Jamala, a Ukrainian singer of Crimean-Tartar descent, has deep personal experience of the pain of being exiled from home. Following the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia, she felt she had to help the stream of refugees heading to Kiev by offering them free tickets to her concert. Here she talks about the power of music to help people express their feelings and how she has not seen her parents, who are still in Crimea, for over a year. She Jamala, a Ukrainian singer of Crimean-Tartar descent, has deep personal experience of the pain of being exiled from home. Following the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia, she felt she had to help the stream of refugees heading to Kiev by offering them free tickets to her concert. She gave 1500 free tickets to her concert to refugees. She says music and culture are as important to revolution as politics. Here she talks about the power of music to help people express their feelings and how she has not seen her parents, who are still in Crimea, for over a year.
SHOTLIST
1. (00:00) VARIOUS SHOTS MUSICIAN JAMALA IN PARK IN CENTRAL KIEV
2. (01:12) Soundbite (UKRAINIAN), Jamala, Musician
“I speak seldom to my mum today, I saw my father last a year ago, it was exactly a year ago that I visited Crimea for the last time, because I am really afraid of going there. I think that they would let me in, but would they let me out? I don’t know.”
“I was born in a musical family. I grew up with music. I always sang a lot.”
“It is not important what my nationality is, how much blood I have mixed in me.”
“My music has very many intertwining layers. It is both Crimean-Tartar, it’s a little Armenian and of course it is Ukrainian, because I grew up here.”
“Right now it is very important that culture in Ukraine stays on a high level. Beside neither politics not any other sector can tell the world what Ukrainians feel, like music can. Now people feel resentment of all politicians because people don’t believe them, but they believe in music.”
“Musicians are very often asked now about whether they should sing about what is happening today. Whether they should sing songs that are not related to today’s life. Whether they should be non-political and so on. I have no right to judge anyone. But I am trying to sing about the things that hurt.”
“Musicians, politicians, gardeners, what can we do so that Ukraine can really be a European nation. We want it to happen but we are not there yet. It’s important to understand it and one should not hurry up. We need time.”
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