Friday, June 06, 2014

D-Day in French schools

Le débarquement des Alliés en Normandie, à Juno Beach, le 6 juin 1944. © DR
I asked my youngest (13, in 5ème) if they had spoken about the Normandy Landings at school. You would think it would be a fantastic opportunity to learn more about what happened, and why.

He told me that, no, no mention of D-Day had been made. No allusion, hint or suggestion. Not even a recommendation to watch the documentary that was on TF1 last night using film and words from those who were there.

Talk about shocked. I was horrified. What a missed opportunity to learn, educate, understand, and... keep the memories alive.

Then, today, I read this article on the Landings, June 6, and the French. Here is the sorry explanation.

Longtemps, le 6 juin 1944 a figuré dans l'angle mort de la mémoire collective française. Dès août, lors de la libération de Paris, de Gaulle avait réécrit l'histoire : nous nous étions libérés seuls. Les Américains ? Les Anglais ? Pas vus. 

... en France, la peur du déclin est bien antérieure à la guerre de 39-45. Mais avec la débâcle et l'Occupation, "elle se métamorphose pour devenir profondément tragique et dramatique". La nation a été frappée dans sa dignité. Tout ce qui lui évoque cette blessure la fait vaciller. D'où notre propension à minimiser l'action des Anglais durant le conflit. Puissance du même ordre que la France, allié privilégié, l'Angleterre, durant la guerre, a montré une détermination et un courage churchilliens qui nous renvoient à nos ombres : d'où le fait qu'elle nous soit si insupportable.

Translation
For a long time, June 6th, 1944 appeared as a blind spot in the French collective memory. As soon as August, during the liberation of Paris, de Gaulle rewrote the history: we released ourselves. The Americans? The English? Not seen. 

... In France, the fear of decline dates back to before the war of 39-45. But with the collapse and the Occupation, " it metamorphosed into become profoundly tragic and dramatic ". The nation's dignity was wounded. Everything which evokes this injury, makes the nation tremble. This is where our inclination to minimize the action of the English during the conflict comes from. As a similar Power to France, and privileged ally, England, during the war, showed a determination and a 
Churchillian courage which reminds us of our ghosts: which is why it is so unbearable for us.


Wounded dignity. Ingrates.

I told my youngest he could stay up to watch the whole programme which recounted D-Day to the liberation of Paris. He was fascinated. He can stay up tonight too, to watch France 2 or Arte which both have interesting looking documentaries on the subject.

At least the media is taking advantage of the commemorations to bring us educational programmes even if teachers are ignoring the whole event. I suppose it's not on the syllabus... and if it's not on the syllabus, it doesn't exist.

History syllabus for 5ème:
10% beginnings of Islam
10% Feudalism in the west
10% Sub-Saharan African civilisation
40% Towards the Modern Age: 15th -17th centuries (Columbus, Empires, Renaissance, religious crisis, science)
The rest of the time is taken up by geography and civic education which are all lumped into the same slot.

True, D-Day is not in that, so despite being responsible for the gathering of several million people, including heads of state, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the event that was responsible for liberating France and freeing it from the Nazi menace, it gets no mention in school. They're learning about Mali instead. Right...

And the D-Day memories? Ni vus, ni connus.

20 comments:

  1. Interesting.

    I think it's very hard to know how to remember battles. We need to honour the dead, but we need to move on, as nations. I worry that we're wallowing a bit much in the 1914-18 memories at the moment. Do we really want the next generation to be as weighed down with it as we have been? For the D-Day 70th anniversary stuff, I suppose it's the last opportunity to honour the veterans. Not many will be around for the 80th.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. On the tele, they (media, politicians) talk about keeping the memories alive, but how can you do that if the kids are all at school and being told nothing about the event. There is so much of this hypocrisy and posturing these days, it makes my stomach churn.

      The least the teachers could do is recommend the kids watch a documentary on the television, but saying nothing is denying it. They are teachers for gods sake. Is there no communication outside the syllabus?

      Delete
  2. My 13 yr old is in 4e and has said they will be doing the Second World War next year. This will include a visit to Oradour sur Glane, also remembering it's 70th anniversary this June. We will be taking Ed to Normandy this summer to educate him further!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good for you, Jacquie. I've always wanted to take mine to Normandy too, but it's so expensive from Montpellier that I've never been able to do it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'd like the French journalists to have a bit of training so that they can pronounce the names of the beaches correctly. It took me ages to work out that there isn't a town on the Normandy coast called "Sous-horde", nor "Soeurd" - they were referring to Sword beach. Sigh.
    I'mm check if rugby boy have covered it in history yet, but I doubt it - there is little room in the programme for the second world war, and it probably concentrates on the Vichy régime and why Pétain was a very naughty boy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My son told me that one of his classmates brought up the subject in class and there was a brief discussion. It took a kid to raise the issue. Otherwise no mention would have been made. Not even a suggestion to watch the events on tele. I just find it unbelievable.

      Teachers are supposed to talk about subjects that have nothing to do with education, like gender theory, but an historical super-event like D-Day is treated with silence. Just what is their role?!

      Delete
  5. I am not surprised that D-Day isn't in the French curriculum. I don't like it, but I am not surprised. I belong to a generation that never studied Napoleon. I don't know why. To make matters even worse, the curriculum keeps changing. I suppose that it is our role, as a parent, to talk about what has happened. My grandparents used to talk about D-Day with tears in their eyes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You never studied Napoleon? Good grief! I remember a visit by my French penfriend when I was 16. My brother, a history buff, asked her what history she studied in school. She replied "French victories". To which he cheekily replied "You can't study much then". :)

      Delete
  6. They're probably still smarting about Agincourt! ;)

    Luckily, over here daughter (age 10) learned about D-Day and came home asking to see the start of "Saving Private Ryan". School had recommended they watch it if their parents allowed (it is a certificate 15). We let her watch it and then talked about it. I think it is important to remember, otherwise history may repeat itself.

    Maybe the French would prefer to forget and just hope they are never invaded again.

    But what if the allies forgot to liberate them?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed, WM. Actually I'm not sure how much of France will be left that is worth liberating. The authorities are doing their best to wreck both social structure and cultural heritage by dividing the population and promoting new cultural norms.

      Delete
  7. How depressingly typical.
    When I was first in France older neighbours had been through the Occupation and were heartily glad to have been liberated - though not so much because of the Germanthemselves as the spirit of denunciation and settling of scores in that period.
    Did Basil Fawlty borrow 'don't mention the war; from the French authorities?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Occupation obviously brought out the worst in a lot of people showing that being civilized is merely a thin veneer that cracks during periods of great stress.

      Delete
  8. Gregory told me he didn't learn about it in school either.
    What is that saying... those that do not learn from their past... :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The history syllabus in France is extremely peculiar. My eldest said that every year they learned the same stuff but in more detail as the years went by. Seems WWII didn't play much part of it. A rather huge omission, imo.

      Delete
  9. I've no idea what happened in schools in Normandy, Sarah,but I know from our experience over the past seven summers in France, that D-Day and the liberation of occupied France are still remembered and commemorated every year in our area (southern Manche), not just on big anniversaries. Through July and early August there are reports in every week's edition of our local paper about one or other village or small town commemorating its day of liberation and school children are usually involved in the ceremony. And despite de Gaulle's best efforts there is no doubt in Norman minds about who brought liberation - the Allies!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad to hear it, Perpetua. My kids have to learn from the tele, and thank god for Arte and FR2 for their documentaries!

      Delete
  10. How interesting that is. Harold MacMillan, who worked with de Gaulle (?) during the war, had a feeling the French were embarrassed by the BRITISH actions while relatively few French stood up to the invasion. History is often rewritten.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is, indeed, Adullamite. I suppose it's understandable, if annoying for seekers after truth.

      Delete
  11. I'm utterly speechless. To completely deny what America and GB did for beloved France? How much more proof does one country need, than to look at all the headstones sitting along the shoreline. Shocking.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gratitude is a difficult emotion to deal with. Some people just can't cope with it...

      Delete

Comments are bienvenue.