Eisteddfod is seeking to modernise its offering

The competition’s organisers hope to be able to hold an exhibition in the David Ferguson Hall at Beau Sejour showcasing a variety of artwork and objects from people’s homelands as part of the event next February.

Eisteddfod director Linda Armstead said the organising team was aware the competition carried a reputation of being old-fashioned, and so wanted to make sure that it continued to evolve and move forward.

This, she said, could be done by reaching out to the island’s cultural groups and promoting them, so as to reflect the change in make-up of the local population.

‘It goes back to the founding of the Eisteddfod over here, which was done by a Welsh minister,’ she said.

‘Lots of people on the island are non-native, so we are really keen to put something together as we feel it would be quite unifying and engage the rest of the island.’

She said the organisers were aware of the significant Madeiran, South African, Latvian and Hindu communities in the island, and were keen for members of those communities to get in touch, but insisted the exhibition would be open to anyone with a heritage that was not local.

‘You could even just be from Jersey or somewhere like Scotland,’ she said.

‘If you have anything that represents your country or your culture, we’d love to hear from you. We’d be happy to meet face-to-face to discuss things in more detail.’

She hoped the initiative would open up the Eisteddfod to a more diverse range of people and ensure the competition’s popularity would continue into the future.

‘Our vision is to create a display that celebrates heritage and culture, which is what the Eisteddfod is all about.

‘We want people to be interested, even excited, by what we do, and we think one of the best ways of doing that is to dedicate a display to inclusivity and cultural connectivity.’

n Anyone interested in the idea can contact Mrs Armstead via email – larmstead1842@gmail.com