Description :
This episode of Orality and Humanity is part of the European project Tramontana Network, supported by the European Union, which aims to promote the recognition of mountain territories, their cultures and their languages through oral testimonies and educational resources. In this programme, Jean-Paul Ferré continues the presentation of the pedagogical work developed within the Tramontana framework, highlighting how personal memories and linguistic heritage can reveal the links between rural communities and wider historical movements.
The episode focuses on the story of migration from the Pyrenean region of Gascony towards America, particularly through the testimony of Marcel de Namiel, a man from the Couserans area who left for New York in 1961 and worked in the restaurant sector. His experience illustrates how emigrants maintained a strong connection with their homeland, preserving the local language and cultural identity despite living far away. The discussion highlights the role of language as a form of memory, with particular attention to the way words, expressions and linguistic features survived across generations and geographical distances.
Jean-Paul Ferré and the programme’s presenter also reflect on the educational value of these testimonies. By bringing authentic voices into classrooms, the project allows students to explore themes such as migration, cultural exchange, geography and history through lived experiences rather than abstract accounts. The episode emphasises that oral heritage is not only a record of the past but also a way of understanding contemporary societies, showing how mountain communities have always been connected to the wider world through movement, exchange and human relationships.