Podcast highlights from August : Wales, Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago

It's been quite a contrast of stories with the episodes of the last month, though with a bit of a Caribbean and Celtic flavour. I had many Welsh people contact me offering to be on the podcast, which put me in an unusual dilemma of being spoilt for choice a bit. I decided then to see if I could find someone who was a native Welsh-speaker, which narrowed down the field, and after a long conversation with Huw, on the phone, I decided he would be the perfect candidate. I didn't have quite the same dilemma with Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago, though amazingly I did find two Cubans, but only one was available. I find these more obscure places particularly interesting, as they often have quite an interesting story as to what they came to Tasmania - not the most obvious place for someone from a Caribbean island to come !

HUW (WALES)

I really liked the fact that Huw was obviously very passionate about Welsh culture and language and it was interesting to hear about how he tried to maintain and pass on Welsh within his own life, including to his grandchildren over Zoom. Although it wasn't a central part of the story, Huw's the first person I've interviewed who came to Tasmania as a result of a same-sex marriage - his partner got a job here and he followed. His journey to get here during Covid is another story in itself !

RODNEY ( TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO)

It's interesting what comes out in these interviews sometimes, and this was the case as I got deeper into Rodney's background in Trinidad. It took quite a dark and profound turn in his teens, and explains a lot about why he moved to New York at 16 to live with his mother, and then later chose to study a degree in Criminal Justice. I'm not revealing all, because I want people to listen to Rodney tell the story himself.

Rodney was also another person, of the many I've spoken to, who says that Tasmania reminds him of home, which may seem incongruous coming from a tropical island like Trinidad, but makes sense in other ways. He's also another one who initially met his Tasmanian partner online, although through a slightly unique means ( go listen !)

ALFREDO (CUBA)

I knew quite a bit about Cuba prior to interviewing Alfredo. At college I'd done a case study project on Cuba in Economics and watched documentaries, read books etc, but I'd never spoken to a Cuban migrant directly about their experiences. Alfredo left Cuba at 23 and spent 12 years in Ecuador, and so was able to give a perspective of being both inside and then outside Cuba. He hasn't been in Tasmania that long, so it was interesting to get such a fresh perspective from someone for whom Tasmania in somewhere entirely different to what they've experienced before. One aspect of his Cuban identity that he seems to have maintain is his sense of service to others and the community, and he is already trying to contribute to the Tasmanian community, through teaching kick-boxing skills to youngsters.

All three of these guys have also had their portraits taken by Andrew Wilson at the Hobart State Library. You can see their portraits and read their stories, along with the 70 or so others one the Second Floor of the library. It'll be open to the public until the end of 2025.

Alfredo reflects on life in Cuba