Strasbourg, 20.10.2008 - The fifth Liet Lavlut pan-European song contest for minority languages – held in Luleå, Sweden – was won by the Corsican Jacques Culioli with his song “Hosanna in Excelsis”. The jury award sponsored by the Council of Europe was presented to the winner by Alexey Kozhemyakov, the Council of Europe official responsible for the Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

Eleven artists participated, representing minority languages across Europe, from Brittany and Wales to Galicia, northern Scandinavia and the Republic of Mordovia (Russia). As part of the celebratory events to mark the 10th anniversary of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, the Council of Europe has actively promoted this year’s Liet Lavlut.

“The Council of Europe is proud to support the Liet Lavlut festival because it substantially contributes to the richness of Europe, its culture and its diversity, and we are particularly happy that the universal language of music has proven so attractive to the young,” said Sonia Parayre, a Council of Europe official.

The Liet Lavlut song contest seeks to create cultural infrastructures in the regions with minority languages, in the field of music as well as infrastructures crossing cultural, linguistic and national borders.

Liet Lavlut has rapidly gained in popularity and is attracting more and more performers from all over Europe. Since the event began in 2002, it has developed into a major cultural festival, highlighting Europe’s cultural and linguistic diversity. Apart from music, the festival also covers literature, film, and arts and crafts, with seminars and meetings
about minority languages and regional issues.

For more information: http://www.liet-lavlut.eu or http://www.coe.int/minlang