LIET INTERNATIONAL - FESTIVAL INTERCELTIQUE DE LORIENT

PRESS FILE

27 NOVEMBER 2010 – 8.30 p.m. – Lorient

Press contact Rachel Wuhrlin, Spokesperson for the FIL

rachel@festival-interceltique.com 33 (0)2 97 21 24 29

www.festival-interceltique.com

Liet International

European minority language song contest

Liet International 2009

The history of the competition

When the Eurovision Song Contest started in 1954, all participants were required to sing

in their state's official language. Back then it was a multilingual event and a much better

reflection than it is today of European cultural, musical and linguistic diversity.

About 10 years ago its organising committee relaxed this requirement, and since then

virtually every song has been sung in one and the same language. Only a few countries with a

fairly strong language and culture still sing in a language other than English, among them Greece,

France and Portugal. It was against this background that in the province of Friesland in the

northern Netherlands, Liet International was born.

Liet International was devised and developed in 2002 so as to provide a stage for modern

groups which sing in a minority language.

Over the past eight years, Liet International has developed and become more

international, now offering a multilingual alternative to the Eurovision Song Contest. The main

difference is that songs in English are strictly forbidden at Liet International.

Liet international is organised by the Frisian foundation of the same name, in close co-

operation with its European partners (Council of Europe, Principality of Asturias and Province of

Friesland).

Previous contests have seen songs performed in Basque, Breton, Catalan, Cornish, Corsican,

Frisian, Friulian, Gaelic, Galician, Karelian, Low German, Manx, Meänkieli, Mordvinian, North

Frisian, Occitan, Romani, Sami, Sorbian, Votian and Welsh.

Sami contestants have already won the festival four times. When the 2008 contest took place

in Swedish Lapland, it was Corsican competitor Jacques Culioli who took the prize. In the past,

several Breton groups have travelled north to represent Brittany at Liet International. In 2002,

the Friesland audience was won over by Stoneage. A few years later, EV offered a different

style of Breton music, while Breton singer Gwennyn was close to winning the audience's award in

2008.

Liet International, a Frisian initiative, is involved in close co-operation with other European

minority language song contests, such as the Premium al Meyor Cantar des Asturies in Spain,

Frisian competition Liet 2010, the Grand Prix Sámi held in Kautokeino in Norway, and of course

Suns, the song contest held in Udine for the minorities of Italy, Austria and Switzerland. The

main winners of all these contests qualify automatically for Liet International.

Objectives

To create an international festival for artistes and groups who sing in minority languages.

To promote minority languages and culture to all in a positive and contemporary manner,

whether or not they are familiar with them.

Liet International also strives to co-operate with other events and other cultural

organisations with a similar purpose or vocation.

Selection of performers

The independent jury, comprising independent music experts from Brittany, Friesland and the

Council of Europe, did not have an easy task. It had to choose from 46 songs performed in 21

minority languages from all over Europe, from Galicia to Russia and from the Faroe Islands to

Cyprus. Almost every style was represented: folk, rock, rap, pop, tango and even folk opera.

After the jury deliberations, a Jury prize will be awarded to the winner and an audience prize

(awarded by votes from audience in the hall and on the internet) will also be presented. There

will therefore be two distinct winners, unless the public and the jury choose the same winner.

Previous prize-winners

2002: Pomada (Catalunya) (jury and audience awards)

2003: Transjoik (Norwegian Sami, jury award), Gwenno (Cornwall, audience award)

2004: Niko Valkeapäa (Norwegian Sami, jury and audience awards)

2006: Johann Kitti and Elin Sara Bähr (Swedish Sami, jury award) Liza (Occitane, audience

award)

2008: Jacques Culioli (Corsica, jury and audience awards)

2009: Ljouwert/Leeuwarden, Fryslân, Netherlands:

Jury award: SomBy, Sami, Finland

Audience award: Dr. Drer & crc Posse, Sardinia

Future festivals:

2011: Udine, Friûl, Italy

2012: Asturias, Spain

Liet International in Lorient

-Arrangements for the festival

The seventh holding of the festival will be the first in France, so of course the first in Brittany,

taking place on 27 November 2010 in Lorient, in co-operation with the Festival Interceltique de Lorient, the Brittany Regional Council and the Council of Europe.

11 singers or groups from regions of Europe where a minority language is spoken or sung will take

to the stage during this competition, to be held in the salle Cosmao Dumanoir in Lorient.

Yvon Etienne, a journalist and musician, and Lleuwen Steffan, a Welsh artiste who lives in

Brittany, will be masters of ceremonies and introduce the performers in French, English and

Breton.

The concert will start at 8.30 p.m. sharp and should finish at around 1.30 a.m.

After the 11 artistes or groups have performed on the stage, the jury will deliberate for

approximately one hour.

While the jury makes its decision, Roland Conq and Soïg Sibéril will perform for the audience.

Well-known Breton punk rock group Les Ramoneurs des Menhirs will round off the evening with

a lively concert.

- Voting: Surfers will be able to vote on the Liet International website:

www.liet.nl/internationaal. After the competition, the official jury in attendance at the concert

hall will deliberate for approximately an hour and then announce the winner. Votes cast by

members of the audience in the hall will be counted and added to the Internet votes.

A special prize will be awarded to the act chosen by the audience/surfers.

A special "Region of Brittany" prize will also be awarded by the jury.

- Media: The concert will be broadcast live by various media.

The evening will be filmed by Brittany's local channels unit:

Television: Ty Télé, TV Rennes 35 and Tébéo, the local digital

terrestrial channels in Brittany

Radio: Radio Bro Gwened: Morbihan Nord: 101.7, Lorient: 97.3, Vannes: 94.8 and Pontivy:

92.6;

Web: The concert will be shown live to web viewers.

Ty Télé, TV Rennes 35 and Tébéo, as well as Radio Bro Gwened, will also transmit the

concert on their respective websites: www.tvrennes35.fr, www.tytele.fr, tebeotv.fr and www.radio.bro.gwened.free.fr. Some foreign TV channels and radio stations will also be present, from the Netherlands,

Asturias and Belgium, as well as US channel CNN.

Harbour: "Le Thalassa" will be moored in Lorient The Liet International foundation will be chartering a magnificent yacht called "Le Thalassa",

which will be in Lorient harbour, moored at the Belem landing stage, for a whole week from 22

November.

This three-masted vessel underwent a major refurbishment in 1995, following a relaunch, so that

it could take passengers on cruises. It can accommodate 34 passengers and its crew in its 18

cabins as it makes its numerous journeys, and can carry up to 120 passengers during the day.

Colloquy

"From linguistic and cultural rights to the building of a European civil society"

This colloquy is being organised by Kevre Breizh and Emglev Bro An Oriant, in association with

the Council of Europe, the Brittany Regional Council, the Brittany Cultural Council, Lorient City

Hall and the Morbihan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The colloquy will take place at the Agora Courbet Conference Hall, 83 rue Amiral Courbet,

Lorient, starting at 9 a.m. Admission fee 10 € (reduced rate 5 €) Downloadable registration form

Downloadable programme

Contact: pfd2010.breizh@gmail.com

An introduction to the participants (in order of appearance):

Language: Faroese

FAROE ISLANDS

The Faroe Islands (in Faroese Føroyar, which is sometimes said to

mean "sheep islands") is a group of islands belonging to Denmark,

located in the north Atlantic between Scotland and Iceland. Since

1948 they have been autonomous in every field except defence (a

Minister of Foreign Affairs was appointed in 2008). The population of

the Faroe Islands is 48,660.

The language used on the islands is Faroese, which is far closer to

Icelandic than to Danish. The name "Faroe Islands" is tautological,

since “Faroe” and "oyar" both mean islands.

ORKA FAROE ISLANDS

Fresh from the isolated cliffs and panoramic landscapes of the Faroe

Islands, Orka is a group with every chance of being different. Their

particular features are the rusty tins used instead of drums, a fence

post serving as a double base and an organ with old lemonade bottles for

pipes. They make their own instruments out of material retrieved from

the farm where their first album, "Livandi oyða", was recorded. It is

perhaps amazing that one of the music industry's principles, that of the use of unconventional

and/or recycled instruments which produce a very urban sound, has been reborn in a rural area.

But it is easier to grasp the meaning, freshness and energy of this music if you translate the

title as "living desert" (a countryside full of life or a city devoid of humanity?). The album

contains, as well as their original recordings, remixes of The Third Eye Foundation (Matt

Elliott), Bookworms, Oktopus (Deadverse), and Com-Data. Since the album emerged from the

islands, the group's reputation has grown steadily, and it has toured and played at festivals in

Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The group also shared the stage

with Yann Tiersen when the Transmusicales de Rennes reached its 30th anniversary.

Website: http://www.myspace.com/orkaonline

Language: Galician

GALICIA

Galician is a Romance language derived from Galician-Portuguese. It is

used in Spain in both written and oral forms in the autonomous

community of Galicia, in the westernmost parts of the Principality of

Asturias and the provinces of León and Zamora, and in three places in

Estremadura. Galician is also used orally and in writing by the Galician

diaspora in other regions of Spain, particularly Catalonia, and in other

parts of the world, especially in Latin America.

Today there are almost 3,000,000 speakers of Galician, which is an official language of the

autonomous community of Galicia, alongside the Castilian spoken throughout Spain. It is also

spoken by the large Galician community worldwide. While the opposite may appear to be the

case, Galician is being spoken less and less by young people, and there is a serious risk of

extinction, which is why the Galician government has a policy of standardising the language in

order to create a common model for all Galicians.

MAFIA GALLEGA GALICIA

I Love I Do is a new duo set up by El Chapucero (Lyrikal Kartel) and Don

Mangante (Mafia Gallega). Artistic polyschizophrenics, they follow their

whims of the moment as they pick and choose. A Swiss German tune may

feature in a song using Bolivian patois against a background of eastern

electro-pop, or the same combination may be arranged differently. Their

song "billarda sempre" is no exception to the rule: the words are in Galician, written by poet

Xabier Cordal, while electric guitars play during a tango, all with an underlying hip-hop rhythm.

The group enjoys doing the unexpected and diverting its influences onto new paths. They do

not regard Galician culture as something fixed to be passed on, but more as something to be

appropriated and brought alive. In Lorient, I Love I Do will be accompanied by Xermán Viluba,

the main promoter of the national league for the sport of "billarda" (a popular game in the past

which is currently enjoying a revival). The group immediately took up Xermán's idea when it got

together in 2007, leading to several projects, among them "billarda sempre", a song which has

become the sport's official anthem.

Website: http://www.mafiagallega.com/

Language: Corsican

CORSICA

The present-day Corsican language is a collection of Romance (i.e. derived

from Latin, as are Italian and Spanish) dialects, sub-divided into two main

dialectal groups: cismuntincu (traditionally known as cismontano), which is

very close to Tuscan, and pumuntincu (traditionally known as

oltramontano), which has features in common with the dialects used in

southern Italy, as well as with Sardinian and, in particular, with the

Sicilian language. This set of Corsican dialects offers a real unity, in that

the rules allow writers to shift from one to the other (standard language). This coexistence of

unity and diversity has given rise to the sociolinguistic concept of polynomial languages. The

Corsican language is spoken not only in Corsica, but also in northern Sardinia (its pumuntincu variant, as well as the dialects of Gallurese). Full status as a language came relatively recently

(in the 1960s), and many linguists dispute this, regarding it as a political claim lacking any

linguistic basis. UNESCO classifies Corsican as a potentially endangered language which could

disappear by the end of the century.

Stéphane CASALTA CORSICA

Songwriter, composer, singer and player of numerous musical

instruments, Stéphane Casalta has made some amazingly audacious

records. He places his poetic universe at the service of his highly

eclectic musical inspiration. Rather than joining the polyphony club, he

prefers to pave the way for an innovative musical trend in Corsica, one

now starting to make itself heard elsewhere thanks to its completely

unexpected, unconventional and mysterious register. His music occupies

a place similar to that of his island, surrounded by his true

Mediterranean influences. While his perfect knowledge of Corsican language and song enables

him to produce ever more brilliant and more universal songs, his tunes now sound like a medley

of rich and fascinating rhythms blown in by the southerly winds. He utterly and viscerally

rejects demagogy and is now moving towards a language of pure and dreamlike sincerity. In a

music immersed in euphoric prayer, his powerful vision of the future traces a new destiny for

Corsicans as world citizens, free people rejecting obscurantism, caring representatives of a

listening land open to every possible influence.

Website: http://www.myspace.com/stephanecasalta

Language: Vepsian

CARELIE RUSSIA The Republic of Karelia (in Russian Республика Карелия,

Respublika Kareliya; in Finnish Karjalan tasavalta ; in Karelian

Karjalan tazavaldu; in Vepsian Karjalan Tazovaldkund) is a federal

subject of the Russian Federation.

Vepsian is a language which belongs to the Finnic branch of the

Finno-Ugric family of languages. It is closely related to Karelian,

Estonian and Finnish. It is spoken by just over 8,000 people who live on the west shore of Lake

Onega (in Russian Karelia), in the eastern part of the oblast of Leningrad and in the western

part of the oblast of Vologda. It is sub-divided into three dialects. The oldest texts in Vepsian

date from the early 19th century. A language written in Latin characters was devised in 1932,

but went out of use in the late 30s before being revived in 1990.

JOUSNEN JÄRVED RUSSIA More than just a group, Jousnen Järved is first and foremost an ethno-musical

project based on Vepsian culture. The aim is poetic transmission of this

language, which is disappearing and is spoken by only 8,000 people today,

through a combination of tunes played on ancient wind instruments and a

modern interpretation accessible to the general public. Vepsia is one of

hundreds of thousands of small nations, geographically situated in the region of

Karelia between Finland and Russia. Hanna "Jousne" Vassilieff, the group's

songwriter and singer, passes this timeless culture on with the help of her

musicians. She has a spellbinding voice and is an ambassador of both language and culture…

Website: http://www.jousne.com/index.html

Language: Gaelic SCOTLAND

Scottish Gaelic is a Gaelic (Celtic) language spoken in Scotland, in the

Highlands and Hebrides, as well as by a few communities in Nova Scotia,

particularly on Cape Breton Island. The language spread as far as Canada as

a result of the enforced expulsion of Scottish peasants by large landowners

in the 19th century, evolving into Canadian Gaelic. It is recognised in the

United Kingdom as a regional language of Scotland under the European

Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, but has been an official language

of Scotland (alongside English) since a law was passed by the Scottish

parliament on 21 April 2005. It is used on bilingual road signs.

As the traditional language of the Gaels, or Scots (the Celts who came from Ireland and settled

in the north-west of the British Isles in about the fifth century), Gaelic holds an important

place in traditional Scottish culture: it is the historical language of the majority of present-day

Scotland. It should, however, not be confused with Scots, which is a Germanic language based

on the Old English spoken in Northumbria. Scots is also recognised as a regional language of

Scotland.

Rachel WALKER SCOTLAND Rachel Walker is a Gaelic singer/songwriter based in the Scottish Highlands, and

is particularly well-known for her crystal clear voice and inimitable style.

When she was only 10, she was already winning singing competitions in her region.

She was the first Gaelic singer to graduate from the Royal Scottish Academy of

Music and Drama’s music degree course, one of her tutors there being the equally

well-known Kenna Campbell.

Since graduating, Rachel has performed extensively as a solo artist and with a number of bands,

including Dochas, Skipinnish and the Broch Inspectors. She has appeared on various television

programmes including the award-winning BBC series "Aig Cridhe ar Ciuil" and "Horo Gheallaidh",

showcasing the highlights of the Celtic Connections Festival.

Her own band includes musicians such as Ewan Robertson, Jenna Reid, Carol-Anne MacKay and

Angus MacKenzie. Rachel has released three albums, the most recent in January 2010: "Air

Chall", which demonstrates her songwriting talent.

Website: http://web.me.com/gaelicsong/Site_2/Home.html

Language: Asturian

ASTURIAS

The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community within Spain,

of which it also forms a single province. It acquired the status of

principality when the heir to the throne of Spain was awarded the title

of Prince of Asturias. Its capital is the city of Oviedo. There are

some variants of the language within the Principality. There are also

some dialects with the same Astur-Leonese root in the areas formerly

under the domination of the Kingdom of Asturias, such as the

provinces of León and Zamora and, in Portugal, Trás-os-Montes. Since the transition to

democracy, an attempt has been made to revive the language and restore its status as an

official language. In 1981, the Academy of the Asturian Language was set up as an institution of

the Principality of Asturias, tasked with studying, promoting and defending Asturian. The most

widely used language today is Castilian, the only one which enjoys official status.

XERA ASTURIAS

The wellspring of Xera’s music is Asturians’ emotions and their land.

Taking Asturians’ experience as its starting point, Xera spreads a

message of universality which strives to encompass all the peoples on

the planet and encourage them to understand each other and to

protect their own lands and histories.

That is where the story begins, the story of an idea of which music is just a part. A story

which builds on a dream beneath an ash tree, on a wind blowing memories down a mountainside,

on whispers still hanging in the air years later, on eyes watching as the fruits of the farmer’s

labours emerge from the earth. Words, colours, scents which make our lives richer. Underlying

Xera’s songs are interculturality, defence of diversity and an openness to the rest of the world.

Website: http://www.xera.com.es/

Language: Sami

SWEDEN Sami (disparagingly called "Lapp" by some Scandinavians), known as sámegiella, sápmelaš or

sápmi, is part of the Finno-Ugric language family. It is spoken by some

35,000 Saami in Lapland, a huge area which stretches from central Sweden

to the far end of the Kola Peninsula (Russia), encompassing northern

Norway and northern Finland.

There are approximately 17,000 Saami in Sweden, of whom around 7,000

speak Sami. Most live in the northern towns of Kiruna (2,500), Gällivare

(1,800), Jokkmokk (900) and Arvidsjaur (700). There are some 1,000 Saami

living in the Stockholm area, but most of these do not speak the language.

PIA MARIA HOLMGREN SWEDEN

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-ZeDSxAbd4

Language: Frisian

PAYS BAS

The Frisian language (frysk) is spoken in the northern Netherlands,

mainly in the province of Friesland (Fryslân in Frisian), where it has some

440,000 users. It is also spoken in Germany by between 1,000 and 2,500

people in Saterland and by 8,000 to 10,000 in northern Friesland

(Nordfriesland in German, and Nordfraschlönj in Mooring Frisian).

Frisian is part of the Germanic group of Indo-European languages. With

English and Scots it forms that group's Anglo-Frisian branch. It has

much in common with not only Old English, but also Dutch and Low German.

EQUAL SOULS NETHERLANDS

The five Dutch musicians who comprise Equal Souls first met at Rotterdam's Pop

Academy. From different musical backgrounds, each makes his or her own

artistic contribution, to startling effect. Their sound is resolutely pop rock, and

they are the undisputed ambassadors of Frisian.

Website: http://www.equalsouls.nl/

Language: Breton

BRITTANY

Breton, a language of Celtic origin, is thousands of years old, and

was brought to Brittany in the fifth century when migrants arrived

from the south and west of present-day Great Britain.

Gallo is spoken in the eastern part of Brittany (Upper Brittany).

This is a Romance language, one of the langues d’oïl (the languages

of northern France).

After declining from the mid-19th century onwards, the languages of Brittany (Breton and

Gallo), which UNESCO considers to be in serious danger of extinction, are gradually

rediscovering their places in Breton society. 5.5% of the Breton population speaks Breton

today (in Brittany's five departments). Local authorities, associations, media and numerous

volunteers are working to promote these regional languages and preserve this rich heritage.

Dom DUFF BRITTANY

Dom Duff is a singer/songwriter with his own unique creative energy when

singing and guitar playing.

An unconventional musician, he creates a powerful acoustic folk music

known in the English-speaking world as "power folk".

Listening to his sometimes poetic, sometimes committed songs, we can discover or rediscover all

the subtleties and colourfulness of his mother tongue, Breton. He makes the language itself

sing to reflect his emotions, his rants, his loves. His words and music go together in a resonant

acoustic fury which leaves nobody unmoved. His energy levels are exceptionally high both on

stage and in his recordings, whether solo or backed by his musicians.

He will be singing "KAN AN AWENN" at the Liet competition.

Website: http://www.domduff.com/

Language: Friulian ITALY

Friulian (furlan in Friulian and friulano in Italian) is the most

widespread of the languages in the Rhaeto-Romance group of

Romance languages.

It is spoken in Italy's Friuli–Venezia Giulia region (in the region of

Udine, Pordenone and Gorizia) by approximately 500,000 people,

and is used on bilingual road signs (Friulian/Italian). It is Italy's

second minority language. It is also spoken in other regions of Italy

and other parts of the world by 20th century emigrants and their

descendants (Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Croatia,

France, Germany, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovenia, Switzerland, United States, Uruguay,

Venezuela). There are thought to be around a million speakers in total.

R.ESISTENCE IN DUB ITALY

Set up in 2006, R.esistence in Dub is a group of four

musicians with a wide variety of musical influences and

experience. The group's special feature is that it uses the

Friulian language, Italy's second minority language, one used

by around half a million people in the northern Italian region

of Udine. R.esistence in Dub, with subtlety and great talent,

produce a mixture of traditional and electro dub reggae

music.

Website: http://www.myspace.com/resistenceindub

Language: Irish Gaelic IRELAND

The Irish language (known as Irish Gaelic or, in Irish, Gaeilge)

is a Celtic Indo-European language from the group of Gaelic

languages and is spoken in Ireland.

It is the first official language of Ireland (ahead of English)

and is recognised as a regional language in Northern Ireland

under the European Charter for Regional or Minority

Languages. It became an official working language of the

European Union under a decision of 13 June 2005 which came

into force on 1 January 2007.

There are currently around 70,000 Irish people (less than 2% of the population) who use their

national language in their everyday lives, while 260,000 have "good knowledge" of the language;

according to the 2001 census, 1.6 million residents of the Irish Republic have some knowledge

of Irish, as do 200,000 residents north of the border (Northern Ireland is part of the United

Kingdom). Study of the language is compulsory in every school in the Irish Republic.

The TEMPORARY IRELAND

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjOaodXkl-I