Jamala to present song about deportation of Crimean Tatars at Eurovision contest

Ukrainian singer Susana Jamaladynova a.k.a. Jamala will represent Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 1944.

Jury chairman Konstantin Meladze and jury member Andriy Danylko criticized the performance of the singer. In particular, Meladze noted that the performance spoilt the overall picture. In his opinion, the dress, the graphics of the performance and the song are not combined with each other.

“The song is one story, the performance is another story, and your appearance and dress is the third story. You can win Eurovision contest, only if you have one team. This dress could suit a backup singer, but it’s too easy for your image. We will not be able to win Eurovision with such an appearance,” Konstantin Meladze said. He believes that SunSay would be the most competitive singer in the competition in Stockholm.

The story of Jamala’s grandmother about the deportation of the Crimean Tatars inspired the singer to write this song. She sings it in English and Crimean Tatar languages.

“The story of my grandmother about the tragedy that happened to our family and the Crimean Tatar people in 1944 inspired me to write this song. My great-grandfather was at the war so he could not protect her and the children. All of them were loaded into the freight cars like cattle and were transported to Central Asia during few weeks. Those, who did not survive those inhuman conditions and died of hunger and thirst, were just thrown from the train on the move. My great-grandmother also lost one of her daughters there,” the singer said.

Some say that the song is too serious for the entertaining competition. However, the singer insists that it is necessary to convey the message that Ukraine is the deep country with different traditions and historical background.

As reported, the European Parliament condemned the unprecedented level of human rights violations committed against Crimean Tatars on the peninsula occupied by Russia.