Description :
This podcast episode is part of the European project Tramontana Network (Réseau Tramontana), co-funded by the European Union under the Creative Europe programme. Through Radio País’ series Reality and Humanity, the programme documents and preserves the oral heritage, language, memories and traditional knowledge of rural communities, highlighting the cultural identity of mountain and countryside regions.
In this episode, the presenters visit the home of a resident of Castel de Candau, in Béarn, who guides them through a traditional Béarnaise farmhouse and its outbuildings. As they explore the building, he explains local construction techniques, traditional tools, the vocabulary of the Béarnais language, and the many functions of the workshop, barns and agricultural equipment. He also recalls customs such as communal pig slaughtering, the use of horse-drawn carts, and the daily organisation of farm life before mechanisation transformed rural work.
Beyond describing the material heritage, the guest reflects on the profound social changes he witnessed throughout his lifetime. He remembers the arrival of electricity, roads, telephones and tractors, comparing the slow modernisation of his village with the rapid technological progress of the twentieth century. He speaks about the dangers brought by agricultural machinery, the sacrifices made by rural families, population decline and the disappearance of local traditions and language. Despite these changes, he expresses a deep attachment to his homeland and emphasises the importance of preserving the memories, knowledge and identity of the Béarnaise countryside for future generations.