Charlez ar Gall | |
---|---|
Born | Charles Le Gall 5 March 1921
Hôpital-Camfrout, Finistère, France |
Died | 3 November 2010
Brest, Finistère, France | (aged 89)
Occupations |
|
Employer | ORTF |
Spouse | |
Children | 2 |
Charles Le Gall (5 March 1921 – 3 November 2010), known as Charlez ar Gall, was a Breton radio broadcaster, activist, and writer. After a career in radio, he worked as a broadcaster for the ORTF's Breton-language programming until his resignation in 1974, and along with his wife Chanig ar Gall, was a pioneer in Breton-language broadcasting.
Charles Le Gall was born into an agricultural family on 5 March 1921 in Hôpital-Camfrout, a commune in the department of Finistère. [1] [2] Despite being raised in a Breton-language household, he learned French while at school. [3] In 1937, he became a student at the École Normale d'Instituteurs in Quimper, remaining there until he started teaching in 1940. [4] After starting his teaching career in his native Hôpital-Camfrout, he later moved on to Brest and Argol. [3] [1] As a teacher, he refrained from penalizing students for speaking Breton and also ran Breton-language classes for adult students. [5] [1]
While teaching in Argol, he met Jeanne-Marie Guillamet, later Chanig ar Gall. [3] The two married in 1942, and they later had two daughters. [1] After the end of World War II, he moved to Brest with his wife and joined the Ar Falz Breton-language association. [1] His last teaching post was at the Dupuy de Lôme school. [6]
Charlez ar Gall began working in Breton-language radio in 1947. [7] During the late 1950s, [a] he became the host of Radio Quimerc'h's Breton-language programme, succeeding Pêr-Jakez Helias. [4] [1] Since the station had no studio, he broadcast from his own office, doing so at least 800 times for the next seventeen years. [1] In 1962, a song that he aired, which was about the 1961 occupation of Morlaix, was deemed "seditious", causing him to receive a month-long suspension by order of the Minister of Information. [1]
In 1964, Charlez ar Gall was hired by ORTF executive Louis Le Cunff for a ninety-second Breton-language daily news segment at the new ORTF Télé-Bretagne (now France 3 Bretagne), [5] becoming the first to do so. [1] Fañch Broudig described it as "the first fixation point for TV in Breton". [5] In 1971, he and his wife became part of the first Breton magazine programme, Télé-Bretagne's Breiz o veva, with him as the host. [8] [4] His work for the news also led to a renewal of interest in the Breton tradition of fest noz. [5] In 1974, he resigned from his job after his report on a committee concerning people jailed for suspected ties to the Breton Liberation Front was censored. [1] [5] He and his wife were later known as pioneers of Breton-language broadcasting. [9] [8]
Charlez ar Gall developed an interest in the history and culture of Brittany. [6] [4] He was a co-founder of the language activism organization Emgleo Breiz , contributed to the magazine Brud Nevez , and worked with Job Jaffré on a book about Breton culture, Breizh hor bro (1955). [6] [1] He was vice-president of the Société d'études de Brest et du Léon and a member of the Société archéologique du Finistère . [2] He was also part of the Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel's Brittany committee. [4]
Charlez ar Gall received awards and praise throughout his life. He and his wife were awarded with the Order of the Ermine in 1990. [7] He was also made a Commandeur of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques. [1] The Independent said that he was "one of those who strove to rekindle the flame of Breton patriotism in such difficult circumstances". [1] Le Télégramme described him as a "great voice of radio and television in Breton". [2]
Charlez ar Gall died on 3 November 2010 in Brest. [1] His archives are held in the Bibliothèque Yves-Le-Gallo at the University of Western Brittany's Centre de Recherche Bretonne et Celtique. [4]
Charlez ar Gall | |
---|---|
Born | Charles Le Gall 5 March 1921
Hôpital-Camfrout, Finistère, France |
Died | 3 November 2010
Brest, Finistère, France | (aged 89)
Occupations |
|
Employer | ORTF |
Spouse | |
Children | 2 |
Charles Le Gall (5 March 1921 – 3 November 2010), known as Charlez ar Gall, was a Breton radio broadcaster, activist, and writer. After a career in radio, he worked as a broadcaster for the ORTF's Breton-language programming until his resignation in 1974, and along with his wife Chanig ar Gall, was a pioneer in Breton-language broadcasting.
Charles Le Gall was born into an agricultural family on 5 March 1921 in Hôpital-Camfrout, a commune in the department of Finistère. [1] [2] Despite being raised in a Breton-language household, he learned French while at school. [3] In 1937, he became a student at the École Normale d'Instituteurs in Quimper, remaining there until he started teaching in 1940. [4] After starting his teaching career in his native Hôpital-Camfrout, he later moved on to Brest and Argol. [3] [1] As a teacher, he refrained from penalizing students for speaking Breton and also ran Breton-language classes for adult students. [5] [1]
While teaching in Argol, he met Jeanne-Marie Guillamet, later Chanig ar Gall. [3] The two married in 1942, and they later had two daughters. [1] After the end of World War II, he moved to Brest with his wife and joined the Ar Falz Breton-language association. [1] His last teaching post was at the Dupuy de Lôme school. [6]
Charlez ar Gall began working in Breton-language radio in 1947. [7] During the late 1950s, [a] he became the host of Radio Quimerc'h's Breton-language programme, succeeding Pêr-Jakez Helias. [4] [1] Since the station had no studio, he broadcast from his own office, doing so at least 800 times for the next seventeen years. [1] In 1962, a song that he aired, which was about the 1961 occupation of Morlaix, was deemed "seditious", causing him to receive a month-long suspension by order of the Minister of Information. [1]
In 1964, Charlez ar Gall was hired by ORTF executive Louis Le Cunff for a ninety-second Breton-language daily news segment at the new ORTF Télé-Bretagne (now France 3 Bretagne), [5] becoming the first to do so. [1] Fañch Broudig described it as "the first fixation point for TV in Breton". [5] In 1971, he and his wife became part of the first Breton magazine programme, Télé-Bretagne's Breiz o veva, with him as the host. [8] [4] His work for the news also led to a renewal of interest in the Breton tradition of fest noz. [5] In 1974, he resigned from his job after his report on a committee concerning people jailed for suspected ties to the Breton Liberation Front was censored. [1] [5] He and his wife were later known as pioneers of Breton-language broadcasting. [9] [8]
Charlez ar Gall developed an interest in the history and culture of Brittany. [6] [4] He was a co-founder of the language activism organization Emgleo Breiz , contributed to the magazine Brud Nevez , and worked with Job Jaffré on a book about Breton culture, Breizh hor bro (1955). [6] [1] He was vice-president of the Société d'études de Brest et du Léon and a member of the Société archéologique du Finistère . [2] He was also part of the Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel's Brittany committee. [4]
Charlez ar Gall received awards and praise throughout his life. He and his wife were awarded with the Order of the Ermine in 1990. [7] He was also made a Commandeur of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques. [1] The Independent said that he was "one of those who strove to rekindle the flame of Breton patriotism in such difficult circumstances". [1] Le Télégramme described him as a "great voice of radio and television in Breton". [2]
Charlez ar Gall died on 3 November 2010 in Brest. [1] His archives are held in the Bibliothèque Yves-Le-Gallo at the University of Western Brittany's Centre de Recherche Bretonne et Celtique. [4]