Eurovision 2017 - South Caucasus in Kyiv

UPDATE Friday 12 May 2017: Armenia's Artsvik did quite a good job during the first semi-final. She definitely pulled it off live on stage, and the song has grown on me. Watching her live, I've changed my opinion about the choice of song as she made it fit her vocals quite nicely.
Azerbaijan was not as good during the first semi, as I expected, and Georgia predictably did not reach the final.

There was another Armenian performing during the first semi-final: Hovig from Cyprus. He was pretty good too and passed through to the final. Quite an 'Armenian Eurovision' the show turned into.

And finally, the identity of those hot guys on the picture below revealed. They are the dancers on stage during Greece performance. You are welcome :))

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First of all, this picture. Because I like it. The message. The visuals.

*posted by official Eurovision Twitter account: "It's all about celebrating love and diversity at #Eurovision". Quite a package, one might say :))

Now back to the main topic of this post.

All three South Caucasus countries represented by female leads.

The most interesting is Dihaj from Azerbaijan. They represent alternative music/art scene of the country. I have to say I like their image more than the song which is mainstream-ed to appeal to broader Eurovision audience. Still, the theme of Skeletons is not boring and they have a potential of interesting stage presentation, as was evidenced by videos from the rehearsals.

And Nigar, Copenhagen based Azeri artist, who participates in their videos is pretty hot. For more pics & info re the band see here.

Artsvik will represent Armenia. During Eurovision national preselection I was supportive of her because she had a potential with her vocal range (out of choices on offer, that is) but she needed a suitable song. And here comes the problem. The song they’ve chosen doesn't fit well with Artsvik’s vocals. The music video is very weird and as such memorable, visually could do better on stage. But the song is not a 'sing-able' song. It is not something I would listen to without seeing it or sing-a-long to. It’s instantly forgettable, song-wise.

Georgia's entry is seemingly the safest choice, ticking the most Eurovision ‘tick boxes’, beautiful singer, pleasant voice, a ballad. But overall it is not very memorable and a little bit boring.

I haven't seen most of other Eurovision entries yet, so can't say how strong or weak South Caucasus entries are compared to others. Suffice to note, I hardly see a winner of the Eurovision 2017 among South Caucasus countries. Still, exciting week ahead, with potentially some memorable presentations on stage.

In the meantime, enjoy this non-Eurovision video by Dihaj.

Eurovision: the right to wave a flag and being political

I am not against flags or being political at Eurovision. While first and foremost a music contest, the Eurovision was, is and always will be political. And I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing IF it means raising or drawing attention to important issues people feel passionate about.

We frequently wish or expect our fave singers, actors, sports personalities to voice their opinion and contribute to good social causes, human rights causes, and we criticise them when - whether unwittingly or not - they appear next to dictators or keep silence. Entertainment industry, besides its entertainment value, has a huge potential to contribute to social changes.

From LGBT rights to the plight of Crimean Tatars and more. It's in this aspect Karabakh issue (or more specifically, waving Karabakh flag) should be viewed too. What is a different matter, however, is how or why this or that issue is being raised, and whether a platform or target audience is suitable for the cause.

*Metro

Every single year, there is an annual Eurovision battle between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Karabakh. I am pretty sure, for most outside viewers it looks more like a childish game between the countries who cannot look beyond their local boundaries; while inside Armenia and Azerbaijan (and their Diaspora), it's a big thing, likely to be planned ahead on the highest governmental level. And add to this a real life tragedy of war which Armenia, Azerbaijan and Karabakh witness on a daily basis, emotions understandably run high.

However, I do not believe the Eurovision is necessarily a suitable platform, in terms of its target audience, for raising Karabakh issue, other than for a concept of peace.

But as someone passionate about human rights, I cannot be against anyone waving any flag or raising any issue, other than terrorists' flags or hate speech. And this is regardless of whether I would agree or disagree with that action. The point here is that formally the Armenian delegation broke the rules and could be put up for penalty. But I find the EBU statement way too harsh and disproportionate, especially considering that their 'flag rules' had been poorly executed, are pretty stupid and unacceptable when listing together, on a same level (!), the flags of unrecognised states or states/regions within a country along with that of... ISIS.

And I am glad that Azeri singer Samra responded to their local journalist's Karabakh related propaganda speech with 'Eurovision is about music', and Armenia's Iveta reiterated that her action (waving Karabakh flag) was about peace, even if I am sceptical about such statements. In fact, this action hardly contributed to 'peace' even within the Eurovision. Yes, perhaps more people now heard of Karabakh than before, but did it lead to more people caring more about it? Did it raise among Eurovision audience the impression of Armenia promoting peace? I highly doubt it. My advice to both Armenia and Azerbaijan delegations: know your audience, and at least make some efforts to "come together", as the Eurovision slogan proclaims.

Back to the Eurovison as a song contest, I am happy that my faves from the 1st semi - Armenia and Malta - are through to the finals. Yes, Iveta Mukuchyan nailed it. There was also a powerful performance by Ukraine entry Jamala and a cool one by Georgia’s Nika Kocharov and Young Georgian Lolitaz during the 2nd semi. And all of them, that is 3 very different and pretty damn good singers of Armenian origin, became a highlight of this year’s Eurovision. All through to the final. Big congrats !!

If only our countries are as successful and as determined at peace and human rights (for real!), as they are on Eurovision stage.

Eurovision 2016: Armenia’s Iveta Mukuchyan, South Caucasus and more

When I first saw Iveta Mukuchyan’s music video of the song "Love Wave", I have to be honest, my first impression was like: oh well, ok-ish song, beautiful singer, problems with enunciation, but nothing special, apart from featuring hot enigmatic Swedish model Ben Dahlhaus.

I was hoping that presence of Ben on the stage in Sweden will do the trick to add an element of excitement and anticipation.

 *picture - via Ben Dahlhaus FB page 

*Ben Dahlhaus Instagram

But…

Only when I saw Iveta performing live during the Eurovision rehearsals, she really did make an impact on me. Her vocals are quite strong, and she owns the stage during the performance. Good job, Iveta.



It’s amusing to read comments dubbing her Armenian Beyonce :))

There is no doubts for me that she will easily qualify from the semifinal. The question is how far up top she will manage to reach during the finals. Wiwibloggs reviewers seem totally impressed.

Here is a music video of "Ari Yar" by Iveta Mukuchyan, full of diversity, and I like it. I want to see more such works from Iveta.



Btw, as part of Eurovision promotional tour, Iveta hosted Malta’s Ira Losco in Yerevan.

*picture via oikotimes

Here is the fact that was not highlighted by Public TV in Armenia: Ira Losco is a vocal advocate for LGBT rights.

I wish the day will come when I can say the same about Armenia representative at Eurovision. And I wish one day ‘Eurovision Armenia’ will proudly present such messages on their FB page.

Considering the high level of homophobia in Armenia and in line with the tunes of her song, I want to hear from Iveta a powerful all-inclusive message of love. Yes, with specific mention of LGBT people too.

Re other South Caucasus entries:

Azerbaijan: Samra is a beautiful singer with catchy song, but vocally she is the weakest among the South Caucasus entries.

Georgia: Nika Kocharov and Young Georgian Lolitaz are the least conventional among South Caucasus entries.

Great band, including musicians of mixed Georgian and Armenian roots.

*picture via esckaz

Here is a performance of "Gay Swimmer" (yes, you read it right! pay attention to the background of the picture above too) by the band.



However, I am not sure about the choice of their song “Midnight Gold” for Eurovision. Still, best of luck to Nika and Young Georgian Lolitaz.

Another singer to keep an eye on is Ukraine’e entry Jamala, of mixed Crimean Tatar (father) and Armenia (mother) origin. She will present with the song “1944” aimed at Russia, a tragic tale about deportation of the Crimean Tatars.

And finally, I really like France entry this year, and Russia’s Sergey Lazarev will certainly do well.

Video: "Ես դեմ եմ Հոմոֆոբիային" / "I'm against homophobia"

Human rights activists in Armenia and Ukraine say why they are against homophobia.

Madonna + Kazaky : "Girl Gone Wild"

Absof*ckinglutely awesome. It's a dream come true. Madonna + Kazaky. Says it all.

Greek Ukrainian Andreas sings: Make Love, à la Kazaky, and fights animal cruelty

According to the bio posted on his website and YouTube channel, Andreas was born and grew up in Greece. Contrary to his father desires (to see his son becoming a financier), he instead chose modelling and show business. He then left Greece and came to Ukraine, first as a tourist and then, in his own words, fell in love with the country and decided to stay there.

However, Ukraine is not terra incognita for Andreas. Born in Greek repatriated family, Andreas speaks Russian very well and with no accent, thanks to his living and studying in Moscow. Moreover, Andreas can be called an international project. He can sing very well in Russian, as well as in Greek, keeping the same temperament. [...] 

In his spare time, he is seriously interested in nature and animals protection.
‘It’s not enough just to feel sorry about cruel behavior and killing animals, - Andreas says, - we should do something! I’m going to organize some events for it. For example, I plan to make people stop wearing fur clothes. It’s time to pay high attention to the cruel behavior toward pet animals as well…Until we learn to treat animals well we won’t treat people well either…’

Sexy video à la Kazaky with important messages against animal cruelty and for love. Simple as this: Make Love.



The uncensored version can be accessed here with disturbing scenes of animal cruelty.

*Thanks to Nelly for the link.

Must watch!! Kazaky in Armenian - "Pohvir ['Pokhvir'] (Change, I Know, You Can)"

This is so good. I left speechless. Kazaky in Armenian. Fab clip. Great message. A must.

"Pohvir" ['Pokhvir'] - (Change, I Know, You Can)"



Relevant post: Arthur Gasparyan (Archibaz): Armenian member of Kazaky - Ukrainian band that everyone talks about

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine: problems in freedom of association for LGBT groups - Council of Europe report

LGBT NGOs have been formed in nearly all member states. LGBT NGOs in some member states of the Council of Europe face challenges on the most basic level: to register their organisation and statutes. Restrictions on the freedom of association have been observed in five member states during the period 2004-2010: Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine. Such restrictions by the authorities are usually motivated on the ground that the founding documents and scope of the association are contrary to national law. Authorities have also used the argument that the scope of the association is in contrast to or undermines national moral values. Furthermore, administrative issues may arise in relation to registration formalities. Problems with the registration of the statutes of LGBT associations have also been registered in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine.

Ukraine
In Ukraine in 2008, despite the absence of formal limitations, the “People of Bukovina” NGO was requested to delete from its statute the wording “sexual orientation” and compelled to use “gender orientation”. Another Ukrainian organisation, the Lviv LGBT Organisation Total, reported similar problems.

Armenia
In Armenia, NGOs report being unable to include in their statutes references to LGBT issues, sexual orientation or gender identity, although the authorities have denied that this is the case.

Azerbaijan
In Azerbaijan the NGO Gender and Development managed to get the registration but reported that they were contacted several times during the registration process by the State Security Committee regarding the target groups, scope of the organisation and the organisation’s relations with other countries.

Restrictions to freedom of association are not exclusively limited to unlawful interference by the authorities in registration processes. They can also take the form of impediments for LGBT associations to carry out social and cultural activities in their premises or in locations rented out by private parties. Evidence for such occurrences were identified in, but not confined to, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Italy, Lithuania, Serbia, Slovenia and the Russian Federation. Refusals to rent or to provide access to these locations are connected to the LGBT-related character of these events.

No Pride events
In eight member states (Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, Monaco, Montenegro and San Marino), no large public cultural or Pride events have ever been organised, while in 27 member states no significant problems have been encountered even though in some of them, bans of Pride events have been called for.

*Read also: Groundbreaking Council of Europe report issues ‘red cards’ to many member states, incl. Armenia, for failing gay rights

Arthur Gasparyan (Archibaz): Armenian member of Kazaky - Ukrainian band that everyone talks about

Kazaky took the Internet by storm, instantly becoming the hottest band from Ukraine that everyone talks about. Good looking, fit guys, hot with stilettos... and from the post-Soviet country Ukraine. This is their winning combination. Adding unashamedly homoerotic nature of the choreography, no surprises they became hit project with big gay following. [Read: Kazaky in drag. Ukrainian "response to Lady Gaga" did it again ;)]

Among them... our very Armenian Arthur Gasparyan, nicknamed Archibaz.

No much details are available re bio of Kazaky band members, including Arthur. Here is info via formenya_lire (RU, thanks to A.N. for the link).

Артур Гаспарян - 100% арменин, родился 22 июня 1984 года в Ереване.
Артур окончил Академию Русского балета в Петербурге. Был солистом в Московском Академическом Театре классического балета Н.Касаткиной и В.Василова. С 2007 солировал в Национальной опере Украины им. Т.Шевченко. 2010 год - участник танцевального коллектива "Kazaky".

Below are pictures of Arthur and Kazaky via their Facebook page and official website.

Also, towards the end you may see their latest collaboration with Georgian fashion-designer BICHOLA at the Ukrainian Fashion Week (thanks to Lusine for the link). And appearance in music video clip by Lama - Тримай.

Enjoy ;)

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Kazaky in drag. Ukrainian "response to Lady Gaga" did it again ;)

They hit the headlines last year with In the Middle and instantly gained big gay following. Their performances are over-the-top bordering 'bad taste'. But hilarious viewing, nevertheless.



In this new music video Love they do it in drag, with stilettos. Kazaky from Ukraine ;)



*Wikipedia
**official website
***Facebook page

Ukraine: 'Sex and the City', or 'Секс в ПГТ'

For all SATC fans out there. But you have to know Russian to get it. Here we are. Ukrainian response to 'Sex and the City' - 'Секс в ПГТ'. Too funny :)))



*thanks to Angela for the link.

"Hot naked Russians riding horses and picking cherries"

Although Gay.com says of "hot naked Russians", they may well be Ukrainians, as the agency that produced this TV ad is from Kiev. It was awarded 2nd place in this year's Russian TV/film ad contest. Entries from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus were eligible to participate.

There are different versions of the video for this TV ad. I prefer the one below. Allegedly, it was aimed at women.



*picture - via Gay.com

Azeri MPs boycotted Council of Europe (PACE) gay rights debate

Surprise-surprise. You know... same old bullshit (see below re-post from a local news agency in Baku).

As I mentioned in my earlier post, there was a fierce opposition to this debate from certain religious and political circles in Georgia too. It's not clear what was the position of Armenian MPs re PACE debate and proposed resolution. As we know, Armenia and Georgia endorsed historic UN gay rights statement. So far, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Armenia was consistent by endorsing various EU statements in support of gay rights. However, no practical steps were implemented for legal protection of human rights and equality of LGBT citizens in Armenia.

Back to the debates in Council of Europe, voting was delayed till PACE next session in April. Will keep an eye on developments.
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Azerbaijani MPs not to attend European debates on same-sex marriage

Fri 22 January 2010 | 13:15 GMT 

Sabir Hajiyev

Azerbaijani MPs and religious leaders have spoken out against a debate on sexual orientation to be held at the Council of Europe next week.

Two members of the Azerbaijani delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Gultekin Hajibeyli and Sabir Hajiyev, said they would not take part in the debates.

"I am not going to take part in these discussions and I think it wrong to raise this issue in PACE," Hajiyev said.

The PACE debate, provisionally scheduled for 27 January, will discuss discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender self-identification and will propose the legalization of same-sex marriages in Council of Europe member-states.

"I have a very negative view of the debate. Yes, we have declared integration with European structures as our priority, but we must also protect our national and cultural values. This is unacceptable for us and we do not intend to copy everything that is adopted in Europe," Hadi Rajabli, chairman of the parliamentary committee on social policy, said.

"We have our own mentality and we must preserve our cultural values", he added.

The Caucasus Muslims Department expressed its opposition to the debates. They urged MPs to speak against the proposal not only during this session of PACE but in future too: "This is a great sin and Islam condemns such sinful acts."

The head of the Mountain Jews community of Azerbaijan, Semen Ikhiilov, also urged deputies not to take part in these discussions.

"Whoever raises these issues is insane. These people have no shame. Such actions are condemned by all world religions. Therefore, I am very negative about it," Ikhiilov said.

The Ukrainian council of churches and religious organizations have also protested at the planned PACE debate on the legalization of same-sex marriages.

1 news.az

Azerbaijan and ILGA-Europe: first step to conducting strategic advocacy for LGBT rights

by Beth Fernandez, ILGA-Europe’s Programmes Officer

*via ILGA-Europe June 2009 newsletter

As part of the PRECIS project (Prevention and Empowerment in the CIS), ILGA-Europe organised a two and a half day advocacy planning session in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 2 to 4 June 2009 with our Azeri partner, Gender and Development. The session was attended by 7 staff members and volunteers of Gender and Development and its women’s initiative group Mehriban, plus 2 staff members from Za Ravnie Prava (For Equal Rights) from Kherson in Southern Ukraine.

The aim of such sessions is to build the capacity of our partner organizations to advocate effectively and strategically on LGBT issues on a national and international level so that they maximize the potential of their staff and existing resources.

The session provides the participants with a framework and tools to produce a basic advocacy plan with two or three advocacy objectives which they can use to structure the advocacy work of their organisation. During this session, participants selected the passing of national legislation protecting the rights of LGBT people and the promotion of tolerant attitudes in state structures and society at large as their two advocacy objectives.

The session covers the concepts of advocacy and advocacy planning, identification and prioritisation of problems to be solved by advocacy, analysis of those problems, formulation of advocacy objectives and specific objectives, identification of key audiences, allies and opponents and selection of suitable tactics to use in each case. Time is also allowed for discussion of activities, resources and realistic timeframe.

The training received a positive evaluation by participants and we are looking forward to supporting Gender and Development, Mehriban, and Za Ravnie Prava in their future advocacy work.

Gender and Development is the only LGBT organisation registered in Azerbaijan and has been working for three years. They run a community centre which now attracts 300 regular visitors and conduct outreach on HIV/ AIDS prevention and monitoring within Baku. They assist LGBT people on specific cases where their human rights have been violated, offer psychological counseling and social activities. They are currently producing a film with ILGA-Europe’s financial support documenting discrimination in Azerbaijan and in the future they intend to conduct strategic advocacy with national and international institutions and expand their outreach activities to other cities in Azerbaijan.

This training was one of a series of advocacy planning sessions held within the PRECIS project. Trainings were held with Inclusive Foundation (Georgia), LiGA (Ukraine) and Labrys (Kyrgyzstan) in 2008 and we will organise similar sessions with We For Civil Equality (Armenia) in December 2009 and in March 2010 with Amulet (Kazakhstan).

Armenia and Georgia join EU statement condemning homophobia

Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union
on the International Day against Homophobia on 17 May

Brussels, 15 May 2009

In the context of the International Day Against Homophobia, the Presidency of the Council on behalf of the European Union reaffirms the principle of non-discrimination which requires that human rights apply equally to every human being regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The European Union rejects and condemns any manifestation of homophobia as this phenomenon is a blatant violation of human dignity. It considers that discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity is incompatible with the basic principles on which the EU is founded, and it is and will remain committed to the prevention and eradication of discrimination based on the six grounds mentioned in Article 13 of the EC Treaty, which include sexual orientation.

We are deeply concerned by violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms based on sexual orientation or gender identity wherever they occur, in particular the use of death penalty on this ground, the practice of torture or other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, arbitrary arrest or detention, denying the right to peaceful assembly and deprivation of economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to health.

We urge the States to take all necessary measures to ensure that sexual orientation and gender identity may under no circumstances be the basis for criminal penalties and that such human rights violations are investigated and perpetrators held accountable and brought to justice.

The European Union welcomes the ever increasing support to these principles in the world and recalls in this context that 67 States from different regions condemned violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the General Assembly Statement on Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity of 18 December 2008.

The Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine, Armenia and Georgia align themselves with this declaration.

European Union

*Thanks to Gay Caucasus for the link.

"We don't wanna Put in" - controversial Georgian entry for Eurovision 2009

This may prove to be the most controversial entry for this year's Eurovision. Georgia decided to send Stephane & 3G with "We don't wanna Put in". Clever and funny 'playing with words' :) While the song itself is pretty typical, it's quite catchy and funny. And it's possible to sing along, unlike Armenia's entry.

This song, if approved by Eurovision officials, will get a very tough reception in Moscow, with likely boo-ing in the auditorium. No chances for 12 points from Russia to Georgia (this was alleged by many as a possible political gesture from Russia's side.) However, all these PR and scandals surrounding the song may play well in developing a fan base and a Europe-wide support, especially in Western Europe and some post-Soviet states. On the other hand, there is always risk that this type of songs may backfire.

There have been regular attempts at protest songs at Eurovision in past: some - successful, others - not. Perhaps, the most successful recent attempt, which Georgians want to repeat, was that of Ukraine two years ago with Verka Serduchka 'playing with words' while singing 'Lusha Tumbai' (='Russia Good Bye'). It cased outrage in Russia back then and an excellent PR advantage for Ukrainian entry. Let's see how this new Georgia-Russia 'war' will develop. There were comments on Eurovision related sites that "Due to the somewhat political connotations of the song, it is likely that the EBU may force some lyrics from the Georgian song to be changed." In any case, in my opinion, as of now, this is the best entry for Eurovision 2009 from the South Caucasus.

2nd European Transgender Council transforms into 1st global conference of transgender activists

 

*based on press release

 

 

 

 

More than 200 transgender activists from 5 continents came together on 2-4 May for the 2nd European Transgender Council in Berlin.

Participants came from 83 groups and 38 countries, among them Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey,  Russia, Ukraine, Belarus,  USA, Peru, Japan, Namibia, Kyrgyzstan, Israel, Serbia, Iceland, Romania, Croatia.

Human rights issues, anti-discrimination legislation and an exchange of experiences on an international level were the central concerns of the Council.

The first comprehensive study (2007) of the legal rights situation and experience of health care of transgender people in Europe shows that transgender people continue to face massive violations of their human rights in most European states.

Despite much scientific controversy, forms of transgender continue to be listed in the DSM IV of the American Psychological Association (APA), just as homosexuality once was, and in the ICD-10 of the World Health Organization (WHO) as psychological disorders. DSM and ICD are guideline manuals used in healthcare to standardise the definitions of what constitutes mental illness. Transgender Europe (TGEU) emphatically refuses this pathologisation and will assist the next reformulation of the DSM in a critical manner, when this is carried out in 2011.

At the plenary meeting of Transgender Europe (TGEU), a new Executive Board and a new Steering Committee were elected, with representatives from Denmark, Germany, England, Ireland and Italy. The new President of the Organisation is Stephen Whittle, PhD, Professor of Equalities Law, Manchester Metropolitan University, President of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH, USA) and Vicepresident of Press for Change (PfC, UK).

Armenia: Statistics of the Day (disturbing!)

According to UNICEF report released today, 1 in 4 surveyed women in Armenia (22%) believe that under certain circumstances, husband has the right to beat his wife. The situation is even worse in Georgia – 30%. (in Ukraine - 5%; and in Uzbekistan - 70%!)

Survey was conducted among women 15-49 yrs old.

*via Radio Liberty

Sadly, not a shocking news...