Swansea women to share powerful stories of climate and migration
Led by Literature Across Frontiers (LAF), an initiative based at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, the project is a collaboration with the Makassar Festival in Indonesia and sees the women link up with Indigenous women on the other side of the world.
Entitled ‘Voicing the Climate Emergency: Women’s Stories from Wales’, the project is funded through the British Council’s Connection Through Culture programme. It involves creative workshops where the women use poetry, storytelling and images to explore how climate change is affecting friends and family in their home countries – and how those stories connect with their current lives in Wales.
Speaking about how the project came about, Alexandra Büchler, Director of Literature Across Frontiers, said: “We were approached by the Makassar festival, who came up with an idea that aligned closely with work we’ve been doing – exploring artistic responses to climate change. Their focus was on Indigenous women, who in Indonesia are deeply affected by environmental destruction – particularly from logging – which often displaces them. Women, of course, are usually the ones working the land, providing for families and are also disproportionately affected by climate change.”
And while the women in Swansea and the women in Indonesia live very different lives, they share resilience and resourcefulness.
Alexandra said: “The women carry so much knowledge – not just about starting a new life in Wales, but about what they’ve left behind. Many of them left home because of conflict or instability. But for some, climate change has played a role too. This is a chance for them to tell that story and reflect on their experiences, drawing on memory, language, and imagination to reclaim their voices through art. The Indigenous women in Indonesia, on the other hand, will express their advocacy and resistance through collecting cultural knowledge related to practices of working the land, preparing food and healing.
“The partners talked about connecting the groups directly, but the language and logistical barriers are huge. Instead, the outcomes of the project will be presented on the festival stage, and this will bring the women together virtually and facilitate mutual learning.”
The project is being led in Swansea by Welsh poet and artist Rufus Mufasa and Jeni Williams, a retired creative writing lecturer at Swansea University, who also runs the Refugee and Asylum Seeker Women’s Support Group in the city.
Alexandra said: “There have been two in-person meetings so far, with more to come online. Jeni has brought together an incredible group of women – some with creative experience, others just beginning to explore their voices. I hope this project helps them feel more confident expressing themselves, whether in English or their native languages, and gives them a meaningful way to connect their past with their present, their home countries with their lives here in Wales.”
This project will cumulate when the women’s work is shared in Swansea on 27 May and then internationally at the Makassar International Writers Festival in Indonesia on 1 June. Their creative responses will be brought together in a short multimedia piece.
This is one of several projects in Wales supported by the British Council’s Connections Through Culture grants, which fosters artistic collaboration between the UK and selected countries in Asia and Europe. Other projects include Cardiff Metropolitan University, who are exploring how digital technology can modernize handloom practices; an inter-generational collaboration between Welsh artists Jo Fong and George Orange and Indonesian artists, and Trac Cymru partnering with Matariki Cultural Foundation in New Zealand to explore narratives among Indigenous communities worldwide.
A new funding call for 2025 has just opened, offering grants of up to £10,000 to support international partnerships with 19 countries. The British Council Wales team will host an online information session on Wednesday, 14 May — an opportunity for Welsh-based creatives to learn more about the new funding call and connect directly with the British Council Wales Arts team.
Speaking about the Connections Through Culture grants, Elena Schmitz, Head of Arts, British Council Wales said: “This collaboration brings together powerful, personal stories using creativity to explore one of the most urgent global challenges of our time: climate change. What makes this project so special is that it centres the voices of women who are often underrepresented, offering them space to reflect, connect and be heard.
“We’re proud to support such initiatives through our Connections Through Culture programme, which fosters artistic partnerships between Wales and selected countries. For those inspired by this project, a new funding call for 2025 is now open and we encourage Welsh-based creatives to apply and continue building meaningful cultural connections.”
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