Netherlands Antilles in the OTI Festival 1979

The Netherlands Antilles was represented at the OTI Festival 1979 with the song "Mi niño", written by Don Ramon Krozendijk and Burt Welch, and performed by Don Ramon himself. The Netherlands Antillean participating broadcaster, Antilliaanse Televisie Maatschappij (ATM), selected its entry through a televised national final. The song, that was performed in position 1, placed ninth out of 21 competing entries, tied with the entry from the United States with 16 points.

Antilliaanse Televisie Maatschappij (ATM), held a national final to select its entry for the 8th edition of the OTI Festival. Sixteen songs would be selected for the televised final, seven each from Aruba and Curaçao, and one each from Bonaire and the Dutch Windward Islands.

The Aruban pre-selection was held on Sunday 9 September 1979, beginning at 20:00 AST (00:00+1 UTC), at the ballroom of the Americana Aruba Hotel in Palm Beach, to select seven songs for the national final from among fifteen candidates. The participants were accompanied by the Ruben Lobo orchestra. The show was presented by Ruben Garcia, and featured guest performances by Sandra Croes, Tito Lacle, Lilian Boekhoudt, The Young Voices, and Trio Huasteca.^[1]

Lidwina Booi won the Voz supremo di Aruba award with "Deseo", with Roy Laclé in second place with "Nesesito saber por qué te fuiste", and Rudy Stone in third place with "Pobre mirar el sol". Henky Braafhart won the award for most popular singer with "La cosa nuestra". Nelson Oduber and Betico Croes presented the awards.^[2]

ATM held the national final on Sunday 4 November 1979, beginning at 18:00 AST (22:00 UTC), at Cas di Cultura in Oranjestad, presented by Ruben Garcia and Yolanda Tromp. The musical director was Roberto Montiel.^[4] The show featured an opening act by Lilian Boekhoudt guest performing "Cantante canta", and an interval act by Trío Huasteca. The event was broadcast live on the radio on Voz di Aruba, and TeleAruba tape-recorded it.^[5]

As there were no songs from Bonaire or the Dutch Windward Islands, it was decided that eighteen songs would ultimately participate in the final, nine each from Aruba and Curaçao. Since no pre-selection had been carried out in Curaçao due to a lack of interest, in the end there were only fifteen songs in the final. The jury was composed of A. Laclé (as chairman), Oswald Specht, and Nita Doval from Curaçao; and Edwin Zichem and Rufo Odor from Aruba.^[6]

The winner was "Mi niño", written by Don Ramon Krozendijk and Burt Welch, and performed by Don Ramon himself. The festival ended with a reprise of the winning entry.^[7]

On 8 December 1979, the OTI Festival was held at the Theatre of the Military Academy in Caracas, Venezuela, hosted by Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV), Venevisión, Televisora Nacional (TVN), and Venezolana de Televisión (VTN), and broadcast live throughout Ibero-America. Don Ramon performed "Mi niño" in position 1, with Roberto Montiel conducting the event's orchestra, and placing ninth out of 21 competing entries, tied with the entry from the United States with 16 points.^[9]

Each participating broadcaster, or group of broadcasters that jointly participated representing a country, assembled a jury who awarded 5–1 points to their five favourite songs in order of preference. ATM instead used its stand-in delegate present at the festival venue to vote for the Netherlands Antilles.