Audrey West

Audrey West was born in Portland, Jamaica. Audrey came to the UK when she was six years old.

“Jamaica was, and still is, a place of real contrast between harshness and beauty and love.”

“I taught myself to read before I went to school because I didn’t want to get beaten.”

“I don’t know if you know those little fig bananas but they are so sweet and I used to love them.”

“Jamaica hadn’t got its own passports so we travelled on the black British commonwealth passports, so we were part of the Commonwealth.”

“One of the things that I remember in particularly was the stop off in New York and it was Christmas and the airport was full of toys.”

“I went to Southampton and studied Iberian and Latin American Studies.”

“I did psycho-synthesis therapy which I chose because it had a spiritual component.”

“What I’d experienced was systematic racism in every department, and when I say systematic, it was nobody believed me.”

“I recognise and accept the Windrush descriptor is very convenient because it actually puts people within the generational framing. So what will happen to the next generation when they’re being chucked out, what will they call them?”


“Cadwch eich ffydd, teimlwch eich teimladau, ac ymddiried ynoch chi eich hun a bod yn chi’ch hun.”

Ganed Audrey West yn Portland, Jamaica. Daeth Audrey i’r Deyrnas Unedig yn chwe blwydd oed.

“Roedd Jamaica, ac mae’n dal i fod, yn lle sy’n gyferbyniad trawiadol rhwng caledwch a harddwch a chariad.”

“Fe ddysgais i fy hun i ddarllen cyn imi fynd i’r ysgol, gan nad oeddwn eisiau cael cweir.”

“Wn i ddim os gwyddoch chi am y bananas ffigys bach hynny, ond maen nhw mor felys, ac roeddwn i’n dwli arnyn nhw”.

“Nid oedd gan Jamaica ei basborts ei hun bryd hynny, felly fe wnaethon ni deithio ar basborts du Prydeinig y Gymanwlad, felly roedden ni’n rhan o’r Gymanwlad.”

“Un o’r pethau rwy’n eu cofio’n arbennig yw pan wnaethon ni alw heibio Efrog Newydd ac roedd hi’n adeg Nadolig a’r maes awyr yn llawn teganau.”

“Fe es i Southampton ac astudiais i Astudiaethau Iberaidd ac America Ladin.”

“Fe wnes i therapi seico-synthesis, a dewisais hynny gan fod elfen ysbrydol iddo.”

“Yr hyn a brofais oedd hiliaeth sefydliadol ym mhob adran, ac rwy’n dweud sefydliadol, doedd neb yn fy nghoelio i.”

“Rwy’n cydnabod ac yn derbyn fod y term disgrifiadol Windrush yn un hwylus iawn gan ei fod yn rhoi pobl mewn ffrâm o ran cenhedlaeth. Felly beth fydd yn digwydd i’r genhedlaeth nesaf pan fyddan nhw’n cael eu taflu mas, beth fyddan nhw’n eu galw nhw?”