2012 Ukraine Eurovision Winner Gaitana Faces Criticism Over Her Not Being Ukrainian Enough

Hello there everyone. This is Michael. It is a few minutes past midnight on May 23, 2012. This morning I would like to discuss a controversial topic involving a singer from Ukraine named Gaitana. Her full name is Gaita-Lurdes Essami (Гайта-Лурдес Ессамі). She is half-Ukrainian and half-Congolese. The following embedded video is my vlog pertaining to this matter ...



Gaitana won the Ukraine's 2012 Eurovision entry contest. She will be competing in the larger event this week. The controversy stems from the fact that there are people who claim Gaitana is not truly Ukrainian because she is part African. I dispute that. She has a Ukrainian parent and was born on that soil so she is Ukrainian.

A number of people have criticized Gaitana's involvement in the contest since she, from their perspective, does not represent Ukraine properly. The truth is she has embraced the culture of Ukraine and is devoted to her country. I saw an interview she gave on the internet and it is obvious that she loves the nation. A writer at the Kyivpost did not help matters, in my opinion, when Gaitana was referred to as a "black singer" in an article (in this link: http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/racist-comments-about-gaitana-stir-controversy-ang-122884.html). Referring to Gaitana as just "black" plays right into the hands of those who claim she is not Ukrainian and therefore not fit to represent the nation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Once again, she was born in the territory now known as Ukraine and her mother is Ukrainian so she is Ukrainian. It is very easy to come to that conclusion. There are so many problems in the world that we all need to focus our attention on ... the question of Gaitana's genuine Ukrainianness should not be one of them.

This is a woman who has a degree in Economics, she sings songs in various languages and she composes her own material. She writes her own lyrics and writes her own music. As a matter of fact, the song she will be performing in the 2012 Eurovision contest is titled "Be My Guest". Gaitana wrote the lyrics and the music for that piece.

In no way should Gaitana be criticized for being mixed. She had absolutely no choice in the matter. The criticism and attacks that she has endured are very improper. That is my view and my contribution to the topic. I thank all of you for watching and/or reading and good luck to you Gaitana. Good bye.