Jamala for Ukraine with the song "1944" in Stockholm. Image: Albin Olsson / CC-BY-SA-4.0
The ESC 2016 was much different than all the years before that. The media can not stop after days to report on the Ukrainian winner
Every time the song competition surprises: the very similar mergers from vocals and dance can be encouraged. First and foremost it is not about voice-strong performances, but much more about nude skin and the difficulty of technical. The French sing in their own language, the English in English – what else. Traditions die slowly.
What distinguishes the Eurovision 2016 from the previous events? As soon as the jury marks were united with those from the audience. From this year, only the jury gave the notes from 1 to 12, after which the Europeans agreed.
According to all forecasts, the Russian Sergei Lasarev had to have won. Its visually impressive composition reminded a bit of xfactor or Britain’s Got Talent Performer. What has been his appearance without special effects, is difficult to use. You can not argue about taste.
But the song "1944" by Jamala from Ukraine on the deportation of the crimean ages, there was hardly anyone cold. I asked some friends of mine how she felt the song. You could split the impresses into two bearings. The first ends the name "depressed". It is immediately imagined how friends are on the couch, eat flammy chips and swind them with plenty of beer – then suddenly comes the melancholy, ganish-exciting and at the same time highly polish song of the Ukrainian.
"I nearly cried", said a friend of mine. Unclear whether it was on beer consumption or yet on the strong singing of Jamala. The stanzas that were not in English has not understood anyway, but the general mood had not taken care of more beer drinking or maybe that’s why.
The other friends camp were either Lasarew sympathizers, Australia fans, many preferred Armenia. Jamalas designed them as thought-out and for the ESC inappropriate. The argument: political messages have nothing to look for at a song contest.
Before the appearance, Jamala gave the Ukrainian branch of the "Svoboda"-Radio stations A short interview. It was about one "symbolic tree", the in her head in singing and raised. You hope the Ukraine and the Crimea will resurrect. The suffering will find an end. The sanger added that people should understand that the Crimea is home to their homeland and be their roots there. At the press conference, Jamala was asked to be crunchtarish whether the ESC 2017 on the "Freed Crimea" was held. She did not answer the question directly, but said, the competition is definitely held in Ukraine.
The song "1944" Paid from the tragic side in the history of the Crimean Tatars. From 18. until 20. May 1944 were almost 200.000 Crimean Tatars deported, most of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, many somewhere on the way outdoors exposed without food and accommodation. Most died of illness or hunger. Why a hard action in the middle of World War II? The official Soviet government accused the Crimean Tatar minority to have ruled at the side of Hitler Germany. All collaborators had to be either shot or deported with whole families. A similar destiny, Bulgarians, Greeks, Italians and Armenians lived on the peninsula.
Three years earlier, in August 1941, were over 60.000 Crimean-German deported. An enormous deportation wave affected not only the peninsula, but the whole Soviet Union. If someone believes that the cleaning and execution command was only for specifically selected immaculations, exchanges. Alone in the Gulag camps were imprisoned at the beginning of 1941 on 2 million people, most of them ethnic Russians and Jews.
Both sides excess excessive results
But the topic the crude ranks regarding the last two years is always louder. Since the annexation of the Crimea almost everyone has become a Crimean expert. Unlikely that many of the profound knowledge are growing or familiar with the history of the peninsula – but an opinion is formed quickly. The Crimean hype is kicked by many media and politicians to the real day trend. Petro Poroshenko, the Ukrainian prasident and decisive crude rush of protection, opens the topic of the occupied Crimea and the suffering of the minority again and again into the light of attention. The Ukraine signed the so-called rehabilitation law only two years ago, as well as the Russian Prassident Vladimir Putin.
It’s almost bad if you read what many journalists write about the ESC results. Worse it will only be at the coming. Ukraine Russia rivals made the song competition for the true battlefield. Both sides exceed excessive. The Ukrainian audience gave the Russian Sergei Lasarew 12 points, but Russia, on the other hand, 10 points for the appearance of Jamala (12 points were traditionally Armenia). These results are more meaningful than any article or TV contribution, whose undertone leads to the collision of both nations.
However, what you have to add is how opportunistic festivals and competitions are nowadays. You believe Jamala and your honest song. Her gross mother was deported, the whole family has Stalin’s repression on his own body. The santer has written the song himself and did not get laid on the table by a well-known music producer. Sometimes you get the impression that the current political course is decided. In film festivals, productions gain about sexual and religious minorities or highlighted people. Of course, you have to bring such topics to the surface, but to go with the trend, is not necessarily boring, but opportunistic.
You can already praise who wins the next ESC. Italy or Greece could provide a choir from escape to the bean, who sing from their Odyssee through the Mediterranean. Oh no, the ESC 2017 will take place in Ukraine. A real opportunist should be anything musical against Putin and Russia "fabricate". Then he had the best chances. I myself am not a fan of the Russian prasident and criticize him with every possible opportunity, but when art (say music) and politics are thrown into a pot, it is difficult to become a polemic.