The Swiss - Les Suisses - Die Schweizer

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Because nothing interesting ever happened in November, the Swiss national radio and TV stations SRF, RSI, RTS and RTR will dedicate a big part of their program to a popular subject: The Swiss (Die Schweizer, Gli Svizzeri, Les Suisses, Ils Svizzers)

A Look at History

Following the model of the German pendant "Die Deutschen", six historical Swiss persons will be portrayed in four "docu-fiction" movies:

Werner Stauffacher (according to tradition, representative of the canton Schwyz at the Rütlischwur and the Battle of Morgarten)
The Warhorse and the Saint - Hans Waldmann (mayor of Zürich and military leader) and Niklaus von der Flüe (military leader, councillor, hermit, patron saint of Switzerland)
Henri Dufour (Engineer and General during the Sonderbundskrieg) - The General who saved Switzerland
Fight for the Gotthard - Alfred Escher (railway pioneer, founder of Credit Suisse and president of the national council) and Stefano Franscini (initial member of the federal council, statistician and initiator of the ETH)

Gender Controversy

When the details of the program became official, there was a lot of criticism because no women were considered for the main roles. Also, the name of the program is the male version in German ("Die Schweizer" instead of "Die SchweizerInnen", which would be inclusive of females).

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This controversy stirred quite a debate in the press and online (#dieschweizer). Some interesting suggestions have been made on females who could have been portrayed.

Unfortunately, the heroines will only be discussed in supporting programs such as in Sternstunde Philosophie or the Club Extra on this topic and a portrayal of Sophie Taeuber-Arp.

Generally, the supporting program seems to be interesting as well, especially if you are interested in learning the local language, understanding the culture and/or are generally interested in history. This is a once in a lifetime chance!

According to the Swiss way of life, each language region has to do their own thing. So each of the stations is broadcasting the documentaries at a different day and time: Check the website of your favorite Swiss station for more information!