Jamala won Eurovision Song Contest 2016 for Ukraine with the song
1944
, two years after Crimea where his family originated was annexed by Russia.
A few days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Jamala took refuge with her two young sons with her sister in Turkey while her husband remained in Kiev to join volunteers helping to evacuate the population to safety.
In recent days, Jamala has spoken in several European media, putting his notoriety and his platform at the service of support for Ukraine.
Six years ago, she triumphed on the Eurovision stage.
Today, she is a refugee with her children in Turkey, far from her country at war, Ukraine.
The 38-year-old singer Jamala is both a symbol and an unofficial international spokesperson for her native land shaken by tragedy.
On Saturday, she appeared on France 2. In a short video broadcast during the French selection for Eurovision, she declared: “I am very grateful to you for all the help you have given us.
She is incredibly important to us right now.
Thank you also to the volunteers you sent to us.
I would like the whole Eurovision community to be able to support Ukraine because it is also decisive for us.
I would like you to hear from Ukraine.
»
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The day before, it was in Germany, on the
Germany 12 Points
set, that she performed.
As soon as he entered the set, blue and yellow flag in hand, emotion fell on the room.
She performed
1944
, the song with which she won Eurovision in 2016, giving Ukraine its second victory in the contest.
“I am nobody, but if I can do something, I will do it”
“Honestly, I don't even know how I managed to sing…I'm a small person in this big world, I'm nobody, but if I can do something, I will do it,” she said. later to AFP.
Saturday evening, she was also the guest of the Romanian selection for Eurovision, who wanted to pay tribute to Ukraine.
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1944
is not just any song.
She evokes the repression against the Crimean Tatars, that year, on Stalin's orders.
This predominantly Muslim Turkish-speaking community, settled since the 13th century on the shores of the Black Sea, was deported by the thousands to Central Asia, accused of collaborating with the Nazis.
Jamala then explained that it was the story of his grandmother.
However, at Eurovision, two years after the annexation of Crimea by Russia, the text resonated doubly.
“When strangers arrive, they come to your homes.
They kill you all and say, 'We are not guilty,'” the lyrics state.
That Ukraine won in the competition just ahead of Russia was seen as an offense by the Kremlin.
" In a state of shock "
Since the start of the Russian offensive at the end of February, the song has taken on a new dimension.
“We are going through that again today.
I thought that was in the past,” Jamala told AFP.
On Instagram, she documented, almost live, the evolution of the situation since February 24 when her husband woke her up in their Kiev apartment saying: "The war has started, Russia has attacked Ukraine ".
She was, she said, “in shock,” wondering what to do.
To leave ?
Where to start.
The artist went to a shelter that day with her two sons and her husband.
They then traveled to Ternopil, 400 kilometers west of the Ukrainian capital.
A two-day road trip.
As soon as they arrived, they already had to leave, towards the Romanian border, the situation being too dangerous.
Ukrainian singer Jamala is now a refugee in Romania with her two children https://t.co/VvHW2KePVO pic.twitter.com/pkmkzQxEKB
— Fabien Randanne (@fabrandanne) February 27, 2022
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In her Instagram story, she filmed herself, her face defeated, harassed by fatigue and anxiety, crossing the border on foot, with her two children.
Her husband did not follow them.
He turned back to Kiev, to join the volunteers helping to evacuate women and children to safer areas.
The journey of Jamala and his sons continued to Turkey.
They now all three live in Istanbul with the sister of the singer.
“I only know that we have to win”
Since then, the 30-year-old lives with fear in her stomach, worried about her husband.
“My sound engineer wrote to me yesterday that he had no water… He can't go out, it's dangerous,” she told AFP.
“It is a very cruel war in the heart of Europe.
It destroys the values of the Europe we have built since the Second World War.
»
Jamala multiplies interviews with the media around the world, taking advantage of the platform offered to him.
On Israeli television last week, she commented on Russia's exclusion from Eurovision.
“I think it's the right decision.
In general, any form of protest is welcome.
In this case, Eurovision is a major international competition,” she said, thanking the organizers for this decision.
To AFP, she proclaims: “Ukraine is a great country, with its language, its own culture, its history.
It has nothing in common with Russia.
I don't know what we can do… I just know we have to win.
And that's not the song contest she's talking about.
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