My point was that FWA (Free Wales Army) graffiti from the late 60s should be treated as something of historical and cultural value - in that sense, this is material culture, therefore it could be classified as archaeology.
Back in my youth I can remember the debate regarding a survey of WWII pillboxes and whether this counted as archaeology or not. Today we would no ask such a question.
The Cofiwch Dryweryn wall near Llanrhystyd has been preserved. Arguably it is one of Wales's most iconic statements, one of our best known walls - and although it has been repainted several times - we do understand it's cultural significance - we do not want the wall knocked down o'r painted over.
It was on a visit to Bala recently, that I noticed the FWA graffiti on the bridge of the Bala Lake Railway. I took some pictures and then started to ask questions -
Does this date form the 60's ?
Is it authentic graffiti ?
Or does it date from more recent times ?
Should we document all the Welsh political slogans and graffiti from the 60's 70's 80's ?
Should I write to CADW ?
The piece on the Sex Pistols graffiti in the Independent strengthens our case - yes such graffiti should be documented and where possible preserved.
Maybe an interpretation board or a QR Code site could be set up at Bala Station for the benefit of tourists waiting for their train.
This is a fascinating episode of recent Welsh History and quite poignant considering the proximity to Tryweryn.
No comments:
Post a Comment