Description :
This episode of the Radio Pais podcast is part of the European project Tramontana Network (Réseau Tramontana in French), co-financed by the European Union, which highlights linguistic and cultural diversity, oral traditions and the voices of communities across Europe. In this context, the programme presents the journey of Yannick Jolen, an artist, storyteller, singer and performer from Vendée, whose work is deeply connected to the preservation and transmission of regional languages and popular memory.
Yannick Jolen explains his relationship with his mother tongue, Poitevin, a language from the Oïl linguistic area influenced by Occitan. He recalls growing up in a rural environment where local speech was still present, but where generations had been taught to feel shame towards their own linguistic heritage. The discussion addresses the social mechanisms that led to the decline of regional languages, including the devaluation of rural cultures, the pressure of linguistic standardisation and the loss of intergenerational transmission.
The artist also describes his commitment to collecting oral traditions and transforming them into contemporary artistic expression. Through recordings, interviews and encounters with elderly rural inhabitants, he gathered stories, knowledge and memories that became the foundation of his creative work. For Yannick Jolen, preserving a language is not simply a matter of conservation, but a way of giving meaning to the present, recognising the richness of communities and allowing forgotten voices to continue speaking.