Fraternal lands: Occitan paths

The Terres fraternelles project is an initiative of the association les militants des savoirs, which aims to collect and share stories of fraternity between men and women in the history of Occitanie and Haute Garonne. In the face of the hatred, racism and anti-Semitism affecting our region and department, we have chosen to talk about our Occitan histories, where courage, hospitality and fraternity have been the torches of peace.

“Terres fraternelles” is a collaborative project involving people from all walks of life, from academics to historians to ordinary citizens. Coordinated by a scientific committee that brings together experts in Occitan histories, with the help of the “Chemins de la république”, the Musée départementale de la résistance and the archives départementales, the project focuses on gestures of fraternity, such as welcome, work, care, mutual aid, tolerance, commitment, fraternization, refusal, thought, struggle, resistance, audacity, action, liberation and federation over a broad period ranging from the Calas affair to the liberation of Toulouse in 1944. These gestures are collected through historical accounts, testimonies, photographs and videos, and put into text with a view to popular and educational education. The Terres fraternelles project is a 16-panel exhibition and a recital of lively Occitan, Catalan, Sephardic and Spanish songs, showing that fraternity in Haute Garonne is still a living source of inspiration.