A PUBLIC body has come under fire for handing out a £10,000 grant to “decolonise” the Welsh cake.
Arts Council of Wales granted £9,952 to a researcher in 2023 for a year-long project titled “Decolonising the Welsh Cake”.
A project to “decolonise Welsh cakes” has been handed a £10,000 grant[/caption]
The small round goodies are made with currants, sugar and fat – often likened to a cross between a scone and a pancake.
They are sometimes called a “bakestone” and have been popular since the second half of the 19th century.
Decolonising usually means finding and challenging how imperialism worked.
Arts Council of Wales – a Welsh Government sponsored body – was unable to explain what links the cake has to empire.
But a website linked to the researcher said it was exploring the history of sugar in the cake.
Mims Davies, shadow secretary of state for Wales, said: “This is another total waste of money.
“We should all be proudly celebrating and supporting Welsh heritage, not having the taxpayer fund, along with lottery players, an organisation that is shelling out thousands of pounds to fund these bonkers leftie ideological attempts to tear it down.”
She said the funding was a “direct result” of dictats from the Welsh Labour government which has an anti-racism action plan.
Campaign DOGE Wales, which uncovered the spending, said while the Welsh NHS was “on its knees” cash was being wasted on projects like this.
The money came from a National Lottery pot for individuals and organisations who have “experienced barriers” to accessing funds.
A spokesman for Arts Council of Wales said: “We firmly believe it is crucial to support these individuals and organisations as part of our commitment to increase the diversity of work being created, funded and celebrated in Wales.”
