Chanig ar Gall (born Jeanne-Marie Guillamet; 5 May 1922 – 9 April 2012) was a French broadcaster, entertainer, and writer who specialised in Breton culture and, along with her husband Charlez ar Gall, was a pioneer in Breton-language broadcasting.
Chanig ar Gall | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jeanne-Marie Guillamet 5 May 1922 Sizun, Finistère, France |
| Died | 9 April 2012 (aged 89) Brest, Finistère, France |
| Occupations |
|
| Employer | ORTF |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Biography edit
Chanig ar Gall was born Jeanne-Marie Guillamet on 5 May 1922 in the Saint-Cadou area of Sizun, a commune in Finistère, to a family of farmers from the Crozon Peninsula.[1][2] In 1942, she married Charlez ar Gall, who at the time worked as a schoolteacher in nearby Argol, and they had two children.[2][3]
She joined her husband in Breton-language broadcasting after learning the language itself.[1] In 1964, she became part of Radio Brest's Breton radio broadcasts, the first of their kind.[1] In 1971, the two became part of the first Breton magazine programme, ORTF Télé-Bretagne (now France 3 Bretagne)'s Breiz o veva, with Chanig herself as the announcer.[1][2] She and her husband would later be known as pioneers of Breton-language broadcasting.[4][1]
She was also an actress in the Breton-language Teatr Penn ar Bed theatrical troupe,[4][5] and she participated in poetry readings in both the Breton and French languages, performing alongside Yann-Fañch Kemener, Kristen Noguès, and Triskell.[5][6] In 1992, she wrote an autobiographical book, L'Argolienne; Fañch Broudig later said that in doing so, she had "testified to a fine quality of writing".[5] Other works include Lagad an Heol, l'oeil du feu (a bilingual collection of poetry by Pêr-Jakez Helias) and contributions to Brud Nevez , a Breton literary magazine.[5] Le Telegramme described her as "one of the great performers of Breton culture over the past fifty years".[4]
She and her husband were awarded with the Order of the Ermine in 1990.[3][7] She was also awarded the Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.[6]
During her career, she was ill with cancer and made a recovery after having surgery for treatment in 1969.[5] She later appeared at several Ligue nationale contre le cancer meetings to discuss breast cancer treatment.[5]
Chanig ar Gall died on 9 April 2012 in Brest, France, more than a year after her husband's death.[1] Fañch Broudig recalled that she "was a woman of heart, a woman of Brittany and of her time."[5] Her funeral service was held in Brest on 13 April, with hundreds in attendance.[6]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f "Chanig ar Gall est décédée lundi, à Brest". maville.com (in French). 11 April 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ a b c Attard, Philippe (8 July 2015). "Argol: Channig et Charlez ar Gall au fronton de l'école" (in French). Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Charlez ar Gall: Pioneering broadcaster in the Breton language". The Independent. 10 December 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ a b c "Nécrologie: Chanig Ar Gall, pionnière des bretonnants à la télé". Le Télégramme (in French). 11 April 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Broudig, Fañch (10 April 2012). "Le décès de Chanig ar Gall". Le blog "langue-bretonne.org" (in French). Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ a b c "Chanig ar Gall (1922-2012)". Archives Charles Le Gall (in French). Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ "Chanig AR GALL ✞". Institut culturel de Bretagne (in French). Retrieved 5 September 2023.