Russia has revived the Intervision song contest, which Moscow hopes will become a rival to the “declining” Eurovision, AFP reported. Performers from more than 20 countries took part and the ambition is to be watched by more than a billion viewers. The contest, first held in the Soviet era and revived in February on the orders of President Vladimir Putin, took place in an arena near the Russian capital. Vietnamese singer Duc Phuc was declared the winner with a song inspired by a poem about bamboo. The singer, who won the Vietnamese version of the reality show “The Voice” a decade ago, emotionally thanked the audience “for every second” spent watching the competition, which lasted about four hours.
After Russia was banned from Eurovision for its military offensive in Ukraine, the Kremlin imposed “Intervision” as a tool to push anti-Western messages and build new cultural and political alliances. The event began with an opening ceremony that combined a vision of future technology with nostalgia for the Soviet past, followed by giant augmented reality projections of dancing silhouettes in traditional costumes, symbolizing each participant. In a video message to the participants, which included traditional allies such as Brazil, India and China, Putin hailed the “main theme” of the contest – “respect for traditional values and different cultures.” “Today, Intervision is getting a second wind, remaining true to its traditions,” the head of state added. Initially, 23 countries had announced their participation, including the old Cold War adversary, the United States. However, the American representative, Australian pop singer Vassiliki Karagiorgos, known as Vassy, withdrew at the last minute due to “unprecedented political pressure from the Australian government,” the organizers announced. No EU country sent a representative. However, the former Soviet republics of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan sent their performers to Russia for the show. Other participants included Cuban singer Zulema Iglesias Salazar with a lively rumba, Qatar’s representative Dana Al Meer, who sang at the opening ceremony of the 2022 World Cup, but told the jury that she did not want to be declared the winner. “Hospitality is an inalienable part of the Russian soul… and according to the law of hospitality, I have no right to be among those competing for victory,” he said. In addition to Putin, the contest also attracted Eurovision 2008 winner Dima Bilan, as well as Polina Gagarina, who came in second in 2015. The jury also included American rock musician Joe Lynn Turner, a former member of Deep Purple. All participants performed their songs in their native language – “unlike Eurovision, where most songs are often in English,” the organizers noted. Moscow has set high expectations for the television audience. According to the organizers, the participating countries represent a total of 4.3 billion people – or more than half the planet’s population. “If at least one in three or even one in four watches the contest, that will be an unprecedented audience,” said Channel One Director General Konstantin Ernst before the event. The last Eurovision Song Contest, held in May, attracted a record 166 million viewers, according to organizers.
Intervision was founded in 1965 in Prague but was suspended three years later after the anti-Soviet uprising in Czechoslovakia. It was later revived in Poland in the 1970s and is held in various cities across the former communist bloc. Unlike Eurovision, there is no public vote here – the winner is determined solely by an international jury. Organizers have already announced that the next Intervision will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2026.
Illustrative Photo by Vishnu R Nair: https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-at-concert-1105666/
