Ukraine in Eurovision 2022
We all know Eurovision as a hugely popular contest
where you can listen to amazing songs. Every year millions of people watch this
show and try to guess the winner, however, for the past decades this song
contest is not only a place where you can hear various genres of songs or see
national features of every country but also a place to show society your
reality, your problems, and thoughts. In 2022 Ukraine used this
opportunity.
In my previous post, I was talking about the main
aspects of national identity in Ukraine. In particular, how important and
sensitive are topics of language and territory in this country. Since the
Ukrainian language was restricted for a long time before Ukraine became an
independent state, it is important for Ukrainian people to share this part of
the culture. This is one of the reasons why the Ukrainian song in Eurovision
2022 is important and impactful among Ukrainians. The song is written in only
the Ukrainian language. In my first post, I also talked about how Ukrainian
territories have been threatened by its neighbor country Russia. This is the
reason why acknowledging the problem of the integrity of Ukraine is also
important and people want this issue to be seen.
In 2022 band Kalush Orchestra with their song
“Stefania” represented Ukraine in the Eurovision Song contest. It is
interesting that they did not win the national selection from the start. They
got the most votes from the public, but the judges agreed that the winner
should have been Alina Pash with the song “Shadows of forgotten ancestors”.
However, a lot of drama related to the voting process appeared, and rumors of
her going to Crimea after it was occupied by Russia in 2014 spread all over the
country consequently, she was disqualified. Then the Ukrainian Organization
Committee talked with the Kalush Orchestra band participants because they had
taken second place. It was decided that they will have the honor of
representing Ukraine in Turing where Eurovision was held in 2022 (ДМ
Суспільного, 2022).
But the issues did not end there. The whole situation became
more complicated when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. Everyone was
shocked and terrified so nobody expected that Ukraine will actually participate
in Eurovision. However, the Kalush Orchestra took responsibility for that and
did not let their country down even though they had quite a little time to
prepare for that. They promised to win the contest and they did what they said,
they got the third Ukrainian Eurovision victory. However, this time was special
because achieving that win gave Ukrainians hope and understanding that Europe
stands with Ukraine, and that they are ready to help.
Originally their song `Stefania` was dedicated to the
mothers of the singers but after the war started people found new meanings for
this song and it became sort of an anthem of the war. The lyrics were written
before the war began but it is still relevant to current events. The lines such
as "I'll always find my way home, even if all roads are destroyed"
found new resonance. So, it was decided to rededicate the song. Now that song
is dedicated to the brave Ukrainian people, to the mothers protecting their
children, to all those who gave their lives for our freedom, every man, every
woman, and every innocent child (Richards, 2022). In general, reading the
lyrics I noticed that singers refer to mother multiple times for instance “Sing
me a lullaby mum, want to hear your dear word” or “You are all young oh mother
at the peak” it feels like they have close relationships with their mothers,
and they are scared to lose them because they see that they age. Moreover, if
you listen to the song without the context of the current situation in Ukraine,
it is a warm song full of love to the family and nostalgia. It is a mix of a
rap song and Ukrainian folklore. One of the singers, Tymofii, grew up listening
to folklore which his grandmothers played him. He was inspired by that music,
so they added it to the melody. It was the first rap song written fully in
Ukrainian that won Eurovision.
I heard some instruments while listening to the song,
but it was not just a guitar or another instrument we usually expect to hear,
it was sopilka and telenka. These instruments are national Ukrainian
instruments. The band efficiently used essentialism and showed some of the main
Ukrainian attributes and symbols. I think they did a great job of showing some
of the Ukrainian features such as national clothes, instruments, and language.
All the band participants wore national clothes such as Vyshyvanka, which is a
traditionally styled embroidered shirt or dress, and embroidered wool vest
called keptar. One of the group members had a costume that covered almost all
of his body with some sort of pattern. But it was not a random design, that
pattern was one of the national symbols. Every symbol there had its meaning,
they were usually used to decorate people`s clothes or even houses. You could
see the same kind of symbols in the background of the performance.
The staging in the final did not have any extra
decorations. I believe it was like that because the band wanted to keep
people`s attention on them so other factors such as overly complicated
decorations or a lot of visual effects do not distract viewers. However, they
still used some projector technologies. In the background, you could see
Ukrainian patterns or the eyes of an old woman. Talking about the eyes, I
suppose that they represented an aging mother.
When we first see the eyes, it seems like the woman is young and happy,
she was smiling, and her look was full of love. I also noticed that she was
wearing a hat, for me it seemed like it was a ballistic helmet. That made sense
because I assume that they were referring to the war in Ukraine. In the
contrast, when the eyes are shown the second time, I noticed that a woman`s
face looked older and sadder. She was crying but her tears were shown as a
golden sort of dust. It reminded me of how souls are usually shown in movies.
It felt like they were trying to show how war changes people and their lives.
The woman was not happy anymore, she was not young, it made me reflect on how
the things that people see in Ukraine make them feel devastated and older.
I found out that my assumptions about them referring
to the war were right when in the end of the performance one of the soloists of
the group said the next thing “I`m asking all of you right now. Save Azovstal,
save Mariupol.” Azovstal was a huge factory in Mariupol where Ukrainian troops
had a base. Unfortunately, at one point Russian army started bombing that
factory very hard consequently Ukrainian could not escape and were under fire
24/7. They did not have access to food, water, or medical care. It was an
intense and hard situation to manage. So, the Kalush Orchestra asked for help
in order to save those people.
In general, their performance was a powerful message
to Russia. They showed the freedom which Ukrainian people still have and the
support which Ukraine gets from the whole world. The band was strong and
dedicated to winning. But it was not about actual victory, it was about showing
the enemy that the whole world stands together. That performance showed that
Ukraine is not going to give up and gave Ukrainian people hope that they are
not alone.
What’s the history of Ukraine’s Eurovision entry Kalush Orchestra and song Stefania? - BBC News. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E750rkhciM
“Калуш
Оркестра” їде на “Євробачення-2022” – оргкомітет нацвідбору. (2022, February 22). ДМ Суспільного.
Retrieved February 26, 2023 from https://stv.detector.media/telebachennya/read/7184/2022-02-22-kalush-orkestra-ide-na-ievrobachennya-2022-orgkomitet-natsvidboru/
Ukraine wins 2022 Eurovision song contest as UK
finishes second in Turin; Stefania by Kalush Orchestra rides wave of public
sympathy to claim Ukraine's third Eurovision victory. (2022, May 15). Guardian [London, England], NA. https://link-gale-com.proxy.seattleu.edu/apps/doc/A703868406/AONE?u=seat38459&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=bbea4227
“She rocked me; gave
me rhythm” – Kalush Orchestra bring an ode to mothers in “Stefania” lyrics. (2022, February 10). Wiwibloggs.
https://wiwibloggs.com/2022/02/10/lyrics-kalush-orchestra-stefania-english/269492/
Richards, W. (2022,
May 15). Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra share powerful video for
Eurovision-winning song “Stefania.” NME.
https://www.nme.com/news/music/ukraines-kalush-orchestra-share-powerful-video-for-eurovision-winning-song-stefania-3225752
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