Occitan songs in local ecological struggles, and especifically "Ai Mamà" de Rodin and the "ZAD" of Sivens

Abstract

As a minority language of Europe, the Occitan language has been used since the 70s, especially in songs, to defend the right of the oppressed and the traditional way of life against the major land development projects. Indeed, the occitan protest singers seem to make the parallel between the danger of extinction of the occitan language and the attacks against nature and traditional environment. The presence of Occitan in the great movement to occupy Larzac against the extension of a military camp in the 70s, especially the songs of Claude Martí, reveals the importance of the meaning activists see in that language. Now the days, new ecologist occupy movements called “ZAD” keep using the Occitan language, even though it is only spoken by 7% of the global population of Occitan territories. This seems to reveal that the minority language has got a meaning in itself as it represents the fighting against the destruction of popular and traditional cultures as well as the destruction of nature. This would explain why the occitan song “Ai mamà” by Rodin Kaffmann, that pays tribute to the ZAD of Sivens (2014), has entered the repertoire of many militant choirs. Thus, we can consider that the defense of minority languages and cultures is perfectly associated with the actual ecological struggle.