ARDDANGOSFA NEWYDD SBON...BRAND NEW EXHIBITION FOR CEFN CAER

Post Dwyieithog...Bilingual Post:

Rwyf newydd orffen y gwaith o gynhyrchu arddangosfa newydd sbon ar gyfer Cefn Caer, sef cartref Coron Glyndŵr ac Ardd Goffa Arwyr Glyndŵr ac fe agorwyd yr arddangosfa mewn Agoriad Swyddogol ar ddydd Sadwrn yr 22ain o Fehefin sef, dydd coffâu Brwydr Bryn Glas wrth gwrs.

Prif ffocws yr arddangosfa newydd yw Owain Glyndŵr a’i gysylltiadau â Chefn Caer ond,  mae yna  is-adran ar hanes cynnar Cefn Caer fel safle Caer Rufeinig sylweddol yn ogystal.

Hoffwn wneud yn hollol glir na wnaed unrhyw gais am arian cyhoeddus i ariannu’r arddangosfa yma; noddwyd y byrddau arddangos yn ogystal â’r gwaith gosod ac argraffu gan, un o berchnogion Cefn Caer sef Elfyn Rowlands, tra bu i minnau gynhyrchu’r arddangosfa ar delerau gwirfoddol.

“Yn wahanol i’r dehongliadau arferol a geir parthed unrhyw ymdriniaeth ag Owain Glyndŵr, boed

i’r ymdriniaeth hynny fod ar ffurf llyfr, arddangosfa neu drafodaeth, cheir ddim hyd i dermau fel ‘gwrthryfel’ neu ‘gwrthryfelwr’ yn yr arddangosfa oherwydd, yn fy nhyb i, mae gwrthryfel yn rhoi’r argraff o ryfela byr dymor, a dim dyna oedd Rhyfel am Annibyniaeth Owain Glyndŵr  a’i gyd Gymry o gwbl. Roedd yn rhyfel lle'r oedd poblogaeth o ddua 500,000 yn ymladd am annibyniaeth am un mlwydd ar bymtheg mlynedd - a mwy, (gan fod yna frwydro’n parhau i gymryd lle wedi diflaniad Glyndŵr) yn erbyn poblogaeth o 3 miliwn, a oedd yn berchen ar adnoddau llawer mwy soffistigedig na’r Cymry. Serch hynny, llwyddwyd i ryddhau Cymru’n gyfan gwbl am ychydig o flynyddoedd, Sefydlwyd Senedd ym Machynlleth i weithredu dros Gymru annibynnol ac fe goronwyd Owain Glyndŵr yn Dywysog Cymru. Felly, nid ‘rebel’ mohono o gwbl ond ein ‘gwir’ Lyw Olaf.

Dehongliad gwladgarol ei naws ceir yn yr arddangosfa heb unrhyw ymddiheuriadau am hynny, lle, yn yr ysgrif Saesneg er enghraifft, cyfeirir at y Cymry fel ‘Y Cymry’ yn hytrach na’r ‘Welsh’, sef  yr enw Germainech a roddwyd arnom a lle, yn ogystal, ceir termau fel “Cymric” nation yn hytrach na’r “Welsh Nation” y.y.b.

Credaf yn gryf, fod y modd mae ein hanes wedi cael ei ddehongli dros y canrifoedd - ac yn cael ei ddehongli hyd heddiw, ynghyd â’r defnydd o dermau fel yr enghreifftiau a roddwyd uchod, wedi cyfrannu lawer tuag at ein cyflyru i dderbyn ein statws fel dinasyddion Prydeinig eilradd wrth gyfrannu ‘dim’ tuag at ddeffro ein hymwybyddiaeth genedlaethol fel Cymry sydd wedi etifeddu Cenedl Glyndŵr, ac os ydym o ddifrif parthed sicrhau  bod Cenedl Glyndŵr yn goroesi ac yn ennill tir tuag at ddod yn genedl annibynnol unwaith eto, yna, credaf iddi fod yn hen bryd i ni ddechrau ac ymddwyn mewn modd annibynnol ac aeddfed drwy ddehongli ein hanes mewn modd sy’n mynd i addysgu ac adfer hunan hyder gwladgarol y Cymry yn hytrach na dehongli er budd y drefn Seisnig sydd ohoni a’u hasiantaethau yng Nghymru” byth a beunydd.

Mae’r arddangosfa, ynghyd a Thŷ Neuadd Canoloesol Cefn Caer ac Ardd Goffa Arwyr Glyndŵr ar agor i’r cyhoedd (unigolion, grwpiau ac ysgolion) o ddydd Llun i ddydd Sadwrn ar hyd y flwyddyn ond dylid ffonio Elfyn Rowlands ar 01654 791230 i drefnu eich ymweliad.

I have just completed work on a brand new exhibition for Cefn Caer, the medieval hall house which is located at Pennal, and which is the home of the Glyndŵr Crown and the Glyndŵr Heroes Memorial Garden. The new exhibition was officially opened at Cefn Caer on the 22^nd June – Battle of Bryn Glas Day.

The main focus of the exhibition is, of course Owain Glyndŵr and his associations with Cefn Caer but there is also a sub section on the early history of Cefn Caer as an important and substantial Roman fort – hence the name.

I would like to make it perfectly clear that no public funding was sought for the production of this exhibition. The boards, layout and printing was sponsored by Elfyn Rowlands, one of the owners of Cefn Caer, whilst the research, translation and overall production of the exhibition was carried out by myself free of charge on a voluntary basis.

Differing from the usual interpretations that are presented in relation to Owain Glyndŵr, be these interpretations be in the form of books, exhibitions or discussions, terms such as “rebellion” or “rebel” will not be found anywhere within this new exhibition as, in my opinion, “rebellion” gives the impression of ‘short term fighting’ – and that was certainly not the case in regards to Owain Glyndwr’s great War of Idependence which lasted for 16 yrs – and longer (as, even when Owain disappeared, guerrilla fighting continued with Owain’s son Maredudd not submitting until 1421) Therefore, this was a war of Independence which lasted longer than both the 20 century world war, and a war where a nation of about 500,000 in population fought valiantly against an oppressing occupying force with a population of 3 million and one which had a great deal more in man power and in sophisticated military resources than the Cymry. Nevertheless, Cymru became a free and Independent nation under Glyndŵr for a number of years. A ‘true’ Cymric Parliament was established in Machynlleth in June 1404 to rule over this free and Independent Cymru and its Cymric people and Owain Glyndwr was officially crowned as the ‘true’ Tywysog Cymru in that Parliament so, he was, without any doubt, no “rebel”, he was our true “Llyw Olaf” (last warrior leader and Prince) never to accept any pardon and never to be betrayed as had been the fate of so many of his predecessors.

The interpretation that is given in this exhibition is a patriotic one without any apologies where, in the English version of the text, for example, the “Cymry” will be referred to as the “Cymry” and not as “Welsh”, the Germanic term that we have been labelled with; and such terms as “Cymric Nation” will be found throughout, rather than the usual “Welsh Nation” and so on.

I believe strongly that the way which our history has been interpreted over the centuries and right up to the present, along with the use of terminology, as in the examples given above, has contributed greatly towards conditioning us to accept our status as 2^nd class British citizens whilst contributing ‘nothing’ towards the awakening of our national consciousness as Cymry that are the rightful inheritors of Cenedl Glyndŵr. And, I believe strongly, that if we are “really” serious in regards to ensuring that our inherited Cenedl Glyndŵr, not only survives, but also wins ground towards becoming an independent Cymric nation once more, its imperative that we begin to behave as the inheritors of Cenedl Glyndŵr and be confident in our determination to interpret our history in a way that will educate and restore the patriotic confidence of the Cymry, rather than continue to interpret ‘parrot fashion as we have been conditioned to do by generations of the ‘lackies’ and colonial agencies of  the English State.

The exhibition, along with the medieval hall house and the Glyndwr Heroes Memorial Garden at Cefn Caer are open to the public (individuals, groups or schools/colleges etc) Monday to Saturday all year round but viewing will be by appointment so, should you wish to arrange a visit, then please telephone Elfyn Rowlands on: 01654 791230.