What is Newid Diwylliant | Culture Change?

Thanks to funding from the Culture, Heritage and Sport Wales Anti-racist Fund, provided by the Welsh Government, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, and the other national arts companies have established Newid Diwylliant | Culture Change – a comprehensive programme aimed at transforming Wales' arts sector to make it truly representative of contemporary Wales.  

Newid Diwylliant | Culture Change offers a framework for transforming the companies involved into organisations that are better equipped to attract and recruit people from the global majority at all levels and can provide inclusive workplaces and organisational culture – through a programme of training and organisational development for the participating companies.  

To ensure relevance and to reflect the lived experience of the communities that we want to attract and engage in our workforces and audiences, the programme of work has been co-designed with the Critical Friends Group – a paid group of people from the global majority.  

There are 22 organisations  participating in Newid Diwylliant | Culture Change, and the programme includes training for staff and freelancers (including anti-racism training); a review of the company's internal culture and working practices especially in relation to Human Resources and recruitment; and opportunities to develop leaders from the global majority. 

For more information, email thgc@theatr.com. 

Bio
Carli De'La Hughes
Carli De'La Hughes Critical Friend

Carli De'La Hughes is a Welsh born actor and Director. Carli grew up in Swansea and attended Welsh-medium education, before going on to train at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Her on screen credits include ITV Emmerdale, Sky One ‘Stella’, BBC’s ‘Hinterland’, and S4C soap ‘Pobol y Cwm’. Carli directed Betty Campbell (a Mewn Cymeriad production, with support from Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru), and was Associate Director on The Merthyr Stigmatist (Sherman Theatre).   

Carli's favourite quote:
"“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept."

Della Hill
Della Hill Critical Friend

Della specialises in project management and business development to enhance the strategic and operational direction of a variety organisations across the UK. She is currently the Head of Operations at LTSB, a social mobility charity that prepares and supports bright young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Della has previously worked for Literature Wales, Chwarae Teg, and National Theatre Wales.

Her current freelance and voluntary roles include Consultant and Speaker with People Make it Work, Trustee of Spread the Word and WJCB Toolkit Associate. Throughout her career, she has overseen and executed large-scale initiatives that align with her passion for addressing and dismantling structural inequalities. She is dedicated to advocating for high-level social change within the Creative, Arts & Culture, Education, and Third Sectors.

Emily Dafydd-Drew
Emily Dafydd-Drew Critical Friend

Emily is one of the Creative Executives at Literature Wales, responsible for delivering on their three priorities: Representation & Equality, Health & Well-being, and Climate Emergency alongside innovative projects through their three structures: Writer Development, Participation, and Wales’ Literary Culture. 

Jeferson Lobo
Jeferson Lobo Critical Friend

Brazilian-born Jeferson Lobo is a musician, composer and producer living in Cardiff.

Jeferson's compositions are an invitation to a world of unpredictable sonic possibilities. Hauntingly sweet harmonies combined with soothing and (at times) witty melodies form the basis for his musical cauldron, which includes styles such as jazz, orchestral, Latin, reggae, futuristic, and world music.

Mason Edwards
Mason Edwards Critical Friend

Mason is a proud Cardiffian with roots in the local communities of Butetown and Grangetown. Having studied drama and performing arts at school, he went on to complete a BA in Drama and Performance at London Southbank University. He is currently an Assistant Producer with National Youth Arts Wales and is passionate about facilitating the growth of young artists both at a local and national level. 

Onismo Muhlanga
Onismo Muhlanga Critical Friend

Onismo Muhlanga, a Zimbabwean-born multi-talented artist based in Newport, Wales, intricately crafts poetic visual narratives inspired by life, rituals, and memories. Through a dynamic blend of media, this explores themes of ancestry, indigenous culture, and personal transformation. The artistic mediums intertwine creative expression with oneness, wellness and holistic health principles. Collaborating with communities and artists, he explores ways to protect, preserve, share, and expand collective wisdom through co-curation with eldership and future generations at the core of exploration.

Rahim El Habachi
Rahim El Habachi Critical Friend

Rahim El Habachi is an artist, actor, writer, and director. From 2022 to 2024, he served as a Creative Associate with National Theatre Wales. Rahim has written and performed in several notable productions, including Beyond the Rainbow with WNO, The Love Thief with Sherman Theatre, and Touch as part of OUT-Rage-US. As an actor, he was featured in Cost of Living with National Theatre Wales. In addition to his theatrical work, Rahim is also a skilled belly dancer and cabaret host, performing at major events across the country. His most recent appearance was at the prestigious Green Man Festival.

Rha Arayal
Rha Arayal Critical Friend

Rha Arayal is a British Nepali writer and English Literature and Creative writing student at Swansea University. She has published two poetry collections, Encapsulated Emotions and The Wishing Well, and writes about her experiences as a second generation immigrant, language and identity and her hometown Swansea.

Savanna Jones
Savanna Jones Critical Friend

Savanna comes from Cardiff and is a mother to two children. She works in the higher and tertiary education sector focusing on widening access and representation, having completed a masters degree in public policy. She volunteers on the board of Mudiad Meithrin and works with Welsh organisations to promote anti-racist exercises and encourages practises that are accessible to people from minority ethnic backgrounds. Savanna is a member of the Welsh Language Partnership Council. 

Yasmin Begum
Yasmin Begum Critical Friend

Yasmin Begum is a Welsh-Pakistani writer, campaigner, and researcher who lives in Cardiff. She has been published in Gal-Dem, Nation.Cymru, Planet, Wales Arts Review, the Welsh Agenda, BBC Cymru Fyw, and Media Diversified.  Most recently, Yasmin has worked as a researcher on the Butetown Carnival Archive with the Butetown Arts and Culture Association. She runs a newsletter called Decolonising Wales on Substack.

Yusef Bastawy
Yusef Bastawy Critical Friend

Yusef works for the BBC as a Digital Producer for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW), based in Cardiff. He is responsible for the creation of digital content, often in the form of Digital Concerts which are filmed using multi-camera systems; short form video content such as interviews and sizzle trailers for social media; and photography for season brochures and web pages.
He has managed large scale projects live streaming digital concerts to schools around Wales, as well as creating content for the BBC Proms.

The organisations taking part in the Newid Diwylliant | Culture Change programme include:

Aberystwyth Arts Centre

Arad Goch

Awen Cultural Trust

Ballet Cymru

BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru

Ffilm Cymru Wales

Llenyddiaeth Cymru | Literature Wales

National Dance Company Wales

National Theatre Wales

Newport Live

Oriel Mostyn

Oriel Myrddin

RCT Theatres

Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (RWCMD)

Tanio

Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru

Theatr Iolo

Valleys Kids

Wales Millennium Centre

Welsh Books Council

Welsh National Opera