Ex-First Minister shares insights on Paul Robeson and South Wales

REPORT: Friends of Rhiwbina Library author talk - Mark Drakeford on Paul Robeson

This week (Tuesday 13 October), former First Minister, Mark Drakeford, joined the Friends of Rhiwbina Library to deliver a melodious talk about Paul Robeson - his life, his singing, his activism, and his relationship with South Wales.

This talk was part of a series of monthly talks the Friends of Rhiwbina host in order to raise money for the library.

Mark brought the audience through the early life of Robeson, detailing his extraordinary education and intelligence, his musical training in his father's Baptist church, as well as the racism he endured.

His early career as a lawyer was constrained by the racism of the time – he persevered through the bigotry for several years but eventually realised he would be constantly constrained. One day, after a stenographer refused to take his dictation due to his race, he turned to singing.

Particularly enjoyably, throughout the talk Mark played several recordings of Robeson singing some from as early as 1920! Even then, despite limitations in recording technology Robeson’s extraordinary voice was apparent to all listening.

Robeson moved to London to perform on stage, most famously performing in the musical Show Boat singing Ol’ Man River. He continued to sing the song throughout his life, eventually changing several of the lyrics. Significantly, he changed the final lines from:

I get weary, and sick of trying,

I’m tired of living, and scared of dying,

But Ol’ Man River, He just keeps rolling along!

to

But I keep laughing, instead of crying,

I must keep fighting, until I’m dying,

But Ol’ Man River, He just keeps rolling along!

It was here in his London theatre days he first encountered Wales, coming across a group of Welsh miners on the hunger marches singing in the street. As the story goes, he joins them in song, and donates that evening’s fee to their cause.

Mark explained that throughout the 1930s, Robeson – while always politically minded – become more involved in activism. A large part of this was due to the Spanish Civil War, where he remained committed against the rise of fascism and performed on the front lines for troops, as well as raising money for the Republican cause.

Furthermore, he refused to perform in front of segregated audiences and involved himself more closely with Wales and the plight of the miners.

When World War 2 broke out, Robeson returned to the USA and did a tour of concerts to raise money for the war effort. He remained hugely popular and raised an enormous quantity of money. In the 1930s, he was one of the top ten highest paid concert performers in the world!

However, the 'Red Scare' and McCarthyism hit him hard – his radical politics and interest in communism meant the government took his passport away. The Let Robeson Sing! campaign was launched to encourage the US government to return it – a theatre in Stratford, England went so far as to cast him as Othello and ask he be allowed to come over to perform – however the campaign was unsuccessful.

Regardless, Robeson’s close relationship with South Wales continued, and due to the exciting new technology of a trans-Atlantic telephone cable, he was able to perform at the Miner’s Eisteddfod. A full recording of this extraordinary concert survives, and Mark played us the wonderful introduction and exchange between Will Paynter (the union leader) and Robeson himself. The recording is remarkably clear, especially considering how new and fragile the new telephone line technology would have been.

When Robeson’s passport was eventually restored at the end of the 1950s he finally returned to South Wales and went to the National Eisteddfod. The Eisteddfod relaxed it’s all-Welsh rule to allow him to speak indicating the strong bond between the community and Robeson.

The next Library talk is on 10 November by John Wake on his book The Execution of Leslie James, the last woman to be executed in Wales. Tickets are available from the Rhiwbina Hub/ Library front desk, or at this link.

Report and photos by Liz Scott