#shoud've written that earlier but i guess now will do

[alcestas-sloboda]

When I first listened to the interval act in the second semifinal, I didn't give it enough thought, even as a Ukrainian. Well, even at first glance, you can see a representation of Ukrainian musical talents - Mariya Yaremchuk singing her dad's song about family, a modern rendition of Taras Shevchenko's poem, Shedryk. But today, I've seen it over and over again on TikTok, and I realized the sheer symbolism of this act.

Nazariy Yaremchuk is one of the brightest musical talents Ukraine has ever produced. His songs are almost folklore here, but he is not the only singer you can see during the act. On the screen, there are different portraits of Ukrainian cultural figures - everyone from Lesya Ukrainka to Volodymyr Ivasyuk. The fate of the latter is for you to find on the internet, but like most of the Ukrainian cultural elite, he was killed for being too Ukrainian for the Soviet liking.

After the first song, the melody follows - Skoryk's Melody in A minor. It is frequently described as a spiritual hymn of Ukraine and has been used in commemorations of the Holodomor. That is why you can see so many wheat spikes, symbolizing the tragedy, and the Revolution of Dignity.

Then you have OTOY's rendition of Shevchenko's "Cherry Garden Near the House," and my god, it is amazing not only from an artistic perspective but also from the perspective of historical justice. For me, as well as for most Ukrainians, this is a poem we know by heart since we are in first grade in school. It's not as powerful as Shevchenko's "Testament" or "Caucasus," but it is a simple retelling of a family doing their work and living a peaceful life in their home with the song of a nightingale always present.

But now, in 2023, it is being sung to millions and millions of people worldwide, after Ukrainian language was forbidden countless times, after the Ukrainian elite was killed for even daring to dream about a free Ukraine, after so much being thrown at Ukrainians just to destroy them but no, we are here. I really hope Shevchenko sees us right now and is smiling because we are his kids, we truly are. We are breaking those heavy chains, and we remember you, father, albeit not in a very soft-spoken way, but with beats and drums. I know you would have liked that. You loved partying back in the day.

And of course, Shedryk, another statement of just how much Ukraine has given to the world. Yulia explained it perfectly herself, so I won't repeat it here again. But it was, is, and always will be better in the original Ukrainian language.

After all these years of fighting on every front, Ukraine lives. Its language and its culture live and make people happy. And as for Eurovision being a great representation of this? Just as Ivasyuk sang, "The song will be among us."

Слава Україні! Слава всім її захисникам і всім її героям! Шана моєму незламному народ��!