"Kan bale an arb" - Breton Nationalistic Song
This song is originally the marching song of the Armée Révolutionnaire Bretonne (ARB), the song has been adopted widely as a song for all patriotic Bretons. It is poignant at this this time in Brittany when the French state is once again undermining the Breton language and indeed all minority languages in France.
On May 21st 2021, the Constitutional Court in France published its decision on the teaching of minority languages. The main thrust being it cancels the possibility of immersive teaching in schools that give a "public service". It also includes private associative schools that get public funding (Diwan, ikastolas, calandretas). This is potentially an enormous attack on the Breton language and culture. It is a provocative act that could have consequences.
It is a reminder of past actions by the French state, not least during 1969 when the French state began to arrest Bretons accusing them of membership of a militant group called the FLB (Front for the Liberation of Brittany).
As written by Peter Beresford Ellis accomplished author of both non fiction and fiction works and former Convenor of the Celtic League in a past interview with Transceltic:
To reject the language and culture of the people is, as Thomas Davis declared, to set their history adrift, create a gulf that separates people from knowledge of their history and thousands of years of cultural and historic development.
Further Reading
- English
