The song with which Antigoni Buxton will represent Cyprus in the 70th Eurovision Song Contest has caused reactions. Personalities from the artistic world, as well as other professional sectors, have even sent a letter to the Cyprus Radio Corporation (CRC), requesting that both the song "Jalla" and the video clip be withdrawn.
They claim that this is an unacceptable presentation of Cyprus and its tradition that promotes unacceptable standards. The letter concludes with their demands, which are the withdrawal of the song and its clip and the disclosure of the cost of their creation.
The song "Jalla"
In more detail, the letter states: "This is an unacceptable presentation of Cyprus, which insults Cyprus, our traditions and our aesthetics. It promotes standards that should in no way be a choice of our state broadcasting organization. How is it possible and how are the events of the Presidency of the Council of Europe, in the Louvre, Stockholm and elsewhere, the attempt to show Europe the Cyprus of creation and quality, combined with the aesthetics presented by this humiliating spectacle? In addition to the above, the video clip includes and legitimizes very dangerous road delinquency practices."
Regarding the requests of those signing the letter, it is noted: "We call on the Board of Directors of RIK to withdraw this offensive video clip, to withdraw this song from the competition, to inform Cypriot taxpayers of the cost of this particular production."
See the letter
For its part, the RIK clarified that it will not withdraw its participation, which has been warmly received online and has garnered positive comments on social media.
The General Director of the Cyprus Cultural Institute, Thanasis Tsokos, responded regarding Cyprus' participation: "The Cyprus Cultural Institute does not share any comparison of events taking place in museums such as the Louvre or Stockholm with the Eurovision Song Contest, which it aims to unite. It also notes that the said participation and the clip in question have received a warm and positive reception online, while all reactions from experts and friends of the contest on social media platforms such as YouTube are entirely positive. The overwhelming majority of comments emphasize that the clip presents the contrast between traditional and modern Cyprus, as well as the sounds and style of music with ethnic elements from the region and the Mediterranean."
It is then reported that this year's participation of Cyprus "marries" tradition with modern musical sounds: "The contest, which this year marks its 70th anniversary, is not related to the Presidency that our country has assumed and that the public broadcaster supports in various ways. It is a celebration that unites through music, hence countries often choose songs that offer entertainment to tens of thousands of spectators in the stadium and millions of television viewers around the world. This is what Cyprus's participation this year attempts, with a modern stage presence and professionalism, as it has been doing for years. It is worth noting that any scenes that did not follow road safety principles were removed from the clip, which will be re-posted by the European Broadcasting Union."
