Led by Welsh Women’s Aid in collaboration with the George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling at the University of South Wales, the project celebrated the significant change created by women in Welsh society since 1978, when the movement was founded to challenge and prevent domestic abuse in Wales.
The aim of the 40 Voices, 40 Years project was to celebrate the significant change created by women in Welsh society since Welsh Women’s Aid was established in 1978.
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- Researchers at the George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling, which is based in USW’s Creative Industries Faculty in Cardiff, put together memories and stories of women involved in the movement in Wales, who have been responsible for placing domestic abuse and all forms of violence against women on the public, political, and social agendas.
- The final project featured a collection of 40 oral histories in the form of digital stories, an exhibition of photos. and objects from the movement’s past. It formed a timeline of major events for the movement over its 40-year history.
- The project succeeded in bringing the stories of those featured to the forefront, as many women’s memories, voices, and lives, have tended to be written out of national heritage.
- The stories and memories from some of the women were available together, for the first time, in the exhibition. They have now formed an archive at the National Library of Wales, and are available online and through the People’s Collection Wales.
“We are delighted to have worked with Welsh Women’s Aid on this important project to capture the heritage of the movement to end gender–based violence.
“Partnership working is central to the USW’s ethos of undertaking research that makes a real difference to the lives of people in Wales and beyond.
“The stories that these women have so generously shared with us can help us to both learn about our nation’s history and imagine the kinds of stories we would like to see written about the future.”
Dr Emily Underwood-Lee, Research Fellow, USW
For more information on Welsh Women’s Aid, visit their website.
