Dafydd Iwan to take part in Gaza relief concert

A ten-week campaign in Wales to raise funds for Gaza will culminate with a concert in Mold, Flintshire, where Dafydd Iwan will be joined on stage by the veteran singer and campaigner for justice for Palestine Garth Hewitt.

Proceeds from the event, which is set to take place on 14 April 2024, will go to the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza where a medical team is currently risking their lives to serve the wounded in the ruins.

Funds will also be distributed to the Gaza Sunbirds – a team of amputees and para-cyclists who deliver food parcels, often where lorries cannot go.

Campaign

The concert has been arranged by Coda Ni and Bethesda Presbyterian Chapel in Mold alongside a wider campaign for Gaza urging people to take action to boost the fund past an initial target of £5000 by contributing to a justgiving page, and by organising fund-raising activities in their own areas from today (14 February) until the end of April.

All the funds raised will be channelled through the Amos Trust, established by Garth Hewitt and a long-standing partner of Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City which is maintained by the Episcopal Church.

Looking forward to the concert, Dafydd Iwan said: “It’s easy to feel helpless watching the destruction and suffering in Gaza, and so I am grateful to those who have been organising the concert in Yr Wyddgrug (Mold) to raise money to help with the humanitarian aid there.

“Cutting funding to UNRWA shames us all, and this is a way to make some recompense for that. It would be great to see hundreds at the Peace Concert in Yr Wyddgrug on April 14^th! ”

Importance

Garth Hewitt, who founded the Amos Trust nearly 40 years ago, said: “I’m very much looking forward to the concert on 14^th April- the importance of raising funds particularly for Gaza could not be greater.

“The terrible brutality that has happened in our time has left not only huge numbers killed but tens of thousands injured and a desperate need for medicines and food. Amos Trust are putting together funds to enable Al Ahli Hospital, our long time partner, to rebuild and repair equipment and buildings.”

One of the organisers, Ffred Ffransis, said: “Dafydd Iwan and Garth Hewitt have both sung in the past in front of thousands, and have dedicated their lives and talents not only to sing for justice for the world’s poor and downtrodden but also to take action on their behalf.

“These are two men on the same wavelength meeting for the first time in Yr Wyddgrug to share the message of peace and reconciliation, and to reach out in a practical way to the people of Gaza in their darkest hour, as they have consistently stood with the oppressed worldwide.

“Both men composed special songs for the radical Archbishop Oscar Romero who was assassinated in San Salvador.

“Recently, Dafydd came to international prominence again with his anthemic song for Wales “Yma o Hyd”, while Garth Hewitt has echoed the same sentiment with his anthem for Palestine “I will survive”.

“We are grateful to Bethesda chapel  in Yr Wyddgrug for hosting this concert. But the aim of the appeal is not only to sell tickets for the concert but to encourage people throughout Wales and beyond to contribute to this fund – or similar appeals – as individuals, or by organising events in their own areas.”

The event takes place on 14 April 2024 at Capel Bethesda Yr Wyddgrug, Mold. Tickets are available here.

The Gaza appeal fundraising page can be found here.