In July 2015, Plaid Cymru Ifanc Youth received an invitation by Compromís Youth to attend their annual summer school between the 31st of July and the 2nd of August 2015. Owain Hughes, Chair of Aberystwyth Branch of Plaid Youth, was chosen to be Plaid Cymru Youth’s representative and below is a diary of his experiences in his adventure to the Valencian Country!
To be completely honest I was wholly unprepared for my latest adventure. The only Spanish I knew was from a handful of lessons learning it in Year 12 as part of the Welsh Baccalaureate and I understood no Catalan whatsoever. I had almost no understanding of Valencian culture, history and politics. Needless to say, this would be a steep learning curve. However, it turned out to be an immensely enjoyable experience.
As I left the plane with my co-passengers I was hit by a wave of heat, which was strange to me after spending much of the summer in rainy Aberystwyth! Whilst all of the other passengers on the plane were bound for an alcohol-fuelled weekend in some of the most infamous holiday destinations on the Costa Blanca, I was here on a different mission! It was obvious to many that I wasn’t here to get smashed in Benidorm – my appearance was closer to that of someone beginning an Interrail journey! This was useful as the Compromís representative who was to pick me up at the airport could easily distinguish me from the numerous stag and hen parties stumbling out of arrivals.
We got into his mate’s car and sped off down the highway towards the high-rise metropolis that is Alacant (or Alicante in Spanish). Upon arriving I dropped off my bags and my host, Juanma, took me on a sightseeing tour of the city, sampling delicious Valencian street food on our way.
The following day we drove to the Summer School, held in a little town called Ondara about 20 miles to the north of Benidorm, and it couldn’t have been more different. It’s like comparing Rhyl with Ysbyty Ifan. Ondara is a Catalan speaking community orientated primarily around agriculture (whereas the tourist areas speak predominantly Spanish). After a morning of talks by members of the youth party and MP’s we made our way to a farm/hostel on the outskirts of the town. Here we played many team games, like egg-and-spoon races and so on, to help introduce us to new people. Everyone was very interested to know more about Plaid Cymru Youth, the political situation in Wales and, of course, Welsh hopes in the UEFA European Football Championship!
The following day we had several hours of talks in the morning covering similar topics as we would cover in a Plaid Cymru Youth summer school, such as how to run a successful local election campaign. Although others included issues which faced the Valencian Country – especially how to tackle discrimination against the Roma people.
Pilota Valenciana, a traditional sport in the Valencian Country
Following this we spent a few hours relaxing by the pool. After our obligatory siesta we were taught how to play Pilota Valenciana, or Valencian Handball, a traditional sport in the country (it’s like tennis without the racquets), which was great!
In the evening we caught the bus to Ondara where Compromís had organised a gig for us, featuring a local band. It was in an open hall in the middle of town, so local young people could also attend, for free. The hall was adorned with Valencian flags and the stage was covered with Compromís’ logo, which helped change the local perception of Compromís from a mainstream party to being a relevant one to young people.
The Concert in Ondara
On Sunday (after everyone had recovered from the previous night) we all said goodbye and headed back to our different hometowns – however, my adventure had not yet ended. After resting the night in my hosts’ home he took me for a tour of the city hall of Alacant. This was rather exciting as it was the first time that he and others from Compromís Youth had been inside the buildings. The previous conservative government had lost the elections in May, after being in power since the mid 90s, but now Compromís forms part of a local coalition between with the Spanish Socialist Party and a left-wing movement called Podemos. The best part of this excursion was a guided tour of City Hall by the local cabinet member for economic affairs, a member of Compromís.
It was also interesting to know that there were deeper links between the Alacant area and Wales than the usual beach holidays that thousands of Welsh people embark on every year. At the end of the Spanish Civil War, the Stanbrook, a coal ship, held a highly risky operation, docking in the port of the besieged city of Alacant to take hundreds of Republican refugees to stafety, many of whom would have been executed or imprisoned were it not for this humanitarian act. Archibald Dickson, the Captain of the ship, was born in Cardiff in 1869 and has been commemorated by Alacant’s Civic Commission for the Recuperation of Historic Memory.
At Alacant City Hall with Compromís activists. Juanma is on the left and I’m the one standing next to him!
Following this I boarded a bus bound for the airport and said goodbye to Juanma, my fantastic host. To any Plaid Cymru Youth members who get the chance to represent the party outside Wales, I would highly suggest you take it!
Moltes Gràcies per convidar-nos, Compromís! Visca el País Valencià!
