Perdu
30-04-02, 02:03
Ljouwert/Leeuwarden 29/4/02 , by Onno P. Falkena
Liet Ynternasjonaal, the first European song contest for minority languages this weekend ended in a clear victory for the Catalan band Pomada. Their traditional rap-song with audio-samples 'En Pere Galleri' won both the public vote and the first price of the jury. The Breton band Stone Age ended second, and the Sámi band Angelit from Finland came third. The event featured ten bands singing in ten different minority languages: Basque, Breton, Catalan, Frisian, Irish, Kashubian (from Poland), Northfrisian (from Germany), Occitan, Sami and Welsh. It was, as far as the organisation is aware, the first time ever that a song contest featuring only minority languages was organised. The linguistic diversity was also heard when the ten members of the jury gave their points in their mother tongue, followed by a translation in English and Frisian.
Pomada, a group founded by Carlos Belda and Helena Casas, was quite overwhelmed by their unexpected success. 'We came to Friesland because we like the opportunity to meet musicians from other cultures. We never even thought about winning', says accordion player Carlos Belda. According to the jury, which was composed by representatives from all participating regions, Pomada deserved to win because of its performance which was 'full of fun and vitality, entertaining both the audience and themselves'. The first price consists of a number of gigs at large festivals, the first one being the Oerol festival on the Frisian island of Skylge/Terschelling in June this year.
The Catalan jury member, journalist Pep Bley, who was not allowed to vote for Pomada, was delighted by the Catalan victory. 'Usually people only know Catalunya for its football and the Sagrada Familia of Gaudi. Our music is hardly known outside Catalunya. I hope that this victory will help us to change that.'
The goal of Liet Ynternasjonaal is to promote to the cultural diversity of Europe, not only linguistically, but from a cultural and musical point of view. In practice this means that Liet wants to stimulate bands, which succeed in combining traditional elements with contemporary music. Liet also aims to present bands that are not well known outside their own linguistic community.
'I think it is a very good idea to bring bands singing in minority languages together', singer Juanma Gil of the Basque band Bat Bitten says.
'Before I came here I did not know that there was such a thing as a Frisian language and identity, but I will not forget that now', says singer Isabelle Franįois of the Occitan group Mescladissa. Many bands eagerly tried to pick up a few words of Frisian in order to greet and thank the Frisian audience in their own language.
Liet presented itself as an alternative to the much larger Eurovision song contest, which will take place in Tallinn, Estonia, on May 25th. At the Eurovision song contest the overwhelming majority of all entries will be sung in English, and many songs sound much the same and therefore hardly represent the European diversity. The jury of Liet Ynternasjonaal on the other hand, disapproves of music which sounds 'too mainstream', Beart Oosterhaven, president of the jury explains.
After the song contest all bands were given another 30 minutes to perform at three different stages, during which the jury deliberated the result. Liet Ynternasjonaal took place in De Harmonie, Friesland's largest theatre, and attracted an enthousiastic crowd. Liet Ynternasjonaal was also widely noticed by international press. BBC World made a report, as well as Omrop Fryslân and the Dutch World Service. The event was also visited by journalists from newspapers such as the Frankfurter Algemeine Zeitung, the Basque language newspaper Egunkaria and the large Dutch newspaper NRC/Handelsblad. Newspapers praised the initiative for its originality and for the quality and variety of the programme. Liet was organised with financial support from the city council of the Frisian capital Ljouwert/Leeuwarden and the Provincial authorities. (EL)
www.eurolang.net
Liet Ynternasjonaal, the first European song contest for minority languages this weekend ended in a clear victory for the Catalan band Pomada. Their traditional rap-song with audio-samples 'En Pere Galleri' won both the public vote and the first price of the jury. The Breton band Stone Age ended second, and the Sámi band Angelit from Finland came third. The event featured ten bands singing in ten different minority languages: Basque, Breton, Catalan, Frisian, Irish, Kashubian (from Poland), Northfrisian (from Germany), Occitan, Sami and Welsh. It was, as far as the organisation is aware, the first time ever that a song contest featuring only minority languages was organised. The linguistic diversity was also heard when the ten members of the jury gave their points in their mother tongue, followed by a translation in English and Frisian.
Pomada, a group founded by Carlos Belda and Helena Casas, was quite overwhelmed by their unexpected success. 'We came to Friesland because we like the opportunity to meet musicians from other cultures. We never even thought about winning', says accordion player Carlos Belda. According to the jury, which was composed by representatives from all participating regions, Pomada deserved to win because of its performance which was 'full of fun and vitality, entertaining both the audience and themselves'. The first price consists of a number of gigs at large festivals, the first one being the Oerol festival on the Frisian island of Skylge/Terschelling in June this year.
The Catalan jury member, journalist Pep Bley, who was not allowed to vote for Pomada, was delighted by the Catalan victory. 'Usually people only know Catalunya for its football and the Sagrada Familia of Gaudi. Our music is hardly known outside Catalunya. I hope that this victory will help us to change that.'
The goal of Liet Ynternasjonaal is to promote to the cultural diversity of Europe, not only linguistically, but from a cultural and musical point of view. In practice this means that Liet wants to stimulate bands, which succeed in combining traditional elements with contemporary music. Liet also aims to present bands that are not well known outside their own linguistic community.
'I think it is a very good idea to bring bands singing in minority languages together', singer Juanma Gil of the Basque band Bat Bitten says.
'Before I came here I did not know that there was such a thing as a Frisian language and identity, but I will not forget that now', says singer Isabelle Franįois of the Occitan group Mescladissa. Many bands eagerly tried to pick up a few words of Frisian in order to greet and thank the Frisian audience in their own language.
Liet presented itself as an alternative to the much larger Eurovision song contest, which will take place in Tallinn, Estonia, on May 25th. At the Eurovision song contest the overwhelming majority of all entries will be sung in English, and many songs sound much the same and therefore hardly represent the European diversity. The jury of Liet Ynternasjonaal on the other hand, disapproves of music which sounds 'too mainstream', Beart Oosterhaven, president of the jury explains.
After the song contest all bands were given another 30 minutes to perform at three different stages, during which the jury deliberated the result. Liet Ynternasjonaal took place in De Harmonie, Friesland's largest theatre, and attracted an enthousiastic crowd. Liet Ynternasjonaal was also widely noticed by international press. BBC World made a report, as well as Omrop Fryslân and the Dutch World Service. The event was also visited by journalists from newspapers such as the Frankfurter Algemeine Zeitung, the Basque language newspaper Egunkaria and the large Dutch newspaper NRC/Handelsblad. Newspapers praised the initiative for its originality and for the quality and variety of the programme. Liet was organised with financial support from the city council of the Frisian capital Ljouwert/Leeuwarden and the Provincial authorities. (EL)
www.eurolang.net