Photo Essay: Hopes of Charcoal
FORALLAC, GIRONA, SPAIN (OCTOBER 2023)
Every year and during an entire month, the Catalan municipality of Forallac reproduces the pre-industrial work of the local coalmen. From scratch, they build a charcoal pile the way it was traditionally done in the area using short logs. With the advent of new forms of energies, this practice became obsolete and with it the wisdom of the coalmen on how to build the charcoal piles and extract the charcoal risked disappearing. They've already lost two generations of coal workers who passed away without having the chance to pass on their knowledge.
However, for the last 30 years a small group of people, including the Mayor of Forallac, put their efforts to protect the knowledge behind this tough practice. The coalmen sleep in hatches in the bushes to keep an eye on the charcoal pile 24/7. For that, they have to wake up every 2.5 hours to check on the pile and make sure it keeps burning. The process involves some dangers and it is very hard on them. They have to climb to the top of the pile, whilst being surrounded by thick smoke that nearly blinds them. They also endure a strong heat that is very difficult to bear and makes breathing difficult. Despite this being a job they do voluntarily, they take it very seriously and do what's required to keep the pile burning until the end of the process. They observe, use their intuition and make collective decisions on what to do next to ensure the charcoal pile works as intended.
Forallac's charcoal pile is much more than just the recreation of a tradition. And some would even say the charcoal pile itself is somehow the least important thing. In the region, it has become a symbol of a communitarian way of life and of the preservation of a very important set of values. The charcoal pile is a place where people gather in an environment in which old lifestyles and ways of being with the community and with nature are brought back to life.
It is a form of intangible heritage that is kept alive by the communities who keep spending time there on a daily basis with family and friends. They gather and cook their meals, talk to each other and keep company to the coal workers whilst they enjoy being surrounded by nature. It provides an extremely valuable space for social cohesion and of protection of their collective history and of the Mediterranean lifestyle. Both the people and the coalmen become the guardians of a tradition they are committed to preserve for as long as they are alive.
