French / Belgium
Tant qu’on l’aura sous les pieds
(Under our feet)
Pince, Chloé
(text/illus.)
[Uccle]: CotCotCot éditions, 2022. – 89 p.
ISBN 978-2-930941-41-7
Activism | Protest | Military base | Non-fiction
Reading age: 14+
White Ravens issue: 2023
Citizen protests in the 1970s against the expansion of a military base near Larzac, in the south of France, became a blueprint for peaceful resistance and civil disobedience against decisions made solely at higher levels of government, whether in France or elsewhere in the world. Fifty years on, the author and illustrator Chloé Pince explores the history and legacy of that movement. In a frankly subjective collage, she begins by presenting the historical facts, taken from political speeches and televised reporting. Digressions with personal reflections and a visit to Larzac today round out her multilayered investigation. Black-and-white illustrations on the sparingly designed pages reflect the barren beauty of the landscape. The varied sizes of the illustrations and the organic succession of texts and images propel the reader through the story. In 1981, the Larzac project was stopped. This book can be an encouragement to look beyond ideological boundaries and become engaged in essential causes such as responding to climate change. [OIS]