Welsh journalist asks ‘why does nobody think Black people can speak Welsh’
Amelia Jones
A Welsh journalist has posted a video online challenging assumptions that Black people do not speak Welsh.
Seren Jones, who grew up in Wales, attending Welsh medium schools, and is best known for her award-wining podcast Black and Blue: Behind the Badge, posted the video on social media.
In the post, she describes repeated experiences of people expressing surprise when she tells them she speaks Welsh.
Jones, who is now based in London, said the reactions reflected a lack of awareness about Wales and its language, she says people do not release Welsh is an official language with more than 500,000 speakers in Wales and a further 200,000 in the diaspora.
Jones also addressed comments about her accent, saying she is frequently told she does not “sound Welsh.”
She said this expectation is often based on a Valleys accent despite the fact that Welsh accents vary across the country.
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In the video, Jones highlighted Cardiff’s long-established Black community and said assumptions about Welsh identity often overlook the city’s history.
She said: “I don’t have a Valleys accent, I have a Cardiff accent.
“Cardiff has one of the oldest and largest Black British populations in the country.”
Jones added that she was educated entirely through the medium of Welsh.
She said: “I did all my schooling in Welsh, every single lesson I had was in Welsh, every single language I learnt was in Welsh.
“Every time I was told to pray and give thanks, we prayed in Welsh.
“Even today when I go to weddings and funerals, I only know the hymns in Welsh. I’m just there miming the lyrics in Welsh”
She also described her experiences with Wenglish, a mixture of Welsh and English, as a normal part of everyday communication for many bilingual speakers.
She ended the video by saying: “Anyway, my point is – not every Welsh person you meet will meet the stereotype and mould of what you think a Welsh person is.”
The video prompted many positive responses from her followers.
One said: “Yes girl! I heard this and heard you.”
Another added: “You go Seren. Da iawn xx”
You can follow her on social media here.
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