When I first moved into my room as a fresher, one of the first things I did was hang a Welsh flag up on the wall. Welsh posters followed, covering just about every inch of the wall. In the months that followed, speaking Welsh with someone was an interaction I came to wholeheartedly crave. Nowadays, my supervisors are quite frankly surprised if my essays don’t manage to make some far-fetched reference to Wales. 

Before moving to Cambridge, my Welsh identity was something I had taken entirely for granted. Like many other Welsh people who move out of Wales, I found myself going out of my way to express my Welsh identity, in a way that I had never done before. 

The starting point for this film was a Welsh idiom, “Gorau Cymro, Cymro oddi cartre’”, which translates to “the best Welshman is the one away from home”. I wanted to understand who else felt this phenomenon and why? Why did Welsh people feel more able to express their Welshness in Cambridge of all places? What did it say about Wales? 

Eventually, in February of 2022, I typed out a message to the Welsh Society Facebook Group, asking to speak to people about their Welsh identity. A year on and many hours of interviewing, filming and editing later, Y Cymry oddi Cartre’ (translated: The Welsh away from Home) has come to fruition.  

The film looks at the broader context of Welsh brain drain, as increasing numbers of Welsh students move across the border to receive higher education. I wanted to understand the reasons behind us moving to Wales, and where we see the role of Wales in our future. 

Everyone I interview tells me of how there’s something celebratory about the way we express our Welsh identity away from home. But the reason behind it carries a darker undertone. Right at the end, Nancy says one line which has stayed with me. She feels more Welsh in Cambridge because people will believe her: “you don’t have to prove your Welshness”. 

Perhaps, we feel liberated to seize our Welshness on our own terms outside of Wales. Y Cymry oddi Cartre’ have an inclusive way of defining Welshness, celebrating Welsh identity in its various shapes and sizes. It’s a shame that the same can’t be said of Wales itself. 

Written, directed & narrated by Gwenno Robinson

Assistant director — Jude Crawley

Cinematography — Alex Parnham-Cope

Contributors — Rhys King, Nancy Twigg, Cai La Trobe-Roberts, Imogen Grimes, Rhydian Rolant