Vidbir: A national final only used for political propaganda – Editorial

One could not say that this year is an easy year for the Eurovision Song Contest. The fact that Israel organizes the next contest makes it in itself complicated with the political extensions that exist there. However what happened yesterday evening in Ukraine was the epitome of propaganda and the use of the contest on the altar of the political aspirations of some, against their opponents.

For those who did not watch it yesterday or did not know what exactly happened, let’s look at it a bit more thoroughly. Yesterday evening Ukraine was supposed to select its representative at Eurovision 2019. We say that supposedly, because even now that this article is written, we do not know for sure who will represent Ukraine in Tel Aviv, despite the victory of Maruv in Vidbir.

In Vidbir, the results were determined by the vote of the television audience and the vote of a three-member jury. Among the members of the jury, was the 2016 ESC winner Jamala as well.

Jamala, as well as Vidbir’s host, Sergey Pritula, interviewed some of the contestants who were suspected of pro-Russian feelings.

Their first victim was YUKO, who, while being a permanent resident of Ukraine, has Russian citizenship, since he has not reached the required time yet to receive the Ukrainian. As a result, Vidbir’s host, after her interpretation, commented strongly that, in order to represent Ukraine, she would have to banish her Russian citizenship, asking her if she had any problem with it. Of course, in front of the thousands of looks all of which could be the answer?

Maruv was second. Viral has become Jamala’s urgent question, for Maruv’s view of the critical issue of the Crimea. Fortunately, in Europe, certificates of political thought have disappeared, because in Ukraine it seems that they are still in force and they are even issued by Jamala!

The host took the lead, commenting on the frequent visits and concerts of Maruv in Russia. She gave him a repellent reply:

You should not ask this one here. I have given an answer for this. Here it is not politics, it is a musical contest.

The culmination then came after the appearance of ANNA MARIA. The two young girls received unbelievable bullying in front of the television cameras! Jamala commented on the fact that girls’ parents still reside in the Crimea, having received clearly pro-Russian positions. She told them she could not go to the Crimea and that 1944 the song with which she won Eurovision in 2016, was about the incidents that took place in Crimea, something that Jamala admitted in public for the first time!

The two girls started to cry and tried to justify themselves by saying that they never violated the law, making some appearance in the Crimea or Russia, while defending their parents, saying they are proud of them.

Here are some basic questions:

• Why didn’t Ukraine’s public television commit the approval it’s currently doing to the participants and waited for the final resutls?
• Why did not they simply dismiss nominations such as Maruv or Yuko or ANNA MARIA and allowed them to compete, reach the final and win?
• How is it possible such a political propaganda to be allowed in a contest selection and EBU not to invene, when bullying, accusations of family responsibility and procedures of a holy examination are carried out.
• How can the winner of a competition be required to take his / her rights as a winner, to resign from his / her nationality or to leave his / her job or to “renounce” his/ her parents?

If all the above is not propaganda and politicizing the contest in the worst way then what is it?

The most commendable comment was made by Andriy Danylko (Verka Serduchka), also a jury member. After the announcement of the public broadcaster, that the winner would have to get the channel approval and sign a contract before he/she was declared Ukraine’s representative in the competition, said:

What is the reason for spending so many hours here and judging and rating the candidates, since the final decision does not depend on us.

EurovisionFun has asked from EBU to comment on what unbelievably happened in Ukraine yesterday evening. For every develpoment we will let you know!