Description :
This episode of Orality and Humanity, broadcast by Radio Pais, is part of the European Tramontana Network (Réseau Tramontana) project, co-funded by the European Union. The programme introduces Jean-Paul Ferré, a teacher of Occitan and History, president of a cultural association dedicated to promoting language and heritage in Couserans, and a key participant in the Tramontana project. The interview explores his commitment to preserving oral traditions, documenting rural life, and sharing the cultural richness of mountain communities.
Jean-Paul Ferré explains that his involvement began through his own childhood experience of learning Occitan at home in the village of Betxat. After discovering at school and university that the language he had known as “patois” was part of the wider Occitan culture, he became aware that many local initiatives existed but lacked coordination. In 2003, he helped create a collective and federation of associations to bring together skills, increase visibility, and develop ambitious projects for the promotion of language and culture. His documentary work emerged from the desire to record testimonies, preserve memories, and give value to rural knowledge and ways of life.
The interview also examines Ferré’s documentaries, which focus on themes such as agriculture, pastoralism, traditional practices, and the relationship between people and their environment. He describes his approach as both ethnographic and human, aiming not only to preserve archives but also to return these stories to communities through public screenings and discussions. His films, which have gradually evolved from short formats to longer productions, reveal the diversity of mountain territories and show that local heritage is a living resource capable of connecting generations and cultures.