Cangli, the master magician of Luxembourgish culture

FRISANGE Known to all children in the country, author and producer Jang Linster has been a great promoter of the Luxembourgish language and culture for many years.

He is a great promoter of Luxembourgish language and culture, a real institution of the Grand Duchy here, we find him in his studios in Frizange, behind the gas station. Generations of children have really listened to or seen the work on the screens of “Jangli”. Jang Linster, author, musician and producer, since the age of 70, still very active retiree, continues to create Luxembourg’s children’s universe work after work.

For more than 40 years, Jangli has been hiding behind the popular music of the country and the cartoons that most of the citizens of the Grand Duchy know. The magic happened in 1979. While studying at the University of Aix-la-Chapelle in Germany, a young man in his twenties, Jang Linster, met John Arend, who wanted to create a CD for children. Jang Linster is in, they’re out Digross Kannerplack – still sold today.

Then the young man becomes aware of the financial manna represented by this sector: “I realized that everything related to children brings money.” A passion for music and a taste for business will encourage him to continue on this path, which he will never leave. At the same time, all the tradesmen founded and joined the Challengers, writing and producing national figures: Dixieland Band, Fausti Big Band, Olio Galanti… It was he who also brought out the very young Monica Semedo. He released an album in 1995 and is currently a member of the European Parliament.

In 1991, he also started animation. An idea born out of family movie nights. “When we were watching movies, my wife had to do a simultaneous translation into Luxembourgish for our two daughters who asked her, ‘What did he say there?’ “. I never thought about it myself, I was filmed! It was when I found myself babysitting my children one evening and had to translate everything for them that I realized that something had to be done!”

De Kleesche mat der Mutz, the hooded Saint-Nicolas, will be the first cartoon in a long series. Leinster studios can flatter themselves to offer “about sixty today” by opening cupboards full of CDs and DVDs. “All my life is there!”

If he started making cartoons in the Luxembourgish language, the demand to offer in other languages ​​was quickly felt. “We had just started making films in Luxembourgish when one day a Portuguese asked me if we had any films in French. I realized that in many families, the children speak only Luxembourgish at school and with friends, while the parents speak only French, for example.”

Therefore, subtitles are offered: Luxembourg, of course, French, Portuguese, English. “In the studio, we do everything ourselves: films, subtitles, jackets, logos…” says the boss, who is also the head of a small company of seven people.

For Jangli, the Luxembourgish language is obvious, he would not think of doing otherwise: “This is my language. I think in Luxembourgish. I speak other languages, but I always have to go through translation.” He “never received a euro subsidy!” the promotion of language and culture, he wants to express that.

Therefore, the market is certainly decreasing, but Cengli’s company is not experiencing a crisis. “I always found a solution to make it work,” he said without hesitation. It must be said that Cengli has business and success in his blood – his parents ran a bistro in Hellange; his sister Léa won the Bocuse d’or. And he is always full of ideas. No wonder everything he touches turns to gold.

For this year-end celebration, it launched Jangli KiNO, a promotional offering to offer DVD players to children. (see box). “I refuse to put my products on Netflix because there is no way that Netflix will get richer and I will get poorer! Platforms are not profitable for Luxembourg production. But people said to me, “But we don’t have a DVD player anymore!” “So I came up with the idea to suggest to this reader all the risks that prevent children from going online.”

“It works like lightning!”, he notes. And we want to believe that there are so many boxes piled up in every corner of the studio, so many orders ready to be given to Santa Claus. Hanni Bunny offers a quality audio system in the shape of a very cute little bunny to listen to songs, stories and bedtime music for little ones who are not recommended to be exposed to screens. .

Retirement, real? Jangli doesn’t seem to think about it. “I’ve never worked, how could I stop?”, laughs the enthusiast, who is always relevant and is already in the process of developing new projects: creating an audio book to borrow on the phone and a group of children, a little like Kids United, already a pearl for him found, his voice enchants the listeners who hear it for the first time. “But there are still places to join” eis Clique “(our clique)”, he slides. Look out for 8-10 year olds who speak Luxembourgish and can sing and dance.

jangli.com