Sea shanties have just been included in the intangible heritage of France.
It is quite a symbol for those who work to preserve them.
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The 1 p.m.
That evening in Lorient, these singers take the entire audience into the frenzy of sea shanties. Impossible to remain indifferent. “It’s festive and it always touches the heart”confides a woman. “We think it’s great, it’s already part of Breton heritage, even French heritage”says another.
With each song, a story and above all an ode to the sea, to the journey, which is sung today on earth. “It's sung because people have a maritime culture. People would like to go to sea, but they don't go. By singing, they go to sea with the sailors”explains singer Guillaume Yaouank. Centuries old, these texts were once essential. “Sailors needed to sing to work, to coordinate gestures and to be able to make simultaneous efforts”singer Pierre Guillemot tells us.
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With mechanization, sea shanties became rarer. So, in Douarnenez, enthusiasts perpetuate this tradition. Imagine them on a boat hoisting a sail. “The first time a captain, in the days of sailing, heard the sailors sing a maneuver, he knew if he had a good crew or not”explains Michel Colleu, collector, singer and co-founder of the maritime world magazine “Le Chasse-Marée”. With his crew, Michel has just had his songs recognized as French intangible cultural heritage, more than a symbol. “This recognition gives prestige to the work we do. It can be used to motivate people to sing. It can be used to provide financial aid for projects”greets Michel.
Because the issue is transmission. The texts find new paths here. “In my job, it’s chainsaws, so you can’t sing too much. But it inspires me”. Sea shanties still sleep in some attics in the region. The association tries to collect them so that these texts navigate through time.
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