Saturday, January 28, 2012

Astrid Proll in Llangollen


Having recently outed myself as a teenage fan of the Baader-Meinhof gang I was interested to learn that one of the group, Astrid Proll, once gave a talk at the Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod. The event took place in 1999 as part of the fringe festival. There was also an accompanying photo-exhibition which provided a pictorial history of the gang’s terrorist shenanigans during the ‘60s and ‘70s. Some of the snaps were taken by Proll herself and were included in her book Pictures on the Run 67-77 (see pic). Astrid Proll might seem like an odd choice of guest for such a gathering but by the time of her appearance in Wales she had long since renounced her terrorist beliefs. In fact her political apostasy fitted perfectly with the festival’s harmonious ethos. The International Eisteddfod was established in the aftermath of WW2 to promote peace and reconciliation through music.

*If anyone has any photos of Astrid Proll in Llangollen or any posters or other promotional literature from the event I would love to see them.