Eurovision winner named People's Artist of Ukraine
Honorary title bestowed on Jamala, whose song about Soviet-era deportations won annual Eurovision
Fresh from winning the 61st Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night, Crimean Tatar singer Jamala scored another honor by being awarded the People's Artist of Ukraine title by President Petro Poroshenko.
“It’s a fantastic victory. You’ve made a great many people happy,” Poroshenko said during the award ceremony late Monday.
The 32-year-old’s song, 1944, on the deportation of Crimean Tatars under Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, won the Euroviosion contest at a time when Crimean Tatars decry similar repression from Russia.
Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in March 2014 following a contested referendum. Since then, the region’s Tatar minority has regularly denounced growing repression.
Jamala became the second Ukrainian singer to win Eurovision, after Ruslana Lyzhychko won the 2004 contest held in Turkey with her song 'Wild'.
