On Saturday night, far from the ruins that were once homes and the battlefields that were once cities, Ukraine secured an emphatic victory that had nothing to do with rifles, anti-tank weaponry and Molotov cocktails, and everything to do with hopeful words, folkloric dance moves and a continental eruption of cultural solidarity.
Following the Kalush Orchestra's triumph in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest, Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said he hoped next year's final would take place in the besieged port city of Mariupol, which has endured some of the most merciless onslaughts of the Russian invasion.
“Our courage impresses the world, our music conquers Europe! Next year Ukraine will host Eurovision!” Zelenskiy said in a Telegram post.
“We will do our best to one day host the participants and guests of Eurovision in Ukrainian Mariupol. Free, peaceful, rebuilt! I am sure our victorious chord in the battle with the enemy is not far off.”
Kalush Orchestra's entry, Stefania -arap-folk hybrid originally intended as a tribute to the mother of frontman Oleh Psiuk - swiftly proved a rallying cry in Ukraine and beyond.
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