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Piece Description
Before 1789, France was a loose community of regions, each with its own languages and dialects: Alsatian, Breton, Catalan, Corsican and perhaps 70 more. Occitan was the family of languages from Occitanie, the region that stretched from Bordeaux and the Pyrenees in the southwest to the Alps and northern Italy in the southeast. It and its several variants were linked to a rich creative history, particularly in literature and song. Then came the French Revolution, and then Napoleon, and a new constitution that declared France "one people, one nation, one language." Occitan all but disappeared. But not completely. More than 200 years later, Occitan is still spoken in the French countryside and in the north of Italy, where it's recognized as an official regional language. (A 2001 attempt by the French culture ministry to recognize regional languages was rejected by the country's constitutional council.) No one really knows how many people use Occitan regularly because the French government has never done a survey. Unofficial estimates suggest that several hundred thousand speak one or another form of Occitan, mainly in private. This piece features two groups of musicians whose politically charged work blends Occitan lyrics with reggae, Brazilian rhythms and the musical forms of the medieval troubadours.
Broadcast History
Aired 08/21/04 on NPR's All Things Considered
Timing and Cues
INTRO: If Napoleon hadn't come along, half of France might still speak the Occitan language. But Napoleon did come along, and he forged a highly centralized state. Paris became the capital and the language of the north became what we now know as French.
Two hundred years later, some natives of southern France are challenging the one-language decree -- and they're doing it with a blend of reggae, folk, Brazilian rhythms and the music of the medieval troubadours. Producer Julian Crandall Hollick visited Occitanie to speak with members of Massilia Sound System and The Fabulous Troubadours -- groups that have preserved their regional tongue through music.
OUTRO: That piece was produced by Julian Crandall Hollick for Homelands Productions. It is part of the Worlds of Difference series on global cultural change.
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Ben Adair
Posted on August 20, 2006 at 08:17 PM | Permalink
Review of Occitan Rock
Straightforward approach to an interesting subject -- I had never heard of Occitan and to learn about the language and its own poltical music was very interesting. The music is good and well recorded.
This piece would fit nicely in a "global beat" type segment or on any type of public radio music show.