Description :
This episode of the Radio Pais podcast is part of the European project Réseau Tramontana (Tramontana Network), co-financed by the European Union, which explores rural territories, their transformations, and the experiences of the people who inhabit and reshape them. Through conversations with inhabitants of Aveyron, the programme reflects on migration, cultural identity, linguistic heritage and the relationship between communities and their territories.
The first part of the episode focuses on the Occitan language and its role as a living expression of local culture. Pierre and Jacques discuss the history, use and transmission of Occitan, highlighting how the language is deeply connected to the land, agricultural practices and collective memory. They explain that the survival of a language depends not only on schools or cultural institutions, but also on the vitality of rural areas, the presence of farmers and the ability of new generations and newcomers to integrate into local life.
The second part presents the story of Colette and Jacques, who left urban and professional paths to settle in Aveyron more than forty years ago in a process described as a “return to the land”. They share their personal journeys, their experiences abroad, their discovery of other cultures and their decision to build a life rooted in rural territory. Their testimony illustrates broader questions about migration, depopulation, rural renewal and the search for alternative ways of living, showing how individual choices can contribute to the transformation and continuity of rural communities.