A hymn to the world

Listening to this years' contestants for the Eurovision song contest in Vienna I was surprised by the contribution of Polina Gagarina. "One million voices" is a hymn to the world advocating for more mutual respect and openness. Here an extract of the lyrics:


We are the worlds people
Different yet we're the same
We believe
We believe in a dream
Praying for peace and healing
I hope we can start again
We believe
We believe in a dream
So if you ever feel love is fading
Together like the stars in the sky
We can sing
We can shine 

Not only the strong lyrics caught my attention but also the winning melody that makes this song to a strong contestant for victory. 

The only thing that confuses me is the fact that this is Russia's contribution. How different and yet the same can you claim to be in a country where homosexuals are taken away there rights, seen as lesser people, where critical pop groups are put into jail for speaking out their mind and regime critic journalists are murdered undermining free speech? How can a country pray for peace and healing only a few months after having invaded a sovereign country and annexed part of it?

I doubt that Polina has a political ambition with this song and I can only pray that it resonates within Russia so that millions of Russians unify their voices to stand up against the government to make their dream come true of a free, democratic and modern Russia. Only then can Russia dream to start again.

Here's the video entry for Russia

I wish Polina all the best for the competition, she deserves to win it!