Opinion Russia vs Ukraine
Both countries are preparing to sing it out.
In a strange irony, Ukraine is facing off against Russia today. No, Vladimir Putin is not breaking out in a rash. World War III is not expected to break out, either. The two countries, currently locked in a contest of wills which threatens to become an international incident, are finalists in the 59th Eurovision contest at Copenhagen. Maybe you haven’t heard about Eurovision. Don’t let it embarrass you. Few people outside Europe and North America have heard of Eurovision, either. But we have all heard of (and even heard, perchance) Celine Dion, who won for Switzerland in 1988 with “Ne partez pas sans moi” and Abba, which won in 1974 with “Waterloo”.
One of the most successful TV programmes ever, Eurovision is watched by at least 170 million people and has been on air since 1956. Clips have even been broadcast in India, back in the era of black and white television. Now, it is a big budget production. It is covered by stations like the BBC and has Deadhead-like fans from all over Europe travelling to attend the live shows.
Of course, few of us can have heard of, let alone heard, the Ukranian singer and composer Mariya Yaremchuk, who is leading the pack and may well take the prize this time. Russia, represented by the Tolmachevy Sisters, were 15 down on the list, based on audience votes. As the Tolmachevy Twins, they had taken the Eurovision Junior prize in 2006. In roughly the same period, music quit plastic and vinyl and migrated online. Eurovision, which used to conjure up images of second hand record shops in Amsterdam and Heidelberg, is now accessible to us. And it covers Europe in a way that Lonely Planet never will.
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