This morning, after weeks of debate, Kyrgyzstan learned that it would host the World Nomad Games for the third time. The Turkic Council Second Working Group made the announcement in Istanbul as it met to discuss youth and sports.
WHAT IS WORLD NOMAD GAMES?
The World Nomad Games is a competition inspired by the nomadic culture of the Central Asia Countries informally called the Stans: Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan. Turkey and Mongolia also participate to these games. Sam Balf, a passionate expert on Nomadic culture explains the origins of these games: “There had been nomadic people in Central Asia since the domestication of the horse almost 3000 years ago. Since then people living in central Asia on The Eurasian Steppe have ridden horses and lived on horseback their entire lives. It is said that a child learns to ride before he learns to walk!“ This culture closely related to horses naturally makes horses a huge part of the World Nomad Games. Balf explains the different sports practised: “The three most important games are: archery, wrestling, and horseback riding! Children compete in the horseback riding because they are the lightest and travel the fastest, men are only allowed in the wrestling. Everyone can compete in the archery.“ From a western point of view these games can be considered a bit violent especially for horses, according to Diane Jagou, a student in horse osteopathy. “The risks for horses are mainly: cardiac exhaustion because they gallop really fast a long way, tendonitis because of the exercise repetition, fit of rage, hurts on their back and, hurts on their mouth because of a dangerous equipment. I’m am for the wellbeing of the horse, so creating kind of violent games, I don’t like it that much. However, highlight the impact of horses in their tradition is a good thing.“
THE WORLD NOMAD GAMES BENEFITS
The Kyrgyzstan is the creator of these games, organized for the first time in 2014. This event had such substantial impact on Kyrgyzstan tourism that even if agreements were signed to share these games with other nomadic countries, Kyrgyzstan wanted to keep it. Camille Caunu, Student in Tourism, explained: “Kyrgyzstan is an old Soviet country. It’s an unknown country and also enclosed between its high mountains. The country opened to tourism quite recently. The World Nomad Games have a huge impact because it permits to highlight the state image through its authenticity and its traditions. This event also allows to highlight its tourism offer and developing its economy. Tourism is one of the foundations of a country economy.“ In 2008, Kyrgyzstan was welcomed around 315 000 tourists and almost 3 millions of tourists in 2014. Sam Bale added “Kyrgyzstan is probably the poorest of the Stans. Then you can understand why they are so keen to keep the games hosted in Kyrgyzstan. It means income to boost their economy and provide jobs and is a boost to their cultural development and national pride.“ With such huge effects on Kyrgyzstan economy, we can understand the diplomatic fight of these last weeks. However, Camille Caunu added “All central Asia countries should benefit from these games, other nomadic countries faced the same tourism issues than Kyrgyzstan. However, it’s necessary that nomads countries agree about the World Nomad Games because tensions between countries could have a very negative impact on tourism.“ The World Nomad Games would happened in September 2018 in Kyrgyzstan, this event is a good reason for British to discover this mountainous unknown country.
In a middle of the night, in Thoiry Zoo (France), the 7 March of 2017, two poachers entered into the rhinoceros pen and killed Vince, a five years old rhinoceros to steal his horn for probably sell it on the black market. The protection of rhinoceros in their background around the world became a big deal. However, it’s the first time that an event like that happens in an Occidental zoo. This event asks the question of the security of animal in Zoos and more generally of the interest of Zoos in animal protection. Indeed, if animals are as the danger in Zoos as they are in wild what the interest of keeping them in zoos is?
1. PHILOSOPHY: HOW OUR SOCIETY CONSIDERS ANIMALS?
One of the two babies tigers of London Zoo. Credits: Aurélie Denieul
First, we have to think about how animals are considered in our society to understand why zoos were created. Philosophers thought a lot to animals spirit and conscience. In a lot of traditions, particularly in Asia, we consider animal as a reincarnation of humans. Vitalism movement considers that the living was special and could never be associated with an object, the idea of reincarnation was also a big topic for philosophers. Indeed, if we look at animals as one of our ancestors, how can we consider to eat them or to mistreated them? However, the philosopher and writer Elisabeth De Fontenay explained for Arte in 2014: “Philosophers like Descartes wanted to stop the belief in an animal soul, and he builds the “machine animal“ belief. This belief had a horrible impact on our relationship with animals.“ This statement explains in a certain way the creation of zoos, where animal became an attraction.
2. ZOOS EVOLUTION
Monkeys in London Zoo Credits: Aurélie Denieul
Lemur in London Zoo Credits: Aurélie Denieul
Merkat in London Zoo Credits: Aurélie Denieul
Zoos changed a lot since 1752 and the creation of the first zoo in Vienna. Indeed, pens are bigger, and zoos have a real interest in animal wellbeing. However, Vienna zoo was so catastrophic that even few modifications were already a big thing. Tourists rooms were larger than the runs. Nowadays, Zoos offer activities to avoid boredom and runs which look like as possible as animal’s natural environment. The mains objectives of 21rst centuries zoos are entertainment, education, protection, and research.
However, there is still progress to do. Indeed, if nowadays, western zoos created the quite good living conditions for animals, it’s not the case at all in Asia (Daily Mail article), where some zoo are even worst than Vienna Zoo in 1752. Moreover, “good conditions of living“ in western zoos is still relative. Indeed, scientist proved that zoo animals have stress and madness behaviors. Indeed, a polar bear could never have a similar climate in a zoo in Europe and will suffer from this. Finally, whatever what zoo changed, animals are still considerate as a consumption product. Families pay as due to see lions, elephants, etc. Is it ethics?
Surayaba Zoo in Indonesia Credits: Andrew Chant, Daily Mail
Surayaba Zoo in Indonesia Credits: Andrew Chant, Daily Mail
3. EDUCATION
London Zoo information poster about tigers. Credits: Aurélie Denieul
Nowadays, zoos are playing an education role, by highlight the species in danger of extinction, especially with information poster that we can find all around the zoos. The purpose of this is to inform the public about the causes of the disappearance of species and sometimes what they can do to change this.
The purpose is noble. However, most of the animals presented in zoos are not on the red list. Indeed, the animals on this red list are mainly invertebrates, birds, and reptiles but in zoos, most of the animals are mammals because it’s what the public expect to see.
4. PROTECTION PROGRAMS & RE-INTRODUCTION
Lemur in London Zoo. Credits: Aurélie Denieul
To complete the education programs zoos are making protection and re-introduction programs. For example thanks to this kind of programs, there are 400 pandas born in zoos while so few are living in nature. The panda program is a success. In zoos, we can also find 50 species that disappeared in nature. Zoos is a kind of animal conservatory.
However, these animals born in zoos became subspecies of their wild brothers. Their behaviors changed to adapt to humans, and their gene changed mainly because of consanguinity. Even if programs are made to control consanguinity, a lot of species would need new genes. Finally, on the 400 pandas born in zoos, only five were released, and two of them died because they could not adapt to wildlife.
5. IN SITU CONSERVATION
Poster for In-Situ conservation of Asiatic Lions in London Zoo. Credits: Aurélie Denieul
The In Situ conservation is another objective of zoos, and anti-zoos people also support this idea. These programs are base in the natural environment of the animals and are working to protect this environment and to create right conditions of living to increase reproduction and save the species. For Franck Schrastetter, Founder and President of Code Animal, the future of zoos is to become a protection environment for local species, closed to the visitors. (Arte, Square, 2014)
It’s the middle of the night, butthe Everest base camp is already waking up. It’s a misty morning on the South Side of the mountain that Nepali people call Sagarmatha. Sherpas are checking their equipment before beginning the climb of the Ice Fall of Khumbu. Today, Sherpas have to bring the mountaineers their equipment at Everest Camp One at 6065m. Each time before they leave, they do a Buddhist Puja. The feeling of anxiety is in the air as the Sherpas finally being their climb. Some hesitate at the sheer drop below them. It’s silent; all that can be heard is the snow crackle under their feet. Suddenly, a massive noise breaks the peace of the mountain. The Sherpas look above their heads to see snow flowing towards them. One of them screams « AVALANCHE !!!! ». The unbearable silence suddenly returns. At Base Camp, everyone is woken up by the noise, quietly shocked. A voice on the radio transmitter is screaming « Base Camp, Base Camp, We need help, so many people dead here… ». (Discovery Channel,Sherpas: Trouble on Everest)
On 18 April 2014, 16 people died in an avalanche between Base Camp and Camp One. All the victims were Sherpa guides, who were working to realize others’ dreams. It was the worst tragedy that ever happened on Everest. After this, the guides decided not to climb Everest for the rest of the year in memory of their friends.
BEING CLOSE TO DEATH MAKE THEM FEELING ALIVE
THE CONQUEST: “THEY DID NOT KNOW IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE, SO THEY DID IT“ – MARK TWAIN
Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay region of Everest (1953) Credits: Peter Hillary
Tenzing Norgay on the top of Mount Everest (1953) Credits: Peter Hillary
The 29th of May 1953, two men walk for the first time of the humanity on the top of the world, the Mount Everest. Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa Tenzing Norgay were not the first to brave the limits of the possible, but on this day they were the first to succeed. Heidi Sand, a German mountaineer that summited Mount Everest in 2012 as a remission cancer gift said about the top of the world “I still feel ice-coldly the back down when I think of this magic moment.“ Probably Hillary and Tenzing had a similar feeling. Edmund Hillary said later that he would never come back alive without the help of Tensing that bear him on the descent. This event completely changed sherpas lives thanks to the media coverage of Tenzing Norgay. He became a national hero, almost consider as a god for some. Tenzing is part of the ethnic group of Sherpas. Indeed, Sherpas became the guide of Himalaya. This event also made of them the wealthiest Nepali cast. Nowadays hundreds of expeditions go on the high Himalaya summits as Everest. These expeditions need people to bring their equipment to the different altitude camps. Sherpas guide makes this work. They carry about 20kg of equipment per trips at altitudes where life is almost impossible. Sherpas guide don’t make it once or twice as the mountaineers; they do it about 30 times in the season. More trips they do better pay they are. On the final ascent to the summit, they became the guarantors of mountaineers’ lives by holding their oxygen and often saving their lives. Sherpas have a huge respect to mountains, Ngima Sherpa, a young 25 Sherpa guide said: “Mountains are our god gift.“
THE LIMITS OF LIVING: “IF YOU CAN DREAM IT, YOU CAN DO IT“ – WALT DISNEY
Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, Summited Everest 8 times as Sherpa guide
Nowadays, people used to think that summit the Everest became accessible to almost everyone. Yes, the ascent is considerably easier than in 1953. However, the risk of dying is still high. Nowadays, Sherpas called Ice Fall Doctors take almost all the physical risk by creating a way to the summit. At the beginning of the season, they have to put ladders above crevasse and move it every day to adapt to Ice Fall modifications. Indeed, the Ice Fall because of the climate change is moving of about 1m per day.
The main risk for mountaineers today is altitude. In mountaineering, we call the zone above 7500 m, the death zone and it bears well its name. In altitude, 1/2 of people suffers from hypoxia (oxygen deficiency) which affect the cerebral ability and the proper functioning of organs. This issue can lead people to commit suicide or to take inconsiderable risks, it also leads 1/5 of people to pulmonary or cerebral edema. Most of the people died on the Everest suffered from this mountain sickness. Scientists agree on the fact that life is impossible on a long term above 7500m. People that died above this altitude stay forever there, it’s too dangerous to take down their body. It’s like a warning that mountains are making its law. Sherpa people are living in Himalaya mountains for centuries and developed a blood modifications that permits to them to better support altitude. Sherpas people have an optimized blood with a higher number of red blood cells to transport faster oxygen. Usual people can benefits of this modifications too but with a long exposition to altitude.
With so much risk why doing that? Why smelling every time in that conditions? The minds about it are quite different between mountaineers and Sherpa. Peter Hillary, New Zealander mountaineer who summited the top seven summits of the world and son of Edmund Hillary thinks “We could die every day in a car crash so why not doing incredibly dangerous things as Mount Everest.“ Heidi Sand, just quoted her favorite writer “You must try the impossible to reach the possible“We can hear a kind of fatality in Sherpa mind but also a passion. “I do this all for my children. My daughter wants to be air hostage abroad, and my son wants to be a great Lama.“ Lhakpa Sherpa, SWS Sherpa Guide explained about his motivations. Tashi Lakpa Sherpa see his job more as a contribution to his country wellbeing and said: “Our smile is for our nation!“
RISKING THEIR LIVES FOR OTHERS DREAM
THE COST OF THE MOUNTAIN
Lhakpa Sherpa, SWS Sherpa Mountain guide
Ngima Sherpa, Sherpa Mountain Guide
Mountains have two cost. Indeed, first since 1990, Everest became a business for tourism agency and people are ready to pay thousands of pounds to summit Everest. But mountains also have such higher cost, the cost of life. Since 1953, about 250 people died on the wild Everest and 1/3 of them were Sherpa guides. Who is paying the greater price? Nowadays, a mountaineer will pay a trekking agency about 50 000$ to do Everest summit and a Sherpa is paid about 5000$ for two months of work. Sherpas are well paid compare to the rest of the Nepal. However, compare to the risk take it’s quite low. Tashi Lakpa Sherpa is a famous Sherpa guide that summited eight times Everest and several times summits above 6000m. He said about their salary “How we can say enough?“.
The commercialization of trekking had an appalling impact on the risk that sherpas take. Indeed, the competition between agency lead sometimes to don’t follow the security instructions. It’s exactly what happened in 1996. Two expeditions were on the final ascent on the 10th May 1996. For the final ascent, there is a limit hour at the summit to respect (1 pm), if an expedition arrives too late, they will go down by night and weather is often bad during night. First, issues, the two Sherpas that should prepare the ropes are sick and stayed behind the group. The leader of expeditions are wasting hours and hours to fixed it. The 33 mountaineers have to wait much longer than they should. Indeed some have almost no experience of mountaineering and take time on the ropes. “We can compare it with jumping in the water without know how to swim“ the Sherpa guide Lhakpa Sherpa explained about mountaineers without experience. It’s 4 pm the last mountaineer arrived at the top. The night is coming with a strong storm. This night eight people died because the two leaders of the expeditions were in competition and wanted to do the summit to have more clients next year. This accident also lead Sherpas in the next days to take risks to try to find survivors.
“The risk that people are making the sherpas take. What is the moral justification for that?“ said a mountaineer for Discovery Channel (Sherpas Trouble on Everest, 2015) Unfortunately there a lot of stories like that. Bipin Lamichhane Sherpa Guide for Himalaya Gateway Trek, tell his worst memories of his career: “I remember, three years ago, I was doing a trek with ten people to the Annapurna, the most dangerous summit of Nepal. When we begin to climb, the mountain became like hell. Snow never stop falling and there were avalanches everywhere. I knew it was dangerous but clients wanted to go whatever the risk. We respect mother mountain and I always though it was not a good idea to continue and tried hard to bring them back to Katmandu. Unfortunately, I was not convincing enough, and some never came back.“. Peter Hillary remember of the terrible earthquake that hit Nepal in 2015 “I was at Everest Base Camp, so many people died in the avalanche caused by the earthquake and especially a lot of Sherpas. It was terrible.“
Sherpa guides are conscious of the risk they take and Ngima Sherpa just said: “I have to be brave.“ He said it like a fatality and he looks not to be the only one to think that, Bipin Lamichhane said with this same fatality in the voice “It’s my duty“. Mountaineers are divided on their responsibility about Sherpas’ lives “I don’t feel I risked the life of the Sherpas. Not at all.“ said Heidi Sand. Peter Hillary thinks he has a great responsibility it’s why he prefers that Sherpas stay in base camp when it’s possible “Sherpa get paid more and feel proud but they take greater risk and it’s a greater responsibility for us too. I don’t want that someone died to achieved MY dream.“
Documentary about the causes of the 1996 disaster on Mount Everest (National Geographic, 2016)
THE UNSUNG HEROES
Peter and Edmund Hillary by phone on the top of Everest (2002)
Peter Hillary and Jamling Norgay, sons of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
“I’m happy if someone is trying their best to achieve its dream. But sometimes because people wants celebrity they don’t show our hard work to help them achieved it, that’s why we are the unsung heroes!“ Tashi Lakpa Sherpa explained about the lack of gratitude towards Sherpas. He explained that without Sherpas help most of the people that trying Everest will not succeed or will die. It’s how Sherpas’ life is going, working behind the clients, always smiling and let them believe that they are heroes. Ngima Sherpa highlights a quite strong feeling we can have when we are talking to Sherpas: “I think Sherpa people are naturally shy.“ He explained it’s probably why we don’t hear that much about Sherpas in the International news. The mountaineer Peter Hillary have the same mind on it even if progress were made: “Media give more and more the speaking to those who deserve it. But it’s true that media don’t mention that much Sherpas.“
Lhakpa Sherpa
Lhakpa Sherpa
Himalaya Gateway Trek
Himalaya Gateway Trek
Peter Hillary also highlights the fact that Sherpas are not really interested in celebrity or usual gift. “Himalayan Trust was created by friendship. My father wanted to know if there something that he could do for sherpas and he honestly though they will ask for more money or holidays in America, the usual answers. One of his Sherpa friends said, “Would you build us a school for our children ? ». My father accepted and created Himalayan Trust. Sherpa could be able to get an education and develop their lives. We build 42 schools and hospitals, and we also lead education program in Sherpas land. They are now able to move in other areas of jobs than mountaineering or farming.“ He added “My father could never do what he did without Tenzing, and would not come back alive. Tenzing bore him to go down. I was born in 1954, I would not even exist without Sherpas. We have to be grateful, they give us the opportunity to summit the impossible.“
Guillaume Anton, a young experienced skier from Strasbourg (France) was taken into an avalanche in La Plagne (France, Alpes) when he was filming himself with his Go Pro, the 3rd March of 2017. Guillaume Anton miraculous survived and posted the video on his Facebook and made a buzz.
Guillaume Anton was skiing off-piste in La Plagne when the snow breaks suddenly under his feet. He keeps filming. We can see him disappear under the snow. Finally, he stays almost on the top of the flowing snow and he is only partially buried. Shocked he decided to use this video as prevention for avalanche risk.
Since the beginning of the winter season, two avalanches killed skiers in the Alpes. Guillaume Anton uses his story to highlight the risk of the mountain and pay homage to victims. He posted the video with the message : “The mountain is a magical place that can take us very far. However, it remains a very dangerous playing field. This evening I lit a candle. I am well aware of my luck. Be careful” according to the Mirror’s Article. Indeed the facebook post was deleted since the video became viral.
Guillaume Anton Facebook Post Captured by 20minutes.fr
How has Natural horse riding changed the equestrian world ?
Lygnus de Morgane and Diane Jagou
Lygnus de Morgane, French Trotter
ATE Lot
Olympia Horse Show 2015
The chestnut French Trotter is peacefully watching every single action of his young rider, walking at his side. It’s a wonderfully nice winter evening, on the beach at sunset. A slight mist makes the couple shiver in a perfect harmony between the horse and the rider. Diane Jagou, 18, a French rider, is carrying out an ethology session with her 17-year-old, horse completely free on the beach of Saint Lunaire.
Hundreds of kilometers away, in London, the exhibitors are arranging the last details of their stands at the Olympia Horse Show. They include the Equestrian Tourism Association of Lot, ATE (South of France). Everything should be ready for the opening of UK’s biggest Horse Show. Horses feel the stress in the air and a young woman soothes them by whispering « magic words » in their ears and the horses are now relaxed.
WHAT’S ETHOLOGICAL HORSE RIDING ?
Quite recent in the UK, ethological horse riding, also known as natural horse riding, is the way to communicate with horses while including his mental health. It comes from ethology science which studies animal behavior. This improvement of our capacity to create a soft relationship with the animal interest especially equestrian world. Ethological horse ridding is now represented in horse shows, such as the Olympia Horse Show. The Olympia Horse Show will take place from the 13th to the 19th of December 2016 in London.
National Geographic magazine crosses the Channel to meet the fan and professional of ethological horse riding in France. Even if the discipline was born in the US with the horse whisperers, it became quickly popular in France at the beginning of the 21rst century. Diane Jagou, a student in Equine Osteopathy at Ecole d’Ostéopathie Animale Mécaniste of Rennes, describe ethological horse riding with four words which passionates often use : « Passion, bonding, trust and understanding ».
SPEAKING HORSE
Most of the riders learned how to ride in the traditional way. It is when they faced a seemingly overwhelming difficulty that they had to find another way. It is what happened for Diane Jagou, rider since she was 6. Three years ago a French Trotter, Lygnus de Morgane came into her life, to enjoy his retirement after a life dedicated to trot races. Lygnus was trained to do races. Diane had to work on his mind to make of him a peaceful leisure horse. « Traditional horse ridding didn’t work with him, he was too focus on what he learned before, I had to make the work interesting for him » Diane said. She also explained what changed with ethological horse riding « As a rider, it enabled me to have a strong bond with Lygnus, with much trust between us, with all the advantages of this relationship during the more traditional horse riding work. » Softness seems to be the key to the horse’s mind, Diane, who often works in the wilderness, describes her work as « the most natural way as possible ».
TRUST CAN MAKE US TOUCH THE STARS
When Diane remove the heater, Lygnus doesn’t move and waits to play with his rider. She begins to walk, followed by the French Trotter, and when she then trots, Lygnus mimics her. There are no speaking between them but we can feel a perfect connection. This is a strange feeling when we realize the horse and his rider created a language only understandable by themselves. How did this 18 year old girl learn to speak horse ? She explains to us that it came as an instinct. « You don’t have to learn, you have to feel » she said. Since 3 months ago, Diane made of her passion her future work by studying Equine Osteopathy where ethology has an important place to keep horses calm during handling. « Ethology enables not to force horses and we are more attentive. It’s almost like the horse tells us where he is in pain » After two years of work, Diane made of Lygnus, who was terrified by obstacle and gallop, a horse who feels comfortable in every discipline. Lygnus follows Diane with an unconditional trust whatever they go.
WHERE TO FIX THE LIMITS ?
Ethological horse riding can be interpreted in many different ways with the risk it involves. Some riders, such as Carole Tassin, 25, and a home helper, learn ethological horse riding with an ethologist : « I discover ethological horse riding with Philippe Richard. This course enables me to get the basis of mutual respect. » Carole explained that gentle work doesn’t mean letting the horse do everything he wants. Speaking horse is understanding their code. In a herd, they are a dominant stallion and an old dominant mare. All the horses have to show their submission in a lot of different way but each horse has to keep its own space, where no other horse, even dominant, can enter without permission. The Human race is the only one to let people walk all over them, and horses often use this to became dominant. In that case, ethological horse riding can become dangerous. « By wanting to be too soft we can forget to fix limits. It can be dangerous for the horse and for the rider. We have to respect the deep nature of horses » explained Carole. Ethology isn’t for everyone, the rider needs to be dominant.
ETHOLOGICAL HORSE RIDING AND HORSE SHOW
Almost 70% of the riders asked think Ethological horse riding is not enough represented in Horse shows. Last year, Jean François Pignon, a famous French whisperer, represented this discipline at Olympia Horse Show. We met the ATE Lot which represents horse trekking at Olympia Horse Show to talk about ethological horse riding : « Concerning ethology, it seems that the use of scientific discoveries on animal behavior, including those of man, for various purposes, is also in the air. » Charline Chevalier, ATE manager said. She also admitted that although ethological horse riding had more exposure these last years in Horses Shows, they still missed ambassadors like the Pignon Family to support this discipline.
It’s a soft winter evening, the sun is going down. I can feel, this prickly January cold wind. I open the door of the typical Briton house. Inside, fire in a hearth creates a warm atmosphere. I can hear the fire crackle skimmed the boiled chestnuts. I can smell orange peel and cinnamon which are slowly cooked in the mulled wine with my grandfather behind the stove. He smiles when he see me and invites me to sit on the cozy sofa with a cup of mulled wine. The dog is lying near the hearth, trying to warm up of this cold winter day, he looks at me few seconds and put back peacefully his head on the wood floor. My grandfather takes some old photo album and books. His blond hair became white since a while but his smile and the joy in his eyes never grow old. He takes his glasses and said, « Now we can start. ».
UNLUCKY OR UNCONCIOUS?
« Start by the beginning, when the germans arrived,» he said showing me old pictures. My grandfather, Henri Denieul was born in 1930 in Evran, a village lost in the heart of Brittany, surrounded by pasturage. When germans arrived in May 1940, he was only 8 and lived the most sadly famous years of 20th Century History.
His first though when he thinks to the invasion was to his father, Joseph Denieul, 41 in 1940. « I remembered that my dad was working in the Arsenal of Rennes as a civil worker when germans arrived… » It’s noon, Joseph and his colleague are going to lunch in a restaurant near the Arsenal. Alphonse is talking proudly of the new tools that he bought. Joseph his making fun of him, It’s just insignificant tools…
It’s almost the end of the break, Joseph and his colleague had to go back to work. The restaurateur alarms them « Germans are coming! » Joseph and his colleagues thank restaurateur. Joseph did 40km by bike to arrived in Evran where my grandfather, his brother, and sister was happy to see him before germans.
Alphonse goes back to Arsenal to pick up his tools first. He tries to find it quickly but it was spread all around the room. Suddenly, he hears a locker noise. He runs until the doors trying to open it. Too late, germans closed it. « Alphonse was imprisoned until 1945 in Czechoslovakia » Conclude Henri laughing.
I’m questioning why is he laugh, it’s not funny? He answered me that these tools don’t matter what happened to him, so it’s as much sad than it’s funny. « Life hang by a thread » He conclude.
WAR IS NOT A GAME FOR KIDS
When germans arrived, some hours after Joseph, in this straightforward village of France, everything was disrupted. One of the main thing that leave its mark on my grandfather was the school. Indeed, when germans arrived the school was requisitioned. Two of three class moved into the church and the last one in an abandoned house. All children get back together for the break around the church. « We were all playing around the church when one of my friends found something that looks like a big ball. Everyone was curious and look to it. Then, the teacher calls us to come back into class. We will play later and my friend throws it away near the church wall. We all jump by surprise when we heard the big ball explode, creating a little hole in the wall. It was a grenade. We were all lucky that didn’t explode in front of us.» He sadly said.
I feel that this story especially touched him when he realized, that war was everywhere even on the playground. My grandfather is probably too shy to show how much it’s affected him. I try to know more about his feeling but he avoids the question, trying to keep good memories on sad events. It looks like he always wants to detach himself of its own story. I ask him: Do you have good memories of war? « We can’t have good memories but we don’t have sad memories too, we just deal with it. »
THE SOUND OF WAR
It could look like an American action movie today but 74 years ago it was everyday life. In 1943, in the land of Dinan, a plane battle broke out between germans and Americano-English. «I remember that I was in the garden of a friend of my father, Leopold, when we heard plane fighting. » Henri said. Above the little Henri, there are Americans with an enormous squadron. Henri tries to recognize Americans plane. Leopold explains to Henry that they took off from the United Kingdom and there are here to free them. Lost in their contemplation, they are wake up by the whistle of bullets around them. « Come back into the house, it’s dangerous » said Leopold. Henri continues to watch the battle by the window scared but with admiration for Americans. Suddenly an American plane is falling and exploded before touching the ground. Henri worried, what happened to them? None of the Americans inside survived the crash, Henri learned some days after.
Damages of theses battles were considerable all around the region, St Malo and Bruz were completely destroyed. Especially in Bruz, my grandfather remembers what his uncles told: « One night, Americans had to bombs a church near Bruz were germans stayed but American used to bomb really high in the sky without precision. They bomb the wrong church where there was a Mass. This mistake destroyed complete families. Even some grave turned over… »
I’m puzzled does people who lived there was angry against Americans? This mistake cost so many lives… « Not at all, they freed us that all what matter for my uncle, he never complained about it. » answer my grandfather peacefully.
« THANK YOU FOR FREEDOM »
When we talk about Americans, he is immediately thinking to the Liberation. I can see that this moment was incredibly important for him and how much he is grateful to Americans and British. « This Wednesday morning Germans made return trip, completely lost, made explode some bridge as the Viaduc of Dinan but that did not stop Americans. We leave everything that we did when we heard that Americans are coming. They paraded with their tanks and give us caramel, chewing gum and chocolate. We were finally free. » I can see so much joy in his deep blue eyes when he tells me that. He concludes by saying in front of the camera with a huge admiration as he was directly talking to General De Gaulle « Thank you for Freedom ».
Just as his side my grandmother have not the same feeling of this strong history moment. Stayed quiet during all the interview she finally talks: « When I’ve seen Americans, I was scared. We though it was germans that came back with their tanks and guns. I did not realize that was the Liberation but I was only 11, so it was confused for me. » They lived at two kilometers from each other and they had a so different view of this event. Memories are really a personal issue.
It’s the end of the interview, my grandfather tidies his paper. I switch off the camera and I feel like I’ve meet a new part of my grandfather. I knew the confident old man but I discover the child. I’ve seen the war in his eyes: innocent, curious. When I leave the house I think again to his relationship with soldiers, some were just little boys like him that wanted to get back home and who finally died in Stalingrad. I suddenly realize that they are no good or bad side in a war, just humans fighting against humans, that life can be hang by a thread of tools or of a big ball. There so many memories that I could not develop in this piece but I kept everything on a video tape.
The Cat around the World 