A Song for Spanish Miners
Natalio Cosoy meets the miners of northern Spain who sing to their patron saint Santa BΓ΅rbara Bendita, in the hope that she will watch over them in uncertain times ahead.
In the Spanish mining town of Turon a male choir meets once a week and sings to the patron saint of miners Santa BΓ΅rbara Bendita. Miners have been singing this beautiful song since 1934, in memory of four miners killed in a mining accident in the Maria Luisa mine.
Coal mining, once a major industry in Spain, has been in decline for years and in the next few years the EU's subsidies for non-profitable pits will stop altogether. For most miners the closure of pits signals the death of their communities.
Natalio Cosoy travels to northern Spain to talk to the miners and their families. Will Santa BΓ΅rbara Bendita watch over them as they face an uncertain future?
Producer: James Fletcher.
(Image: The Miners’ Choir of Turon rehearse every week in Northern Spain, a tradition which stretches back to the 1920s. Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Copyright)
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- Thu 4 Sep 2014 03:32GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Online
- Thu 4 Sep 2014 08:05GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Online
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