No. 139 Sept. 2016
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No. 139 Sept. 2016 Unification of Brittany 1 Editorial BRO NEVEZ 139 In this issue of Bro Nevez you will read about some of September 2016 the work being done to promote the Breton language as ISSN 0895 3074 a language of the workplace and media. And you will be introduced to four new members of the Order of the Ermine and to a few new books and recordings. The creativity doesn’t ever stop for Bretons. EDITOR’S ADDRESS & E-MAIL Lois Kuter, Editor Building Brittany: Projects in the Works 605 Montgomery Road The following is an introduction to Construire la Bretagne from Ambler, PA 19002 U.S.A. their website www.construirelabretagne.bzh (my translation) - LK (215) 886-6361 [email protected] Construire la Bretagne (Build Brittany) is a group of people engaged in a variety of economic, cultural and social organizations of Brittany. It is a collective with no U.S. ICDBL website: www.icdbl.org affiliation to any political party or to any association. These are individuals who understand and listen to each other to analyze issues, and who interact and The U.S. Branch of the International Committee for the exchange views to produce reports and ideas that they Defense of the Breton Language (U.S. ICDBL) was share and distribute. In order to verify collective ideas before they are communicated (internet site, TV or radio incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation on October 20, programs done by members for the collective) they 1981. Bro Nevez ("new country" in the Breton language) is have put into place an editorial committee, with an the newsletter produced by the U.S. ICDBL. It is published agreed upon honorary president. This is organized in quarterly: February, May, August and November. the most flexible and serious manner to validate, Contributions, letters to the Editor, and ideas are welcome produce and distribute shared information. These from all readers and will be printed at the discretion of the individuals desire to help the construction of a Brittany Editor. which is beautiful, prosperous, in solidarity, and open to the world. The U.S. ICDBL provides Bro Nevez on a complimentary basis to a number of language and cultural organizations in They thus complete three types of work and actions: Brittany to show our support for their work. Your Membership/ Subscription allows us to do this. Membership First of all, through the publication of 20 dossiers * for a (which includes subscription) for one year is $20. Checks solid analysis and the proposal of ideas to build a road should be in U.S. dollars, made payable to “U.S. ICDBL” and for the future. mailed to Lois Kuter at the address above. Next, to use the website construirelabretagne.bzh to relay reactions to this work, and to post other analyses, This newsletter can be sent as a PDF file attached to an e- ideas, documents and projects which seem to us to mail instead of, or in addition to, the print version. Just let affirm and build this dynamic. the Editor know how you would like to receive it. Then finally, to put forward other existent analyses and Ideas expressed within this newsletter are those of the project not yet spoken of. In short, the platform individual authors, and do not necessarily represent ICDBL construirelabretagne.bzh serves as a joining point for philosophy or policy. projects. For information about the Canadian ICDBL contact: Jeffrey D. It brings to attention small and large projects O’Neill, PO Box 14611, 50 Bloor Street East, Toronto, that the editorial committee chooses to relay Ontario, M8L-5R3, CANADA (e-mail: [email protected]). and make known because they embody a Telephone: (416) 264-0475. forward-moving dynamic. It proposes projects to multiple actors who have not been noted and who are building Brittany so that they can become familiar with them. 2 It affirms the work of Breton actors, often not Soubigou… And one can see they are happy to give well known, who are already working to build testimony to their involvement in the book Stumdi has Brittany, bringing them to light, and perhaps just published to justly celebrate its 30th anniversary. helping to create a linking of projects. Claudie Malnoë has worked hard for the success of this Editorial Commette: Paul Loret (Presdent), Malo model in creating most notably in 2006 “ar servij Bouëssel du Bourg, Michel Bouvier, Daniel Cueff, heñchan,” a sort of orientation and placement service Bernard Hommerie, André Lavanant, Xavier Leclercq, which matches job offers to organizations’ needs more Tangi Louarn, Patrick Malrieu, Jean Ollivro, Romain efficiently. These professional trainings are good news Pasquier, Anne-Edith Poilvet for the future of the Breton language. Certainly six or nine months of studious immersion in Breton will not You can build! You also are invited to propose projects make you and expert, but you will know enough to go to be in the site: www.construitelabretagne.bzh/projects further. The experience will push you to take the rest of the journey. In 30 years the method has shown results. * See Bro Nevez 135 (September 2015). Above all, the statistics are there. Between 2006 and 2012 the number of jobs which required a mastery of Finding a Job Thanks to the Breton Language the Breton language rose by 40%. Today this concerns over 1,300 positions. 80% relate directly to teaching The following is from a July 14, 2016, posting on the and this sector is always in strong demand, but other Construire la Bretagne website – one that specifically needs have been confirmed: the media of course, but relates to work to promote the Breton language and also public or associative structures which want to give it a place in economic and everyday life of Brittany. reach a demanding public in the Breton language. And (my translation) sometimes it is the activities or motivations of the leadership of an enterprise that creates a demand. Stumdi is first of all full of Several teaching organizations today compliment the positive offerings of Stumdi (www.stumdi.com), each with its attitude and an specific operation, but all with the same objective to original and associate the Breton language with access to professional employment: Mervent (http://www.mervent.bzh/), pedagogical Roudour (http://www.roudour.com/), Skol an Emsav method (http://www.skolanemsav.bzh/). In 2011 Stumdi enriched by became a member of Produit en Bretagne, thus thirty years of experience in contact with students of all marking its desire to be closer to enterprises. A new background. Each year 350 adults learn Breton with challenge and long-running fight, more than ever the Stumdi following methods adapted to different public Breton language has need of this pioneering spirit. and organizational needs. 150 of them choose the long format, the big adventure! During six months, with the From the Stumdi website (which includes some possibility of perfecting their knowledge during an English): addition three months, they will return to school full time to learn the Breton language. A nice proof of confidence Stumdi has 26 years [now 30] providing Breton in the future. But confidence isn’t from unawareness. language courses. It offers professional services – The results are reassuring: 80% of students find language teaching, administration, and career guidance employment or a training program at the end of this – that address the growing demand for opportunities to apprenticeship. It is true that motivations are examined learn the Breton language. At Stumdi, students can for those entering. Preference is given to individuals study the Breton language, no matter what their level. who have a true professional plan which includes the The Stumdi teach (including 15 permanent employees) use of the Breton language. trains more than 300 students each year. The courses run from September until the end of July and are held in Over time new learning centers have opened to be four centers across Brittany: Arradon (56), Guingamp nearer to other populations: Landerneau, Brest, (22), Landerneau )29), Ploemeur (56) [and this has Ploemeur, Arradon, Guingamp, Saint Brieuc … there expanded]. Organizations can also request onsite have thus been thousands who have sat on the courses for their employees. The name STUMDI comes benches of this school. Several are today well known from the phrase “stummadur dibaouez,” which means on the Breton scene: Yann Tiersen and Emil Quinquis, “in-house training” and “house of training.” Charles Kergaravat, Clarisse Lavanant, Romain Sponnagel, Hervé Lossec, Pascale Berthou, Clément 3 Stumdi’s mission: Radio Kreiz Breizh (Saint-Nicodème) : http://kreizbreizh.radio.fr/ Stumdi aims to popularize the Breton language by Radio Bro Gwened (Pontivy) : http://www.radio- offering training courses suited to a variety of needs: bro-gwened.com/ Radio Kerne (Quimper) : Six-month Breton language training courses, http://www.radiokerne.bzh/br/ offered twice yearly. One advanced-level Breton language training, 3 Partnered radios are : months long. Several shorter theoretical and thematic training Plum’FM (Sérent) http://www.plumfm.net/ courses. RCF Penn-Ar-Bed (Brest) : https://rcf.fr/ Custom training for individuals and professionals. Breton language training courses for specific fields The platform www.radiobreizh.bzh/fr/ was initated in (e.g., media and children’s education). 2007 and has been operating since 2011. The site A “Reviving Your Breton” course for hose raised in www.radiobreizh.bzh/fr/ has thus become the reference Breton-speaking environments. for those who want to begin learning Breton, to perfect their knowledge, or to have the right to hear this language when they want to. Radio in the Breton Language It is acceptable to broadcast this site and to insure its promotion, to hope for technical evolution over time, This is another website and to hope, for example, for the generalization of radio posting from Construire bands in car radios.