October has seen a series of activities as part of Black History Month, aimed at building bridges of friendship with communities in Jamaica that share historical ties with North Wales.
Earlier in the month, a delegation from the Pennants District of Clarendon travelled to Wales with Barrington Richardson, Regional Director of Education for Clarendon, accompanied by colleagues from the Jamaica Wales Alliance. The group was hosted at the Senedd by Vaughan Gething MS before travelling north, where a civic reception was held at Bangor’s Civic Hall. Their itinerary included visits to Bangor University Archives and Penrhyn Castle to explore the shared history between Wales and Jamaica. Meanwhile, younger visitors enjoyed a programme of activities including rock climbing and bowling.
Iva and Icent Johnson, residents of Pennants and regular contributors to the weekly Zoom meetings held over the past two years, were struck by “the actual hugeness of the structure” at Penrhyn Castle. They were particularly interested in learning about the quarrymen’s strike, drawing parallels with the successful tenants’ strike in Pennants in 1938, which led Lord Penrhyn to sell off his remaining plantations by 1940. This is one of several stories currently being explored by the Jamaica Wales Alliance team.
The Civic Reception was hosted by Cllr John Wynn Jones, joined by Freeman of Bangor Derek Hainge, and supported by Garrick Prayogg, Liz Millman, and Lesley Evans from the North Wales Jamaica Society. They were pictured alongside Barrington Richardson, Eurica Douglas of the Jamaica Wales Alliance, and Iva and Icent Johnson. Members of the South Wales Jamaica Society also travelled to Bangor and visited Penrhyn Castle.
The Jamaican group’s visit was originally planned for August, coinciding with the Denbigh Show, but travel delays meant they experienced a chillier Welsh welcome in October. They returned to Jamaica delighted to have taken part in the Welsh Government’s Taith project activities, coordinated by the Jamaica Wales Alliance project committee and managed by Bangor-based social enterprise Learning Links International CIC.
Barrington Richardson remained in North Wales to develop educational links between schools, supported by Jamaican dub poet and historian Yasus Afari. Together, they visited schools and community groups to explore opportunities to strengthen partnerships and continue building bridges of friendship.
Plans for the Welsh delegation to visit Jamaica had also been delayed, and they finally set off last week. Almost as soon as they arrived, news broke of a developing storm to the southeast of the island. As Hurricane Melissa intensified, the delegation leaders, together with their Jamaican hosts, made safety the top priority. They succeeded in bringing forward their TUI flight, securing seats on the last plane to leave Jamaica on Saturday—just before the leading edge of the storm hit.
Their adventure didn’t end there: the TUI flight made an emergency landing in St John’s, Newfoundland, due to a medical emergency on board. The Welsh team of young people and adults then spent 24 unexpected hours exploring the beautiful city during the autumn season.
Marcia McNeil and the young people in the group made the most of their short stay, turning it into an enriching learning experience. After hearing of the devastating impact of the Category 5 hurricane on Jamaica, the teams are now considering how best to support recovery efforts. Offers of help are already coming in.
More details on how to assist with recovery initiatives can be found at www.nwjsonline.com.
The planning group will meet at the One World Café, held at Penrhyn Hall on Saturday mornings between 10:00 am and 12 noon. The Bangor / May Pen Friendship Group will also meet on Tuesday 4th November at 6 pm, followed by the Bangor One World Rotary Group at 7 pm.
All are welcome to attend, share ideas, and contribute to ongoing efforts to build bridges of friendship between Wales and Jamaica.
