Voics of Brittany is a series of short interviews offered by Yes Breizh.
Through five simple questions, Breton women and men from different backgrounds share their vision for the future of Brittany.
Their answers are published as they are, without modification.
Who is Maïlys Princé, aka Bretonne/Bretonez?
Maïlys Princé, known as BretonneBretonez on social media, is one of those Breton women who have chosen to reclaim their culture and pass it on in turn.
In 2018, with the desire to speak Breton to her daughter, she began learning the language. This personal approach opened the doors to a history and cultural wealth that she now wishes to share. She also discovered that the language spoken during her childhood was Gallo, another essential component of the Breton linguistic heritage.
Through her presence on social media, Maïlys Princé helps to make the language, history, and cultures of Brittany accessible. She upholds a simple belief: one does not need to have grown up speaking Breton or Gallo to be interested in their roots, to learn about them, and to participate in their transmission.
His view of Brittany thus combines cultural transmission, civic engagement and reflection on autonomy. For her, bringing Breton languages and cultures to life involves both individual initiatives and collective choices.
In this new interview with Voice of Brittany, Maïlys Princé talks about her journey, the young people’s attachment to Brittany, and the different ways of getting involved for their future.
When did you realize that Brittany held such an important place in your life?
I think it’s learning Breton, starting in 2018, so that I can speak it with my daughter at home.
I discovered a wealth of cultural and historical knowledge that made me want to pass on that knowledge and also talk about history and politics. At the same time, I discovered that the language I had heard at home when I was little was Gallo.
What view do you have of young people’s attachment to Brittany today?
I think that we can reclaim our culture at any age, even without having grown up speaking Breton or Gallo.
The Internet makes language and history accessible to new people. But this interest must also be able to be translated into concrete transmission.
What makes Brittany so strong today?
It is the Bretons and the Bretons who make the cultures of Brittany live.
A language or a history cannot be transmitted on its own: it takes people to learn them, to share them and to make them evolve.
In which areas would greater responsibility for Brittany be useful?
I am thinking in particular of the transmission of Breton languages and cultures, but also of transport, public services and land development.
The essential question is how decisions can better respond to the realities experienced in Brittany. The autonomy of Brittany can answer this.
What message should be given to young people who love Brittany but don’t dare to get involved?
Don’t wait to become experts or perfectly legitimate to start out.
Learning a few words, passing on a story, joining an association: it all counts.
And above all, don’t forget that everything is political: the language you learn, the culture you transmit, and the society in which you choose to live.
Yes Breizh warmly thanks Maïlys Princé (BretonneBretonez) for her time, the sincerity of her answers and her commitment to the transmission of Breton languages and cultures.
Follow Maïlys on her social networks Facebook and Instagram
