Photo by Fañch Broudic May 29 demonstration for Breton and regional languages in Guingamp No. 158 June 2021 1 Editor’s Note Bro Nevez 158 Thanks to cost-cutting measures implemented in the past year, the U.S. Postal Service has become June 2021 increasingly less reliable, and more expensive. Thus, an “express” package that would normally be delivered in ISSN 0895 3074 two to three days can take ten or more days to reach its destination. First class letters may arrive within a few days, but sometimes are inexplicably delayed for weeks on end. EDITOR’S ADRESS & E-MAIL So, for those receiving Bro Nevez by “snail mail” I have Lois Kuter, Editor noted on the Contents page the date it is mailed. It is sent by First Class mail. I would appreciate feedback if Bro Nevez your issue arrives after weeks of travel to you. And if you 605 Montgomery Road are having difficulties in getting timely delivery of mail, Ambler, PA 19002 U.S.A. consider switching to getting Bro Nevez as a PDF file by e-mail (where images are in color instead of black and 215 886-6361 white). [email protected] Lois Kuter – [email protected] U.S. ICDBL website: www.icdbl.org The U.S. Branch of the International Committee for the Defense of the Breton Language (U.S. ICDBL) was There’s good news and there’s bad news for the incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation on October 20, Breton language 1981. Bro Nevez (“new country” in the Breton language) is the newsletter produced by the U.S. ICDBL. It is published The “Molac law” on the protection and promotion quarterly. Contributions, letters to the editor, corrections, of regional languages and ideas are welcome from all readers and will be printed at the discretion of the Editor. As reported in Bro Nevez 157 (March 2021) Breton Deputy Paul Molac with other Deputies of the French The U.S. ICDBL provides Bro Nevez on a complimentary basis National Assembly drafted a law on the protection and to a number of language and cultural organizations in Brittany promotion of the regional languages of France. The law to show our support for their work. Your was passed by the French Senate on December 10, Membership/Subscription allows us to mail print copies. 2020, and considered for a second time by the National Membership (which includes subscription) for one year is Assembly on April 8, 2021. Referred to as the “Molac $20. Checks should be in U.S. dollars, made payable to “U.S. law” the text passed in the Assembly by a vote of 247 for, 76 against, and 19 abstentions. The next step would ICDBL” and mailed to Lois Kuter at the address above. be to have the law officially enacted before the end of April. This newsletter can be sent as a PDF file attached to an e- mail instead of the print version. Just let the Editor know This victory for regional languages was celebrated by how you would like to receive it. The e-mail version is much Bretons who recognized the boost it could give to Breton more colorful than the photocopied print copy! language education especially. But on April 22 on the cusp of the law being enacted, the required 60 Deputies Back issues of Bro Nevez can be found on the U.S. ICDBL of the National Assembly appealed to the Constitutional website Council of France to review the constitutionality of the law. The Council could thus block the law in its entirety Ideas expressed within this newsletter are those of the or just some parts of it they felt to be in conflict with the individual authors, and do not necessarily represent ICDBL French Constitution. philosophy or policy. On May 21 the Constitutional Council rendered its decision. There were three “trouble” areas in the law. The first was the “school fee” payment to be made by 2 the community of residence of a student to the school in a different community which offered regional language teaching (bilingual or Diwan style immersion) that was not available in the students’ home town. It was decided that this was not in conflict with the Constitution. However, the introduction of immersive learning (teaching mainly through the medium of a regional language during a large part of the school day) in public Photo by Fañch Broudic schools was shot down as against the constitution. Public schools currently can create bilingual programs – half of the time in French and half in a regional language Bretons hit the streets on March 13 in Support – but schools like Diwan will remain outside the public of the teaching of Breton and Gallo system and thus limited in resources. There is concern in other parts of France as well where immersive style Nearly 5,000 Bretons rallied in Quimper in March to call teaching is being successfully done that their schools will for advances in the teaching of Breton and Gallo, be considered “illegal.” including the renewal of a State-Region contract on the teaching of regional languages which would enable this. The third “problem” area in the Molac law was the The associations Ti ar Vro Kemper, Diwan, Div Yezh authorization of diacritical marks used in regional Breizh, Divaskell, Kelennomp and Kevre Breizh languages, but not in French, for civic acts of the state. presented ten propositions for the contract which would This is the famous case of the tilde used in the name provide more access to Breton classes and improve Fañch not being accepted for official documents for a teacher training. Teachers of Gallo also put forth child when parents registered him at this birth (Fañch is proposals to support that language. While the Regional now four years old). And diacritical marks such as ò Council of Brittany is ready to move forward on a new used in Creole and Occitan, or ì used in Corsican and and more ambitious contract, the National Ministry of Alsatian are also not officially acceptable for names. Education has blocked progress on this. Despite the fact that the French Constitution was revised in 2008 to include the text “the regional languages are Supporters of Regional part of the patrimony of France,” Article 2 of the Languages hit the Streets on Constitution which states “the language of the Republic is French” continues to be used to block advances for May 29 regional languages. On Saturday June 29 demonstrations While advancing some good support for the expansion were held throughout France in of regional languages in the schools and public life, the support of regional languages. The Constitutional Council’s rejection of immersive teaching Breton gathering of 10,000 plus in for the public school system and rejection of diacritical Guingamp coincided with the arrival of marks used in a number of the regional languages of the final stages of the Ar Redadeg relay run (see below) France, but not in French, greatly weakens to impact of so the demonstration was both a celebration of the the Molac law. On May 23 the Molac Law was published persistence of the Breton language and its place in in the Journal Officel minus the two offending articles, Diwan, public and Catholic schools as well as an ending any further discussion in the French Parliament expression of anger and outrage at the decision of the to counter the decision of the Constitutional Council. Constitutional Council that immersion education was contradictory to the French Constitution. Next step? The only way forward for true advances may be modification (elimination) of Article 2 of the Rallies were also held in other area Constitution so it cannot be weaponized to sabotage the where the Basque turn-out in Bayonne survival of regional languages. was also estimated to be 10,000. Alsacians converged on Comar, Catalans in Perpignan, Corsicans in Bastia and there were four different sites in Occitania. Besides a display of flags and posters, the demonstrations included song and dance for participants of all ages. 3 Ar Redadeg Run for the Breton Bannoù-Heol – Ar Marc’h Dall / Le Cheval Aveugle – Language 10,000 euros Project to recreate the 1979 composition “Ar Marc’h Dall” with orchestra, choir and soloists for new perofrmances. The Ar Redadeg relay run was started in 2008 modeled on similar fund-raising Radio Kerne – Une radio 100% en breton à Nantes – runs by the Catalans, Basques, 15,000 euros Galicians (Spain), Welsh, and Irish for Support for a Breton language radio station established their languages and cultures. In Brittany it takes place in Nantes every two years, but 2020 was delayed to this year due to the Covid pandemic. The Diwan Schools – 65,000 euros Diwan was the main focus for the Ar Redadeg since its For 2021 the run covered 2,020 kilometers crossing beginning and receives half of the funds raised. through 325 communities (small towns as well as big cities) in all five departments of Brittany. The run started May 21 in Carhaix and arrived in Guingamp on May 29 Three Losses for the Breton Language after nine days of running by some 10,000 participants, assisted by some 600 volunteers. Purchase of Diarmuid Ó Néill (1962-2021) kilometers raises funding for Diwan as well as other projects in support of the Breton language. As the Also using the name Jeffrey O’Neill, Diarmuid Ó Néill runners pass through Brittany they are greeted with was born in Toronto to Irish immigrants and grew up in music and mini-festivals. A baton carrying a message in that city and nearby Pickering.