Junior Eurovision has one rule that is particularly odd, and, dare I say unique, in the world of music and songwriting. The rule I am referring to is the one governing the language our contestants must sing in.

Firstly, this rule sets out to restrict the freedoms of artists and songwriters. The rule restricts countries to sing in an official language of the competing broadcaster. This means that the Armenian act will need to sing in Armenian, the Estonian act in Estonian, the Dutch act in Dutch and so on.

However the rule isn’t completely restrictive, and singing in a different language to the national language is also allowed…for a small percentage of the song itself. Since 2017 this has been communicated as being 40 percent of a song, allowing acts to include both a verse and chorus in a different language. Poland’s subsequent Junior Eurovision winners maxed out this ability by opening both songs with the English language.

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A large percentage of the acts use this option to switch into a different language. In the past ten years 63% of all the competing songs were sung in more than one language. Of those songs that switched languages part-way through, only two of them chose not to include English in them. Both of those cases were an attempt to appease the Parisian crowd with Français in 2021

Now I’ve previously made my thoughts on this issue very clear. I find this rule an artificial construct that encourages more English than otherwise, and forced, muddled English at that, far too often. It would be far better to have a free language rule, I argued in 2020, as fewer and fewer in today’s Eurovision environment need to have their arms twisted to share their native tongue on the continent’s biggest stages.

I also want my Junior Eurovision lyrics to have at least enough grammatical sense to them that the artists won’t cringe once they have completed a couple more years of English tuition at school. Memorably clunky lyrics such as “thing what we always need” and “we all are just the humans” are trying to share a deep message but miss the mark badly. There would be more conviction for many songs if they didn’t crowbar in a language change like Eurovision songs did to key changes 20-odd years ago.

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But this isn’t about what a now 35-year-old thinks about the rules of Junior Eurovision. I’ve had my turn. This is about the young artists themselves. I wanted to know what the opinions were of the next generation coming through.

So I asked them.

The Question

We now head back to Yerevan, the host city of the 2022 Junior Eurovision Song Contest. On the day before the Junior Eurovision final two press conferences were held for the participating artists (there were simply too many to accommodate the whole class of 2022 on stage at the same time). I asked the same question at both press conferences, to all the acts that sang their 2022 entry in more than one language.

“If you had to choose to sing in just one language, your national language, English, or another language, which one would you choose, and why?”

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My question pushed the young artists to take a side, not just on the song they are presenting but also on the image they would want to show of themselves to the wider world. Would they choose English to ensure their message can be understood from Lisadell to Latvia, or would they choose the native language to express their art in a way that would be unique to the country that they are representing?

I was impressed by the speed in which Mariam Bigvava from Georgia replied. Almost as soon as she grasped the microphone she expressed her opinion that she would prefer to sing her song in the Georgian language.

“I would choose my national language because I love my country and my language, it’s so beautiful for me.”

David Charlin, representing Kazakhstan, agreed, stating “I’d also like to choose my national language.” This was echoed by the competition’s eventual winner, Lissandro from France, who said, “I love singing and speaking in my language because my language is a part of my country and it is in my heart. For me, it’s the best language.”

“Of course, I will choose my language,” started Kejtlin from Albania, “but I want to speak and sing my song in English maybe, because I want everyone to know what is the message of my song, because my song is for peace, and to share the message with everyone I meet.”

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Of the acts at the first press conference, Kejtlin was the only one to express any response in favour of singing in English, with the aim to reach a wider audience with her message.

The irony of course here is that the rules would have allowed Kejtlin a verse and chorus to sing in English, her 2022 entry was presented fully in Albanian.

The Twist At The Second Conference

I asked the same question to the acts taking part in the second press conference. However, the bunch of answers didn’t go as expected.

Lara Trpčeska, performing for North Macedonia started strong.

“First of all I’d like to start by saying all of these languages have something unique inside of them. Something unusual that no other language has. If I had to choose to sing in a different language I would choose the Spanish or the Italian one because I really like them, especially the sound of them and I have visited those countries a couple of times.”

Now her song was one of those bilingual entries in her native Macedonian and English, with not an utterance of Spanish or Italian in the mix. For whatever reason she decided to bring them into the equation of this question, and the other acts ran away with her tangent.

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Zlata Dziunka from Ukraine also chose Spanish or Italian, simply because she “really likes them”. Nare, representing Armenia, chose the same two languages as well, as they were her “favourite countries”. Sophie Lennon from Ireland went for the trifecta of Spanish, Italian and Armenian, describing these languages as “unique.” Serbia’s Katarina Savić also made the popular choice in the press room of Armenian because “it’s beautiful and I love Armenia so much”, and Carlos Higes also added Armenian to his choice of “very romantic” French. Even Nicolas Alves, who was born in the United Kingdom and grew up there until age 10, chose Italian and French because of their “beautiful countries and cultures.”

From where we started to where we finished at this press conference was one long crazy game of Broken Telephone, missing the original dilemma my original question posed.

But you know what, it was all the better for it.

Despite Freya Skye sitting amongst the other acts, and despite her song being the televote-winning bop of the season, no one even came close in this group to uttering a desire to sing in English.

English In The Future

Nine of the competing entries at Junior Eurovision last year performed their song partly in English and partly in their native language. If you had a completely free language rule at Junior Eurovision, do you think reading this article that they would have all switched to 100% English for their JESC entries? I think not. Yes, being understood is important, but what is becoming more important in today’s world is the ability to express your true emotions and story, whatever language that is.

This next generation are growing up in a world where televote heroes including Måneskin, Go_A, Kalush Orchestra, and Käärijä. Their success offers plenty of evidence that one does not need the English language to be supported in today’s Europe and to get their emotions across.

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One may fear that removing language restrictions will see a grammatically weak, English-language free-for-all at Junior Eurovision. I think in today’s climate the opposite would happen if we allowed for freedom to flourish. Junior Eurovision’s most arbitrary and unnatural rule becomes less and less needed each year we progress.

The way those artists spoke last year fills me with confidence that they would make the correct decisions.

The Brooklyn Museum has acquired more than 300 new works as part of its ongoing project to expand its representation of Black artists and fill gaps in the museum’s representation of Asian American history and identity.

The acquisitions span categories and mediums—from Dyani White Hawk‘s radiant painting Untitled (Pink and Blue) (2022) to María Magdalena Campos-Pons‘s Polaroid work Voyeurs and Beholders of… (2008) to Gim Jeong-hui’s calligraphic work Letter (1830). These new additions are bound for the museum’s American Art galleries, set to open in 2024.

Gim Jeong-hui, Letter (1830). Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Museum.

“Significantly, 2023 saw the acquisition of our very first artwork made by an Asian American woman–Hisako Hibi,” Stephanie Sparling Williams, the museum’s curator of American art, said in an email to Artnet News.

That work, Satoshi Studying (ca. 1945), was gifted by Ibuki Hibi Lee—the daughter of the artist and Matsusaburo Hibi. The artist was born in Fukui, Japan, and immigrated to San Francisco with her family in 1920 but was imprisoned in an internment camp in 1942. The work depicts her son, the brother to donor Ibuki Hibi Lee, reading at his desk above a busy street after the family moved to New York.

The Brooklyn Museum did not disclose a budget or prices for any new pieces it purchased. But Williams, the newest member to the American art team, briefly discussed its acquisitions strategy, highlighting that many of them came from gifts to the museum.

Esther Mahlangu, Untitled (2017). Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Museum.

“Direct partnership with artist estates and gifts of art have been a hugely impactful way to broaden the American Art collection to include works by Asian Americans, African Americans, and women, in particular,” Williams said, adding that the strategy of the American art department “expands and amplifies” its holdings in preparation for the October 2024 reinstallation of collection galleries.

That transformation was teased last year when the museum boasted the acquisition of 200 objects, focusing on indigenous textiles and art created by women. Full details for the renovation have not yet been detailed but the museum said the entire American Art wing will be reinstalled.

Dyani White Hawk, Untitled (Pink and Blue) (2022). Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Museum.

The work Untitled (Pink and Blue) by White Hawk was acquired through the Marie Bernice Bitzer Fund and was called “an emblematic example” of her approach to abstraction and study of ancestral art forms. The artist blends Lakota beadwork and historic forms with European American canvas painting.

The 1889 painting Golden Gate, Yellowstone by Grafton Tyler Brown—the first Black artist to create landscapes of the Pacific Northwest and California, was given to the museum by Charlynn and Warren Goins, who also gifted two works by Black still-life painter Charles Ethan Porter and a watercolor by Laura Wheeler Waring of her Pennsylvania studio. The Goins are major donors to the museum, which celebrating them for helping establish “one of the strongest collections in the world” of Black artists.

Grafton Tyler Brown, Golden Gate, Yellowstone (1889). Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Museum.

Meanwhile, the design artist Sheila Bridges has donated her Wallpaper (Harlem Toile) (2005) and other pieces from her collaboration with renowned English manufacturer Wedgwood for the museum’s Decorative Arts and Design collection. The wallpaper specifically is critical of the “deeply prejudiced narratives” in design history.

“We are grateful for the generous support of our benefactors, who help us build a collection that sparks awe and wonder, bridges our humanity, and illuminates important historical stories,” museum director Anne Pasternak said in a statement. “It is a privilege to welcome these remarkable and meaningful contributions to our collection and to share them with our visitors.”

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The Aymara, a group of indigenous people in the Andes and Altiplano regions of South America, are dispersed over a vast area that contains a number of ecological and political sectors including the far north of Chile. In Chile, the community lives in the northernmost regions, including Arica, and they are known for their distinct traditions in colorful textiles and music that they’ve developed over thousands of years.

From November 5th to the 12th, a diverse group of artisans from the Aymara community visited New York and Chicago to connect with local artisans and businesses and promote the unique culture and art style of the Amyran Tribe. Their time in New York (Nov. 5th-7th) was centered around community, collaboration and education, and ProChile coordinated several appointments on behalf of the artisans to provide them with a multi-regional view of the US and expose them to the potential market for their products.

“This was a tremendous experience in negotiation, innovation and exclusive business prospecting for the creative industries of Arica,” said Artisan Ana María Nieto Farías. “The future collaboration of the US and Chile is in our hands, and it will be great and rewarding challenge.”

The trip culminated with the “Chilean Artisan Delegation in Chicago,” which included a multi-day itinerary (November 7th-10th) featuring art gallery exhibitions for 125+ attendees, receptions and panel discussions for local and international artisans and workshops. Sixteen artisans and small businesses were able to feature their work, highlighting four main cultural sectors:

Aymara textile: Artists are renowned for their superior technique and the high quality of their pieces, which are generally clothing designs or ceremonial accessories such as chuspas or the ritual tari and inkuña cloths. Textiles were used as trade goods but were also highly valued in Aymara society, some becoming treasured family heirlooms. The costumes are traditionally made by hand with ancient techniques, and the outfits are symbols of family distinctions. These textiles are all created with the goal of preserving history and cultural value.

Music & Instruments: More than just a form of entertainment, music plays a central role in religious rituals and ceremonies. Every Aymara man plays at least one instrument, while the women can sing and dance. These instruments are a fundamental part of the music and culture of these communities and their use dates back to ancient times, before the conquest of the Spanish colonists in America. The instruments can be anything from ocarinas, decorated güiro or pumpkin maracas to water sticks made of cacti & containing volcanic rock pebbles that produce rain sounds, panpipes or flutes.

Plastic arts, group, sculptures: Sculptures, large-sized dolls and masks are all traditional in the Aymara culture. Artists are often inspired by the vital elements of nature–earth, water, air and fire–and create art, usually made by hand, that represents the iconography of the community in the extreme north of Chile. Dolls and masks can be seen all throughout festivals and Andean dances that take place in the Chilean mountain range. These art styles bring fun and color to the traditional migratory integration festival of nomadic peoples from the culture of the communities in the city of Arica.

Multimedia (Games, Books, etc.): Multimedia is integral in educating the young children in the community about Andean culture, providing a worldwide view of the Chinchorro people (from the extreme North) and promoting the biodiversity of the Arica region. Artisans from the community keep traditions, heritage values, language, culture and history alive through various art mediums such as children’s books, virtual and interactive experiences, parlor games, and magazines. The artisans provide teaching materials to strengthen the narratives that recreate the worldview and importance of the divinities in nature that the Amyra tribe continues to have.

“I would like to thank the ProChile office in Chicago for the opportunity to have such a nice space to mount the exhibition, commitment, professionalism, willingness and commitment on your part,” said Fabiola Esther Vidal Martinez of Munay Andino. “All of the artists undoubtedly feel supported and are excited for the future partnerships with the US.”

This year, ProChile celebrates 200 years of diplomatic relations and 20 years of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States. Chile has a lot to offer from food and wine to art and entertainmentment. For more information about ProChile or the Chicago activities, please contact Sylas Bailey-Kelly at [email protected].

About ProChile
ProChile is the Chilean Government Exports Promotion Bureau, an agency within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which aims to promote Chile’s exports of goods and services to the world. ProChile has a network of 56 international commercial offices to connect Chilean exporters with potential importers around the world. Prochile has US-based offices in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Washington D.C., and Chicago.

ProChile supports the diversification of the country’s exports for the promotion of inclusive foreign trade that incorporates the gender perspective and focus on SME’s, the attraction of foreign investment and tourism, all of which contribute to and strengthen the country’s image.

Media Contact

Amanda Torres, Colangelo & Partners, 646-624-2885, [email protected], https://www.colangelopr.com/

SOURCE ProChile