In Quimper, there are several dozen gathered in an arc around the flag bearers in front of the War Memorial, for the first stage of the Flame of Memory, which commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Liberation.
Accompanied by their teachers, these middle and high school students attend and listen to other young people tell the story of resistance fighters during the Flame of Memory ceremony. Teenage girls from Brizeux high school tell the story of resistance fighters of their age, high school girls in Brizeux as well, who sometimes paid with their lives for their commitment. It is also a question of these first Bretons engaged with General de Gaulle.
High school students from the Thépot establishment recount their project for the year: a metal stele, which will be constructed and then erected to recall the souvenir of the Lanniron prison campwhere up to 6,000 people were detained simultaneously.
Aurélie Lagain
The flame brought back from Paris is accompanied by teenagers at the foot of the War Memorial in its lantern. Some of the high school students there, from Likes, brought it back, another is the flag bearer. They all listen, without a sound, to the words of other young people and officials, who admit that they do not often attend this type of ceremony: “It’s the first time” for Esteban, even if Basile remembers having attended it “with his grandparents from the countryside”after mass. Laurette, she admits she doesn't watch TV anymore. But everyone says it is “an honor” to attend this ceremony orchestrated by former paratrooper Rémy Fabre: “We are happy. They are the future, hoping that they will be peace fighters.”
The Flame of Memory leaves Quimper, Quimperlé, Saint-Goazec, Kerlouan, Ploudalmézeau, Saint-Pol-de-Léon this Tuesday, and will crisscross Finistère on six routes over four days.
- Route 1: Ploudalmézeau / Brest / Plouzané / Plougastel-Daoulas / Irvillac / Camaret-sur-Mer;
- Route 2: Kerlouan / Lesneven / Landerneau / Irvillac / Camaret-sur-Mer;
- Route 3: Saint-Pol-de-Léon / Carantec / Landivisiau / Pont-de-Buis / Châteaulin / Camaret-sur-Mer;
- Route 4: Saint-Goazec / Pleyben / Châteaulin / Camaret-sur-Mer;
- Route 5: Quimperlé / Pont-Aven / Concarneau / Fouesnant / Douarnenez / Camaret-sur-Mer;
- Route 6: Quimper / Plomeur / Audierne / Beuzec-Cap-Sizun / Douarnenez / Camaret-sur-Mer.
Aurélie Lagain
The arrival is planned in Camaret on Friday at 11 a.m., with a ceremony at the tip of Pen Hir, the monument in the shape of the Lorraine cross which commemorates the Breton sailors, the first companions to join Free France.
The Flame of Memoryinitiated by the Department of Finistère and the prefecture of Finistère, aims to be repeated every year.
