{"id":72555,"date":"2017-05-15T12:32:26","date_gmt":"2017-05-15T12:32:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/uacrisis.org\/?p=56179"},"modified":"2017-05-15T12:39:47","modified_gmt":"2017-05-15T09:39:47","slug":"56179-kyiv-won-eurovision-ukraine-scores-soft-power-triumph-festive-song-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/56179-kyiv-won-eurovision-ukraine-scores-soft-power-triumph-festive-song-contest","title":{"rendered":"HOW KYIV WON EUROVISION: Ukraine scores soft power triumph with festive song contest"},"content":{"rendered":"
Photo: Courtesy of\u00a0Business Ukraine<\/a><\/em><\/div>\n
The 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Ukraine was won by Portugal, but the event also served as a priceless platform for Ukraine to showcase its appeal to global audience<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
UCMC is pleased to present our readers another interesting article by Peter Dickinson, originally published by Business Ukraine<\/a>. \u00a0The article explains how Ukrainian hosts seized the opportunity to underline country\u2019s European credentials and polish international image.<\/em><\/div>\n
\n

May 2017 is likely to go down in history as a landmark month in the epic odyssey of Ukraine\u2019s post-Soviet European integration. In the past few weeks, Ukrainians have celebrated confirmation of visa-free EU access, while also hosting the Eurovision Song Contest in spectacular fashion.<\/p>\n

Victory at Eurovision went to Portugal\u2019s Salvador Sobral with his hauntingly beautiful song, \u201cAmar Pelos Dois\u201d. However, once the glitzy costumes are packed away and the dust has settled, we will likely come to recognize that the real winner of Eurovision 2017 was Ukraine itself. Ukrainians managed to introduce their country to thousands of international guests and hundreds of millions of TV viewers across the globe, creating an array of positive impressions that directly challenge prevailing negative stereotypes of war-torn and poverty-stricken Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Kyiv has been in full festive mood for the first two weeks of May, with Eurovision-related fun throughout the city. The Ukrainian capital made a huge effort to impress Eurovision visitors, opening up numerous fan zones and laying on a small army of English-speaking guides. Police underwent special training and transport hubs received makeovers, while clubs and bars bent over backwards to offer a warm welcome. Meanwhile, the show itself was a technical triumph complete with brilliant branding, stunning stage and professional presentation.<\/p>\n

There were inevitably hiccups along the way \u2013 the contest\u2019s \u201cCelebrating Diversity\u201d slogan was not reflected in the choice of three male hosts, while the failure to complete the Arch of Diversity in downtown Kyiv due to far-right objections also led many to see the unfinished arch as a metaphor for Ukraine\u2019s incomplete embrace of European values. Nevertheless, Ukraine\u2019s overall handling of the country\u2019s Eurovision 2017 host duties was engaging and impressive in equal measure.<\/p>\n

There is considerable evidence that these efforts have paid off handsomely. Since the start of May, the international media has been awash with positive tourism articles hailing Kyiv as an undiscovered gem. Guests to the city have been equally generous in their praise, with specific mentions going to the beauty of Kyiv, the friendliness of Ukrainians, and the excellent value for money on offer in the Ukrainian capital. UK journalist Heidi Stephens captured this general enthusiasm for Kyiv during her popular Eurovision live blog for The Guardian newspaper, writing, \u201cIf you\u2019ve never been to Kiev, you really should. It\u2019s a beautiful and friendly city, the food is magnificent and everything is ridiculously cheap. I\u2019ve had a ball here for the last few days, the organisation has been brilliant. Going to Eurovision is an experience in itself, but doing it in a city I\u2019ve never been to before makes it really special – I highly recommend.\u201d<\/p>\n

The success of the Eurovision Song Contest in Ukraine was by no means a foregone conclusion. Hosting Eurovision is a complex and expensive undertaking that presented considerable challenges for a notoriously cash-strapped country also currently defending itself against a Russian hybrid war in its eastern borderlands. For months prior to the song contest, rumors continued to swirl regarding Kyiv\u2019s lack of preparations and Ukraine\u2019s inability to finance the event.<\/p>\n

Russia also tried to spoil Ukraine\u2019s Eurovision party by selecting a Crimea-tainted singer to represent the country. The Kremlin chose Yulia Samoylova safe in the knowledge that she would be unable to perform in Kyiv, having earlier violated Ukraine\u2019s border laws by illegally entering the Russian-occupied Ukrainian peninsula. This stunt generated considerable negative publicity but ultimately failed to derail Ukraine\u2019s preparations. It may even have played a part in the success of the song contest in Ukraine, removing an awkward political element from the agenda and allowing organizers to focus on putting together a spectacular show.<\/p>\n

Ukraine\u2019s successful stint as Eurovision host nation is an important soft power victory for the country that will resonate far beyond the narrow confines of the song contest itself. It will help Ukraine to build a more positive international image after spending decades in the shadows and the past few years depicted in one-dimensional terms as a warzone. Crucially, it will also serve to counter Russian efforts to denigrate Ukraine on the international stage. Having failed to convince global audiences that neo-Nazis have seized power in Ukraine, Kremlin tactics have since moved on, with Moscow now preferring to portray the country as a failed state. Gushing coverage of Kyiv\u2019s citywide Eurovision extravaganza will go a long way to dispelling such myths, while also positioning the Ukrainian capital as an appealing European destination for both tourism and business.<\/p>\n

This image boost could have very real consequences for the country\u2019s economy. In the struggle to attract international investment, perceptions play a hugely important role. The success of Eurovision will not change negative perceptions of Ukraine overnight, but it will raise the country\u2019s profile and encourage many more people to investigate what it has to offer. This is what hosting international events is all about. Ukraine can now take significant satisfaction from seizing what was a rare opportunity to sell itself to global audiences.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo: Courtesy of\u00a0Business Ukraine The 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Ukraine was won by Portugal, but the event also served as a priceless platform for Ukraine to showcase its appeal to global audience UCMC is pleased to present our readers another interesting article by Peter Dickinson, originally published by Business Ukraine. \u00a0The article explains how […] More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":72556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[705,748],"tags":[2970],"section":[743],"form":[],"yoast_head":"\nHOW KYIV WON EUROVISION: Ukraine scores soft power triumph with festive song contest | UACRISIS.ORG<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Photo: Courtesy of\u00a0Business Ukraine The 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Ukraine was won by Portugal, but the event also served as a priceless platform for | Uacrisis.org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/56179-kyiv-won-eurovision-ukraine-scores-soft-power-triumph-festive-song-contest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"HOW KYIV WON EUROVISION: Ukraine scores soft power triumph with festive song contest | UACRISIS.ORG\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Photo: Courtesy of\u00a0Business Ukraine The 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Ukraine was won by Portugal, but the event also served as a priceless platform for | Uacrisis.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/56179-kyiv-won-eurovision-ukraine-scores-soft-power-triumph-festive-song-contest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Uacrisis.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uacrisis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-05-15T12:32:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-05-15T09:39:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/EUROVISION_cee1c2c405c334cd38d1cb982e8acf7b.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"470\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uacrisis\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uacrisis\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\u0417\u0430\u0445\u0430\u0440 \u0411\u0443\u0442\u043a\u043e\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"HOW KYIV WON EUROVISION: Ukraine scores soft power triumph with festive song contest | UACRISIS.ORG","description":"Photo: Courtesy of\u00a0Business Ukraine The 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Ukraine was won by Portugal, but the event also served as a priceless platform for | Uacrisis.org","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/56179-kyiv-won-eurovision-ukraine-scores-soft-power-triumph-festive-song-contest","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"HOW KYIV WON EUROVISION: Ukraine scores soft power triumph with festive song contest | UACRISIS.ORG","og_description":"Photo: Courtesy of\u00a0Business Ukraine The 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Ukraine was won by Portugal, but the event also served as a priceless platform for | Uacrisis.org","og_url":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/56179-kyiv-won-eurovision-ukraine-scores-soft-power-triumph-festive-song-contest","og_site_name":"Uacrisis.org","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uacrisis\/","article_published_time":"2017-05-15T12:32:26+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-05-15T09:39:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":750,"height":470,"url":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/EUROVISION_cee1c2c405c334cd38d1cb982e8acf7b.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@uacrisis","twitter_site":"@uacrisis","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"\u0417\u0430\u0445\u0430\u0440 \u0411\u0443\u0442\u043a\u043e","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/uk\/#organization","name":"Ukraine crisis media center","url":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/uk\/","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uacrisis\/","http:\/\/youtube.com\/UACrisisMediaCenter","https:\/\/twitter.com\/uacrisis"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/uk\/#logo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/header_logo-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/header_logo-1.png","width":250,"height":90,"caption":"Ukraine crisis media center"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/uk\/#logo"}},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/uk\/","name":"Uacrisis.org","description":"Ukraine crisis media center","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/uk\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/56179-kyiv-won-eurovision-ukraine-scores-soft-power-triumph-festive-song-contest#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/EUROVISION_cee1c2c405c334cd38d1cb982e8acf7b.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/EUROVISION_cee1c2c405c334cd38d1cb982e8acf7b.jpg","width":750,"height":470,"caption":"Eurovision song contest"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/56179-kyiv-won-eurovision-ukraine-scores-soft-power-triumph-festive-song-contest#webpage","url":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/56179-kyiv-won-eurovision-ukraine-scores-soft-power-triumph-festive-song-contest","name":"HOW KYIV WON EUROVISION: Ukraine scores soft power triumph with festive song contest | UACRISIS.ORG","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/56179-kyiv-won-eurovision-ukraine-scores-soft-power-triumph-festive-song-contest#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2017-05-15T12:32:26+00:00","dateModified":"2017-05-15T09:39:47+00:00","description":"Photo: Courtesy of\u00a0Business Ukraine The 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Ukraine was won by Portugal, but the event also served as a priceless platform for | Uacrisis.org","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/56179-kyiv-won-eurovision-ukraine-scores-soft-power-triumph-festive-song-contest#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/56179-kyiv-won-eurovision-ukraine-scores-soft-power-triumph-festive-song-contest"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/56179-kyiv-won-eurovision-ukraine-scores-soft-power-triumph-festive-song-contest#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"\u0413\u043b\u0430\u0432\u043d\u0430\u044f \u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430\u043d\u0438\u0446\u0430","item":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"HOW KYIV WON EUROVISION: Ukraine scores soft power triumph with festive song contest"}]},{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/56179-kyiv-won-eurovision-ukraine-scores-soft-power-triumph-festive-song-contest#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/56179-kyiv-won-eurovision-ukraine-scores-soft-power-triumph-festive-song-contest#webpage"},"author":{"@id":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/31691010a01129c86dc9dc11eebe8df9"},"headline":"HOW KYIV WON EUROVISION: Ukraine scores soft power triumph with festive song contest","datePublished":"2017-05-15T12:32:26+00:00","dateModified":"2017-05-15T09:39:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/56179-kyiv-won-eurovision-ukraine-scores-soft-power-triumph-festive-song-contest#webpage"},"wordCount":925,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/uk\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/56179-kyiv-won-eurovision-ukraine-scores-soft-power-triumph-festive-song-contest#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/EUROVISION_cee1c2c405c334cd38d1cb982e8acf7b.jpg","keywords":["Eurovision2017"],"articleSection":["Press release","Society"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/56179-kyiv-won-eurovision-ukraine-scores-soft-power-triumph-festive-song-contest#respond"]}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/31691010a01129c86dc9dc11eebe8df9","name":"\u0417\u0430\u0445\u0430\u0440 \u0411\u0443\u0442\u043a\u043e"}]}},"wps_subtitle":"","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72555"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72555"},{"taxonomy":"section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section?post=72555"},{"taxonomy":"form","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/form?post=72555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}