Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra and their folk-hip hop anthem for their war-torn nation is punters’ favorite to win the Eurovision Song Contestan event designed to celebrate diversity and promote friendship among nations.
twenty five groups are set to compete on Saturday in the grand finale of the annual songwriting contest held in the industrial city of Turin, in northern Italy. Last year, 183 million people tuned in to the televised competition.
For the Ukrainian community in Italy, the Kalush Orchestra’s participation in such a popular international event highlights their culture and provides a platform to keep world attention focused on Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine.
Some 50 people created a lightning demonstration when the orchestra appeared on an open-air stage in Turin this week.amplifying international calls for help in removing remaining civilians and fighters from a steel plant that is the last Ukrainian-held holdout in the southern city of Mariupol.
“We see Eurovision as an international event where the presence of Ukraine and Ukrainian culture is very important,” said Zoia Stankovska, a Milan-based lawyer who helped organize the rally. “At the moment, Eurovision is also a place where our voice is heard.”
Kalush Orchestra’s song at Eurovision, “Stefania”written as a tribute by the band leader to his mother, has become a hymn to the motherland since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
The song combines traditional Ukrainian folk music and contemporary hip hop elements, a trend in Ukrainian music, especially since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, and delivers a particularly strong message against Russia’s false claim that Ukraine has no culture of its own, Stankovska said.
The band’s success serves as a kind of morale booster for Ukrainians living in Italy, Stankovska said. “When such terrible things happen, having good news is really helpful,” she said.
Italy is the host of Eurovision this year because the Roman glam rock band Måneskin won last year’s contest. The day after Russia invaded Ukraine, the European Broadcasting Union said that Russia would not be able to participate in the event.
For Saturday’s final, 20 winners from the semi-finals held on Tuesday and Thursday will join bands from the so-called Big Five: Italy, France, Germany, Spain and Great Britain.
Although Kalush Orchestra is the sentimental favorite and received the most enthusiastic response from the outdoor audience on Wednesday, the final decision being split between a professional jury and the viewing public.
Ukraine won twice before, in 2004 Y 2016.
If Ukraine wins this year, Stockholm has offered to host the 2023 contest in case the war continues.
“This is a way to continue showing support”Stockholm Mayor Anna König Jerlmyr told the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. “We want Ukraine to know that it can host the competition in Stockholm, if necessary.”
(By Colleen Barry – AP)
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Source-www.infobae.com