Time to resurrect this Ukraine entry from Eurovision 2016 which took on Russian aggression

February 28, 2022 Alan Cross 0 Comments

Back in 2016, Jamala, the Ukrainian entry in Eurovision, put forward this song entitled “1944.” The BBC describes it as being about “the mass deportation during World War Two of the entire ethnic Tatar population from Crimea by Soviet troops under the orders of Stalin”

Russia and their recently-annexed Crimean territory (stolen from Ukraine) objected to the song’s presence, saying that it broke Eurovision rules by featuring “political speech.” Eurovision denied the challenge and the song went on to win that year.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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