Voice of the Nations: Cuba will open the "Intervision" and India will complete it

There will be no discrimination on Intervision, the potential audience can reach more than 4 billion people, and the show itself will use augmented reality and artificial intelligence. This was announced by the Russian Foreign Ministry at a press conference on the preparation and holding of the music competition. For the first time, the show will take place on September 20 in Moscow at the Live Arena. But, as suggested by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, in the future the competition may be held abroad. Russia, as the organizer, is already receiving offers from the participating countries. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

The first one went!

Intervision is a matter of national importance. It was revived in accordance with the decree of the President of Russia, the supervisory board of the competition was headed by the first deputy head of the Presidential Administration Sergey Kiriyenko, and the Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Dmitry Chernyshenko — the organizing committee. Both of them, as well as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Channel One head Konstantin Ernst, took part in the press conference.

Representatives of 23 countries will speak at Intervision. Besides Russia, there are artists from other BRICS countries, the SCO, as well as from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the CIS. One representative will arrive from Europe and the USA. Thus, all continents except Australia will be represented.

— The Organizing Committee acted absolutely correctly, there is no need to impose on anyone, — Sergey Kiriyenko said. — This is the first competition. Everyone who wanted to was given the opportunity. What could have held back those who couldn't participate? Someone had political restrictions. A number of performers really wanted to come, but their desire did not really coincide with the opinion of the leadership of their countries. Let it be on their conscience. Music has no boundaries.

Dmitry Chernyshenko noted that even volunteers had come from abroad. A team gathered from Vietnam, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus is already welcoming foreign guests. In total, more than 500 people from different cities work in all functional areas.

"Russia will once again demonstrate its hospitality and willingness to engage in cultural dialogue,— Chernyshenko stressed.

Countries that are unfriendly to Russia are represented only by the United States.

"We are gradually moving away from the term 'unfriendly countries,'" Sergey Lavrov said. — As our president emphasized, we have countries that have unfriendly governments towards the Russian Federation.

The foreign journalists present were very interested in why Intervision began to be held as an alternative to Eurovision, and what are the differences between these contests. Some see Russia's initiative as a soft power that is realized through art. In response to this remark, the Minister of Foreign Affairs noted that we are not looking for a political effect.

—We want the original purpose of a person, his identity, to be respected and realized in free contacts with other people, mutually enriching themselves by touching each other's cultural values," Sergey Lavrov said. — The concept of "soft power" was introduced not by us, but by our American colleagues quite a long time ago. Hollywood, the Agency for International Development, which is now closed by the Trump administration, is all soft power. Since Soviet times, we have had a structure called the House of Friendship for the development of cooperation with foreign countries.

And these friendships are strong to this day. Because this is the result of communication, not ultimatums, the minister believes. There is a transformation of art and sports into an instrument of political struggle, which we are currently witnessing.

- They are criticizing us now, they say: "Oh, you are not allowed to attend Eurovision, that's why you came up with Intervision, well, let the people who have so twisted brains, excuse me, draw conclusions for themselves," Lavrov concluded. — But the fact that the participants feel pleasure is that they proudly bring their traditions and culture to international venues, realizing that there is no discrimination, imposition of new modern preferences and the "last supper" that we saw at the opening of the Olympic Games in Paris at these venues associated with the Russian initiative.

When attacked, they say, Russia, having lost the opportunity to perform at Eurovision, came up with "Intervision," the Minister of Foreign Affairs replied that such statements more closely resemble the fears of competitors.

"There is no need to be afraid of competition,— Lavrov said. — If someone enjoys Eurovision, we don't forbid them to watch it. But this does not negate the alternative approach to preserving traditions, culture, and those images, religious, spiritual, and moral, inherited from our ancestors. This is becoming increasingly popular. But we do not dispute the right of the Eurovision audience to a man with a beard, in a woman's dress and, probably, with some modifications of his body.

Multipolar music

Cuba will open the show, and India will finish. SHAMAN (Yaroslav Dronov) will speak from Russia. He will be released at number 9. As the minister joked, he is practically the center of the attack. Sergey Kiriyenko estimated the potential audience of Intervision at 4 billion 334 million people, which is the population of 23 participating countries.

"For a second, that's more than half the world," Kiriyenko clarified. — This year marks 65 years since Intervision was born. In 1960, the first festival was held in Sopot (Poland). And in 1963, the USSR became a participant for the first time, and Tamara Miansarova took first place with the song "May there always be a sun." More than 60 years have passed, and the song is still being sung and loved. We believe that the songs that will be performed at the revived Intervision will live on for decades.

The organizers are confident that the geography of participants will expand in the future. Perhaps Intervision will also begin its movement around the world.

"There is interest from several countries that want to host the competition next year and in two years," Sergey Lavrov said. — I hope we will make this competition an annual one. Shortly after the Intervision, we will announce where the next contest will be held, and which country initiated the invitation.

Native speech

The organizers do not impose uniform standards. Originality is welcome. Representatives of the participating countries will perform songs in their own languages.

The 3.5—hour show will take place at the most technologically advanced venue, the Live Arena. The event will be filmed with 36 cameras. The broadcast starts on September 20 at 20:30. The presenters will be opera diva Aida Garifullina and her husband, singer Alexei Vorobyov. Several foreign presenters will also arrive. The organizers are keeping a secret about who it will be.

—Augmented reality and artificial intelligence will be used," announced Konstantin Ernst, CEO of Channel One.

The voting is structured as follows: the participating countries will present 23 jury members each, who will give scores from 1 to 23. But one country nevertheless refrained from creating a jury and sending an official delegation. This is the USA. Although an artist from overseas is coming: Brandon Howard.

"The US administration did not object to the participation of an American performer in the Intervision competition, but said that it should be a private matter of one performer or another," Sergey Lavrov explained.

Since the organizers had no restrictions on the repertoire, many performers will sing the songs that occupied the first lines in the charts of their countries. The show will be translated into five languages.