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France officially recognises Sea Shanties as a “National Treasure”

Les Souilles De Fond De Cale at Festival du Chant de Marin in Paimpol, Brittany, France

By Tony Goodenough

London 31 Oct 2024 | France is a country that is fiercely proud of its culture and traditions. As recognition of this, the French Ministry of Culture has produced a list of over 530 practices and activities, ranging from the social to festive, to physical etc.

As was announced on 10 September 2024, it has now recognised its rich history and culture of Sea Songs / Shanties as part of its "Patrimoine culturel immatériel,” which may be directly translated as, "Intangible Cultural Heritage" but to an English ear is more easily recognisable as “National Treasures.”

This addition to the official listing is due in particular to the tireless Michel Colleu, co-founder of the magazine "Chasse-marée" and the "Fêtes maritimes de Douarnenez,” who set about the task in 2018, starting by contacting as many singers, groups, festival directors as possible, etc.

An inventory was made, receiving more than 70 responses, half in historic Brittany, with many more in Normandy and the Vendée, making up two-thirds of the total. It highlighted the diversities of Shanties and Sea Songs, both Geographic and also linguistic, taking in not only French, but also songs in Corsican, Catalan, Flemish and Breton. Thematic diversity applies as well, since the songs can tell a wide variety of professions, and their evolution over time, from working sailing ships to yachting, since today the sea has become above all an area of leisure activities.

The purpose of the listing is to help share the culture and to keep it alive for the future, though new compositions, the promotion of performances and festivals and the encouragement of young people to join in and take the place of the older generation as they pass on.

Philippe Cornec, of the group "Mouez Port-Rhu" states the problem - “over time, as there are fewer boats and sailors, some may think that if they are not from the middle class, this is not for them. It's a shame. The world of Sea Songs and Shanties is very open and inclusive. You just have to enter it to understand that it is both dynamic and festive."

Hopefully, the official recognition of this will help to keep its spirit alive and well.

The inventory sheet on Sailor's Song will soon be available on the website of the French Ministry of Culture.

United Kingdom

Chris Ricketts

Chris Ricketts is a freelance musician that suddenly came on the maritime music scene about 2012 or so. Over the last five years he has been steadily working on Princess Cruises’ ships and has been largely unavailable for land-side concerts. He is a former teaching assistant at Priory School, and… Read more…