grounds of conscience, and who looked for another way. The stories shed light on the World War I period, but are also relevant to contemporary society. They are particularly powerful because they allow ordinary people to tell their own stories, accompanied by photographs and illustrations.

This is a South Wales Area Meeting project of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). It is generously funded by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, with contributions from South Wales Area Meeting, North Wales Area Meeting, Mid Wales Area Meeting, Southern Marches Area Meeting, Meeting of Friends in Wales, The Spirit of Sulien Trust, Cynefin y Werin and many local Quaker Meetings and Quaker individuals from across Wales and beyond."


A link to UK Quakers projects looking at WWI, of particular note are The White Feather Diaries the first instalments have been posted there will be more next year

Wales remembers the first world war

(An account of the Commemoration Service held on 4 August 2014 in Cardiff)

 

It was almost dark when I walked down the slope to Llandaff Cathedral to attend the National Service of Commemoration to mark the Centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. I was there to represent Quakers in Wales and felt slightly apprehensive. Not because of the surroundings, I had walked down that slope many times in my pre-Quaker existence, but because these occasions can so easily turn into a celebration of victory or a glorification of war. I paused to observe the crowd entering and was pleased to see the religious and cultural diversity, from Jewish skullcaps to Muslim beards. Here and there a few policemen for security because the Queen was represented by her cousin the Duke of Gloucester and his wife.

 

Llandaff Cathedral, like St David’s Cathedral, sits in a hollow and is the seat of the Archbishop of the Church in Wales. It was severely damaged on 2 January 1941, when a mine was dropped near it during the Cardiff Blitz. Of British Cathedrals, only Coventry Cathedral was damaged more. Restoration was completed on 6 August 1960.

 

The Cathedral slowly filled with people representing our nation and by 21.30 all 350 seats were filled. Most people were dressed up with chains of office, decorations and other adornments. I felt rather plain in my simple black and grey outfit with a single white poppy for decoration. I found myself seated between a Councillor with three chains of office and a Member of the House of Lords, who was very sociable. He noted my white poppy and during the half hour break till the start of the service at 10pm we had a very amiable and varied discussion. He knew about Quakers as he had been to a Quaker service in America recently but he was unaware of Britain’s role in arming Israel, so I enlightened him and asked him to do whatever he could about this injustice.

FOR THE REST OF THE TEXT PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK

The White feather Diaries

A project from Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain:


The white feather diaries is a social media storytelling project marking the centenary of World War I. It offers an insight into overlooked aspects of war: resistance to killing and the relief of suffering.


The website follows the lives of five young people who lived a century ago and opposed World War I. Their stories, published periodically over three years, take us from the outbreak of war to the introduction of conscription and groundbreaking legislation recognising conscientious objection. Through daily posts we share their moral dilemmas and their often dangerous decisions.


For those wanting to delve further into these fascinating stories, each blog entry includes rich background material about the content of the post or the diarist and their contemporaries.


The white feather diaries sheds light on the hidden stories of those whose bravery saved lives and changed British legislation, leading to a wider recognition of the legitimacy of the right to refuse to kill. It poses the question, "What would you do?" and encourages discussion about issues still relevant today. This fascinating project, drawing from original diaries, letters and other materials, will run from 2014 to 2016. To stay informed about new posts, please follow The white feather diaries on Twitter or Facebook.




A link to the diaries

Poetry Evening Aberteifi/Cardigan

Cardigan Quaker meeting are having a poetry evening on Saturday 26th April starting at 7.30pm
The evening is entitled Commemorative War Poetry. The initial idea was to explore the poetry of the first world war but it has now broadened.
All are welcome and please do bring a poem in whatever language you wish - the topic is broad enough to include poems of peace.


Free refreshments.
All at Mwldan 4/ Mwldan Studio - across the stream from the main Theatr Mwldan building.