The outlet called for the results to be reviewed because of the “political” content of Jamala’s song and warned gay spectators they face a rough reception in Ukraine next year. Jamala was crowned t…
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The winning song lead reporters and online commentators to draw parallels with Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
The singer, herself of Crimean Tatar descent, had drawn parallels in interviews to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, which provoked Western condemnation of the Kremlin and was opposed by many in the region’s Tatar minority.
After accepting the Eurovision trophy, she said: “I know that you sing a song about peace and love, but actually, I really want peace and love to everyone”.
The 32-year-old’s song, 1944, on the deportation of Crimean Tatars under Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, won the Eurovision contest at a time when Crimean Tatars claim to be facing similar repression from Russian Federation.
With sombre lyrics it recalls how Crimean Tatars, including her great-grandmother, were deported to central Asia in 1944 by Josef Stalin’s regime during World War II. Tens of thousands of people died. “Crimea is Ukrainian”, he wrote.
It was not until the 1980s that the Tatars were allowed to return to their native land.
Jamala, whose real name is Susana Jamaladinova, was born in Osh, Kyrgyzstan.
The former X-Factor victor produced the performance of her life in Stockholm, nailing her hard vocal and producing a big roar in the hall.
As TV Tonight reports, Im was the European jury’s favourite with 511 votes, but all in all Jamala’s song 1944 took out the competition with 534 votes, while Australia’s jury and public voters had voted Belgium’s Laura Tesoro with What’s The Pressure highest. “All of Europe voted for Russian Federation”. Their entry, Sergey Lazarev, had all the right ingredients for a Eurovision victor: a song with a thumping techno beat, a catchy refrain and a buff man in a tight shirt riding on an iceberg through space. “People need such things these days”, said Nikolay, a student from Kiev who only found out about it when a friend showed him a clip on her phone. “This is not fair, but this is the current time”.
In Moscow Sunday, Russian officials scoffed at the win.
But look. It’s not all bad blood.
The stage of the Stockholm arena might have been cleared of competition glitter, but the Eurovision battle has continued on politically, with lawmakers arguing where to host the next year’s contest. Since Jamala won, that means that the annual contest will be held in Ukraine in 2017.
But Ukraine’s win was met with anger from within Russian Federation.
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Alexander Roslyakov and Lynn Berry in Moscow contributed.
