VSO Documentary - Gwanas i Gbara
13/01/2010 10:59:00
A new two-part documentary series, Gwanas i Gbara starting on S4C on Wednesday 13th January 2010, follows author and presenter Bethan Gwanas on an emotional journey to the African country of Nigeria.
Twenty-five years after she first visited the country as a VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) volunteer, Bethan returns to the village of Gbara in Niger State, where she taught for two years.
In the first programme, she meets former pupils and visits the school where she taught. She also receives a great honour from the Nupe people, the area's main tribe. This has a huge effect on her.
"Seeing the faces of former pupils was enough to turn on the tears, and wandering around the different buildings brought back so many memories. The emotions came over me like a wave. At one point, I was crying so much and feeling so vulnerable, I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue talking to the camera at all," says Bethan, who was brought up on a farm, Gwanas, near Dolgellau, and who now lives in the nearby village of Brithdir.
Gwanas i Gbara proves to be an emotional journey for Bethan, and despite concerns about the dangers of visiting Nigeria, she receives a warm welcome from everyone there. "I felt in my bones that my part of Nigeria wouldn't have changed a lot. It's an enormous country, and there have never been any problems in Niger State," she says.
"Bethan is always a very honest presenter, but these programmes show her in a new light," says series director, Mei Williams. "The whole situation really got under her skin. There's an element of self analysis here. We share with her a wide range of emotions, from laughter and happiness to tears, as well as seeing life in Nigeria today."
Things have certainly changed in Nigeria since Bethan first visited and and although revisiting a special place can sometimes be a disappointment, this wasn't the case for Bethan. "It was certainly one of the most rewarding experiences of my life," she remarks.
Gwanas i Gbara
Wednesday, 13 & 20 January, S4C, 9.00pm, S4C
English and Welsh subtitles
Website: s4c.co.uk/factual
Broadband: s4c.co.uk/clic
