We’re concentrating on plucky little Belgium today. Because they have to be commended for their sense of our-turn-ology. That is, with two major broadcasters, they are able to agree to alternate their years of participation. Even when the free language rule came along, VRT (formerly BRT) and RTBF take it in turns. Nice.
Obviously, there was one year when this potentially got a bit tricky. Today’s birthday girl Liliane Saint-Pierre (née Liliane Louise Keuninckx) is from the Dutch-speaking bit of Belgium, singing a song chosen by the viewers of BRT. Her contest was in her home country, which was officially hosted by the French-speaking bit’s RTBF. As a result, the host broadcaster’s working language was only used by several other countries. It must have worked, and one day we’d like to see RTBF participating in a VRT production.
Liliane is 75 today.
Gefeliciteerd/Bonne anniversaire, Liliane!