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Eurovision 2016
Eurovision 2016
Ukraine has won the 2016 Eurovision song contest with an entry whose politically
charged lyrics have caused tensions with neighboring Russia. Singer-songwriter
Jamala was crowned the winner for her haunting rendition of the ballad 1944,
which evoked the deportation of Crimean Tatars by Josef Stalin and has been
interpreted as a criticism of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. As she
collected her trophy, she pleaded for “peace and love”.
Before the final, which was held in Stockholm on Saturday evening and seen by
many as the most politicized edition of the competition to date, Jamala had said her
victory would show that Europeans were “ready to hear about the pain of other
people”.
Jamala, whose real name is Susana Jamaladynova, is herself a Crimean Tatar who
has not been home since shortly after Russia’s 2014 annexation of the peninsula.
Her parents and extended family still live there.
“[If I win,] it will mean that modern European people are not indifferent, and are
ready to hear about the pain of other people and are ready to sympathise,” Jamala
told the Guardian by phone from the Swedish capital shortly before the contest.
Referring to her song’s lyrics, she said: “Of course it’s about 2014 as well. These
two years have added so much sadness to my life. Imagine – you’re a creative
person, a singer, but you can’t go home for two years. You see your grandfather on
Skype, who is 90 years old and ill, but you can’t visit him. What am I supposed to
do: just sing nice songs and forget about it? Of course I can’t do that.”
Accepting her 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.” She then
thrust the glass microphone prize and yelled: “Thank you, Europe – welcome to
Ukraine!”
Guest nation Australia, represented by Dami Im’s Sound of Silence, came second,
with favourites Russia in third, Bulgaria in fourth and Sweden fifth. The UK’s act,
Joe and Jake, finished 24th out of the 26 entries, despite drawing a favourable
reaction from the Stockholm crowd for their performance of You’re Not Alone.
Graham Norton, who guided UK viewers through the grand final on BBC One, led
a toast to his predecessor, Sir Terry Wogan, during the ninth song, which this year
was host country Sweden’s entry, If I Were Sorry, performed by Frans. Norton
took over the job in 2009 and was narrating his first Eurovision since Sir Terry
died in January.
The show was broadcast live in Europe, China, Kazakhstan, Australia, New
Zealand and, for the first time, the United States. The viewing figures for this
year’s contest are not yet known, but they are expected to exceed the 200 million
who tuned in last year.
Favourable.
Sympathise.