Noémie Loiselle (Europe 1 correspondent in Lyon) // Photo credit: Francois Pauletto / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP
8.47pm, November 10, 2024modified to
This Monday is November 11, a public holiday, but not only that. France commemorates the end of the First World War. Ceremonies will take place throughout the country to pay tribute to those who fell for France. And yet, this date does not speak to all French people, as the Europe 1 correspondent in Lyon noted.
This Monday, November 11, France will commemorate the soldiers who fell in combat during the First World War. But the majority of people interviewed in the streets of Lyon hesitate or do not know what to answer when asked what November 11 represents. The first thing that comes to mind is that it's a public holiday, but few can explain why.
“A country without memory is a country without roots”
“Do you know why November 11 is a public holiday? I must have known, but now, I don’t know. I’m sorry, but no,” confess Léonie, 24, and Alexis, 25. Axelle is 18 years old, she too has doubts when mentioning this date: “In the notes on the phone, I think it is noted that it is armistice day, but I am not sure”. This doubt concerns all generations. Renée is 71 years old and says she no longer goes to the War Memorial that day.
“Is it a national holiday? I'm not sure at all. The duty to remember, we do it precisely for the Second World War, but for the war before it. It has been forgotten, I think” . Many say they no longer remember, because it was a long time ago. These are dates that we learn by heart in history and, they admit, they no longer have any meaning. What Robert Lajoux, veteran of the Algerian War, regrets.
“Our ancestors left their lives in the trenches, in terrible conditions. They died less so that we remain French. A country without memory is a country without roots.” In Lyon, the ceremony will take place at the Tête d'Or park, in the presence of high school students from Tassin-la-Demi-Lune, to pass on this duty of memory.
