the Ukrainian group Kalush Orchestra wins the competition thanks to the public vote

For the 66^e edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, the final, broadcast on France 2 on Saturday May 14, offered a musical show mixing rhinestones, glamour, kitsch, excess and geopolitics. As the war in Ukraine shakes the planet, the European continent in particular, bookmakers have had their noses betting on a victory for the Ukrainian folk rap group Kalush Orchestra, which won with its lullaby Stefaniatribute to all Ukrainian mothers.
Considered apolitical, the largest song contest in the world, which attracts nearly 200 million viewers each year, did not escape the geopolitical tensions of the time. Russia, which has participated since 1994, was excluded by the organizers the day after its invasion of Ukraine. Its ally Belarus was excluded for three years in 2021 due to the political content of the songs offered that year. On the Ukrainian side, kyiv had to issue a special authorization to the five members of the Kalush Orchestra, all men of eligible age, to allow them to travel to Italy.
France, which has not won Eurovision since 1977 despite a remarkable second place in 2021, failed to thrill the crowds with the Breton group Alvan & Ahez and finished penultimate in this competition, become a tool of cultural diplomacy.
Relive the final of this 2022 edition with Florent Parmentier, associate researcher at the HEC Geopolitics Center and Cevipof, as well as style columnist Marc Beaugé. The designer Urbs sketched the highlights of this musical evening in drawings.