Liet… the antithesis of Eurovision

by Dominique Dufaut 200 views

This Saturday, October 31, Liet International will take place in the city theatre De Harmonie, in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. It is an international song festival for the best new song in a European minority language. Liet means Song in Frisian.

Liet International was launched back in 2002, following ten successful editions of Frisian song contest Liet, to try a similar event at the European level. The website of the event explains : “The idea is to give bands who sing in a minority language an international stage to perform. In seven years, Liet International has grown to be the anthitetis of the Eurovision Song Contest, with the big difference that we prohibit singing in English”.

This year’s contestants are:

Alfredo Gonzalez, coming from Asturias, Spain, singing in Asturian
SomBy, a sami rockband, Finland
It Langstme En De Dea, coming from Friesland, The Netherlands, singing in Frisian
Fiach, Ireland, singing in Gaelic
Sunrise Non Secular, coming from Scotland, UK
Zine, coming from Nice, France, singing in Provençal
Sovvalniks, coming from Latvia, singing in Latgalian
Dr. Drer & Cre Posse, coming from Sardinia
De Fofftig Penns, coming from Berlin and Bremen, singing in low German
Sattuma, coming from Karelia, Russia, singing in Karelian

Lino Straulino, coming from Friuli, North-East of Italy, singing in Friulian

A live streaming of the contest is scheduled at 8.30 PM this Saturday here .