29.04.2021

Elin Lenny Cyswllt Contact Ffôn Phone 0330 588 0506

Erthygl i’r Wasg Press Release Sean Fletcher yn agor y clo ar hanes cudd terfysg hil Caerdydd

Er i derfysg hil 1919 hawlio penawdau papurau newydd ar draws Prydain ar y pryd, mae nifer syfrdanol o Gymry yn anghyfarwydd â’r digwyddiad.

Yn Terfysg yn y Bae, sydd ar nos Iau 13 Mai am 9.00, bydd y cyflwynydd Sean Fletcher yn mynd ar daith i ddarganfod beth ddigwyddodd a sut mae credoau cymdeithas heddiw yn cymharu.

Meddai Sean, “Pan oeddwn yn byw yng Nghaerdydd, ro ni’n meddwl mod i’n deall lot am hanes y lle, bod o’n ddinas cosmopolitan gydag un o’r cymunedau du hynaf ym Mhrydain. Ond doedd neb yn sôn am un o ddigwyddiadau pwysicaf yn hanes y ddinas. Roedd hon yn stori oedd wedi ei chladdu.

“Jyst dros gan mlynedd yn ôl roedd trais ofnadwy, adeiladau yn cael eu malu a gynnau yn cael eu saethu. Bobl gwyn yn ymosod ar bobl o liw mewn terfysg barodd dyddiau, terfysg hil.

“Gweithwyr o Affrica, Asia a’r Caribî a theuluoedd cymysg oedd yn cael eu targedu. Doedd yr awdurdodau ddim eisiau’r bobl yma yn eu dinas. Ond fe safodd rhai yn gadarn a dweud mai Cymru oedd eu cartref, wedi’r cyfan roedd rhai wedi byw yno ers cenedlaethau a magu teuluoedd yno.”

I ganfod mwy, mae Sean yn siarad â thrigolion ardal Tre Biwt a sawl arbenigwr mewn hanes a throsedd.

Magwyd Leslie Clarke yn yr hen Tiger Bay. Roedd gan ei mam atgofion poenus o’r terfysg. Dywedodd Leslie, “Fel teulu hil gymysg cafodd fy Mam-gu a Thad-cu eu targedu. Cafodd Mam- gu ei churo o flaen fy mam a oedd yn blentyn ar y pryd, a rhedodd y mob lawr y stryd ar ôl fy nhad-cu. Os fydden nhw wedi ei ddal byddai wedi cael ei lynsio.”

Wrth i Sean holi Leslie os oes digon o bobl wedi clywed am y terfysg, ei hymateb yw:

“Na. Ac fe fydd yn diflannu. Oherwydd pobl fel fi. Rwy'n 87 oed, a phan fydda i'n mynd, bydd yr hanes yn cael ei anghofio.”

I ddarganfod yr ymwybyddiaeth ymysg trigolion ifanc y ddinas, mae Sean yn cwrdd â cyn ffrindiau ysgol ei ferch, Lili. Cafodd Emily Pemberton, 21 oed, ei magu yn Grangetown strydoedd i ffwrdd o leoliad terfysg 1919 ond nid oedd wedi clywed yr hanes. Yn ôl Emily, fyddai dysgu amdano yn yr ysgol, ynghyd â hanes bobl ddu yn gyffredinol yn fantais enfawr.

Mae agwedd y bobl ifanc yn ysbrydoli Sean wrth iddynt drafod eu profiadau o dyfu fyny yn y ddinas heddiw. Maent yn trafod hiliaeth, addysg, gentrification a bias yn y wasg. Mae nhw, a Sean yn grediniol fod angen dysgu straeon positif pobl o liw, nid ffocysu ar hiliaeth yn unig.

Meddai Sean, “Y slogan heddiw yw bod bywydau du o bwys. Ond tydi ni ddim yn gwybod llawer am y bywydau yma yng Nghymru.

“Mae’n synnu fi cyn lleied sy’n gwybod am be ddigwyddodd yn yr ardal. Os oeddwn i wedi byw yng Nghaerdydd 100 mlynedd yn ôl byddai fy nheulu hîl cymysg yn ofni am ein bywydau.”

“Shwt allai rhywbeth fel hyn ddigwydd yn Caerdydd?”.

Mae’r Athro Martin Johnes yn cytuno bod angen wynebu yr hanes anghyffyrddus;

“Ni’n licio dysgu am Owain Glyndŵr, clywed pa mor gas mae’r Saeson wedi bod i ni, ond mae’n rhaid i’r Cymry feddwl a chofio beth mae pobl yng Nghymru wedi gwneud i bobl eraill yng Nghymru. Mae hiliaeth yn rhan o’n hanes.”

Terfysg yn y Bae Nos Iau Mai 13, 9.00. Isdeitlau Saesneg Ar S4C Clic, BBC iPlayer a llwyfannau eraill Cynhyrchiad Tinopolis ar gyfer S4C

29.04.2021

Elin Lenny Cyswllt Contact Ffôn Phone 0330 588 0506

Erthygl i’r Wasg Press Release

Sean Fletcher investigates the hidden history of the race riot

Although the 1919 race riots claimed columns of newspaper coverage across Britain at the time, a surprising number of Welsh people are unfamiliar with the event.

In Terfysg yn y Bae (Riots in the Bay), which is on S4C on Thursday 13 May at 9.00, presenter Sean Fletcher digs deep to find out what happened and how the beliefs of today's society compare.

Sean said, “When I lived in Cardiff, I thought I understood a lot about its history; a cosmopolitan city with one of the oldest black communities in Britain. But nobody talked about one of the most important events in the city's history. This story was dead and buried.

“Just over a hundred years ago, there was terrible violence; buildings destroyed and guns fired. White people attacking people of colour in a riot that lasted days, a race riot.

“Workers from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean were targeted, as were mixed race families. The authorities didn't want these people in their city. But some stood firm, rightly claiming as their home, after all many had lived there for generations and raised families there.”

To find out more, Sean talks to residents of the area of Cardiff, where the riots happened, as well as to several history and crime experts.

Leslie Clarke grew up in the old Tiger Bay. Her mother had painful memories of the riot. Leslie said, “As a mixed race family, my Grandparents were targeted. My Gran was beaten in front of my mother who was a child at the time, and the mob ran down the street after my Grandfather. If they had caught him, he would have been lynched.”

When Sean asks Leslie if enough people have heard of the riot, her response is:

“No. And it will disappear. Because of people like me. I'm 87, and when I go, the story will be forgotten. ”

To discover awareness levels among the city's young residents, Sean meets his daughter Lili's former school friends. Emily Pemberton, 21, grew up in Grangetown streets away from the scene of the 1919 riot but hadn’t heard about them. According to Emily, learning about it in school, along with the history of black people in general, would be a huge advantage.

Sean is inspired by the attitudes of the young people of Cardiff, as they discuss their experiences of growing up in the city today. They discuss racism, education, gentrification and bias in the press. They, and Sean believe that the positive stories of people of colour need to be taught, without focusing on racism alone.

Sean said, “The slogan today is that black lives matter. But we don't know much about the lives of people of colour here in Wales.

“It amazes me how little is known about what happened in the area. If I had lived in Cardiff 100 years ago, my mixed race family and I would fear for our lives.”

“How could something like this happen in Cardiff?”.

Professor Martin Johnes agrees that the uncomfortable history needs to be confronted;

“We like learning about Owain Glyndŵr, hearing about how badly we have been treated by the English, but Welsh people have to think and remember what we have done to people within Wales. Racism is part of our history.”

Terfysg yn y Bae Thursday 13 May, 9.00 English subtitles available On S4C Clic, BBC iPlayer and other platforms A Tinopolis production for S4C