This month two indigenous cultures from opposite sides of the globe are coming together to work on the revitalisation of their heritage languages, through collaborative songwriting.
Māori / Cymraeg SongHubs is hosted by APRA AMCOS NZ and supported by the British Council New Zealand and the Pacific, and the British High Commission, with the aim of developing new bilingual music to advance the understanding and usage of both te reo Māori and Cymraeg.
Held at Big Fan Studios over four days, the programme will involve three Welsh songwriters and one Welsh producer collaborating with six Māori songwriters and two Māori producers. The event is curated by Kawiti Waetford and Greg Haver.
Despite the physical distance between Wales and Aotearoa, te reo Māori and Cymraeg (Welsh language) have experienced many similar challenges.
There have been many champions in each culture who have worked hard to counteract this, and through the process, music has been found to play a key role in the revitalisation and growth of each language, alongside broadcasting and education.
In recent decades Welsh and Māori people have connected in their cause, and each taken knowledge and inspiration from their respective work. This collaborative SongHubs program is a further step in exploring that connection.
The Māori / Cymraeg Songhubs 2024 is co-curated Kawiti Waetford and Greg Haver.
Unidentified Object Productions created this beautiful video of the project: