Ruslana: from Eurovision to minister

So, as part of the turmoil in Ukraine, it looks like Ruslana might end up as a minister in the new government.

Not unprecedented for a Eurovision star to go on to join government, of course; Dana went on to become President of Ireland; Nana Mouskouri became an MEP and Bardo were junior ministers in the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries during Thatcher's second term.

Ruslana summoned

Amongst the politicians and others who have been summoned by the Ukranian authorities to account for their pro-EU activities in Independence Square is Ruslana.

Yes, this Ruslana:

Whatever happened to Ruslana?

There she was, winning Eurovision and taking the crown for Ukraine, back in 2004:



But what has Ruslana been up to since? It turns out that, while she still does the semi-naked dancey shout ostpop, she's now doing it with a political message, campaigning to reduce Ukraine's dependence on natural gas. It's not so much a carbon footprint issue as worries about Putin's control of the gas pipe, naturally.

So far, though, she's doing it all metaphorically:

Ruslana, who rarely uses her last name, Lyzhychko, doesn't sing about carbon footprints and gas prices; she sings about the wild energy of love.

It triumphs over a synthetic world, dependent on synthetic energy. In the video version, that world is represented by a pale, metallic-looking woman who gets her strength from a giant machine. She's transformed, though, into a kind of Wild Energy woman, reminiscent of Xena the warrior princess.

There's a worry that the issue isn't stimulating enough for young Ukranians; perhaps something a bit more direct might be helpful?