57. Women At War 5: The Survivor I (Marie-José Wilborts)

When we came back, nobody wanted to know. ― Loulou Le Porz, Ravensbruck survivor

It’s the two-part conclusion of the miniseries: Women In War. This episode was a long time coming. I struggled to read the stories of Ravensbruck concentration camp. How can I pay tribute to these brave women? But I knew the story of French women during World War II would be incomplete without confronting the truth of the camp. 

Note: This episode is much darker than any previous episodes of this podcast. Please consider this a content warning for, well, just about everything. If you just discovered the show via the newest issue of France-Amérique Magazine, welcome! You might want to start with a lighter episode, like this one or this one.

Episode 57: “Women At War 5: The Survivor I (Marie-José Wilborts)”

Marie-Jo, the children’s guardian

Marie-José Chombart de Lauwe, a.k.a. Marie-José Wilborts, grew up determined to “do something with my life.” She certainly did: fighting in the Résistance, protecting the children of Ravensbruck concentration camp, and devoting her entire life to the study of childhood, and the advocation of children’s rights. She is an incredible woman, and at the age of 96 she is still going strong! 

Above: Marie-Jo tells the story of her years in Ravensbruck and Mauthausen concentration camps.

I adore this recent interview with Marie-Jo – look at her cozy home! Here, continuing her lifelong advocacy of children’s well-being, she discusses the state of children’s education today:

Transcript

Bienvenue and welcome back to the Land of Desire. I’m your host, Diana, and if you’re just discovering the show from this month’s France-Amerique Magazine, welcome! I wouldn’t start with these episodes, as they’re the end of a miniseries, and pretty different in tone from the rest of the podcast. Instead, consider episode 22, “The Sweet Life of French Bees” or episode 6, “Manet & Morisot & Manet”. I hope you enjoy!

At long last, we’ve reached the end of Women at War, my look at French women’s experiences during World War II. It took months before I could release these episodes, for one simple reason: it was too painful to research. I couldn’t possibly tell the story of French women during World War II without covering the story of Ravensbruck, but I want to warn my listeners now: this is a gruesome episode. I am not interested in sugar coating the experiences of concentration camp victims. If they can bring themselves to tell their stories, I can bring myself to listen and share with you. However, I want my listeners to know that this story is very upsetting, and just about every trigger you can imagine is here. It is not appropriate for children. With that said, learning about Ravensbruck deepened my understanding of the female experience of World War II, and of concentration camps in general. I am particularly grateful to the writers Anne Sebba, author of Les Parisiennes, and Sarah Helm, author of Ravensbruck, for their dedication to tracking down Ravensbruck survivors in the 21st century. It is a testament to how deeply women’s roles in the Resistance have been overlooked that so many participants have never had a chance to tell their stories before now. I would encourage anyone interested in learning more about womens’ lives during World War II to begin with those two books. With that disclaimer, here’s part one of the conclusion of Women At War: “The Survivor.”

In the northeastern corner of Germany sits an expanse so beautiful it is often called “the land of a thousand lakes.