Not all of France is French

The people today of most countries in the world are rarely, if ever, the original people of that country or place. Populations have migrated, invaded, merged and melded into an ever changing society and often the most bellicose patriots are often from the most recent occupants of a casual piece of geography.

Maps and boundaries are made by mankind. In autumn once I was in Khartoum and realised the folly of territorial foibles when I saw flocks of very British birds coming in their millions for the winter and realised that the Sudan was their home just as much as Oxforshire or Kent.

We live in the region of France called Languedoc. Technically this has only been a part of France for a few hundred years and yesterday evening a little of the rich cultural history of this fascinating region was shown in a dance and music festival. We went to our old village of Nizas for an Occitan eveing and meal  - “Oc”means “yes” in the old language of the region , the langue d’Oc (hence Languedoc) . Most of the Towns and villages retain the Occitan spelling and pronunciation (for example : Nizas, Pezenas, Caux, Beziers, Cabrieres)

Sitting out in the village park at long tables covered with bottles and food (strange how that theme keeps recurring in this blog) listening to music from instruments which are the same as used in the 13th century, songs in Occitan (a similar language to Catelan and Provencale) and many people dancing various Sardana showed how much closer to the Mediterranean culture of the Levantine and North Africa this region is than to the “other” France - the langue d’Oui of Asterix and Verseilles.

Languedoc can claim to be the start of the Renaissance, of enlightenment, learning and art - until the blossoming society was ruthlessly supressed in the 13th century by a jealous church scared of losing power and money in the Cathar crusades.

I have lived in many places in the world, but I have lived in Languedoc longer than in any other place and the only label I can put on it is “home”.