A French song to be presented at Europe’s biggest pop music contest this year is believed to be about the Armenian Genocide perpetrated in Ottoman Turkey a century ago.
According to the official website of the Eurovision Song Contest, the song of France’s contest Lisa Angell, 46, entitled “N’oubliez pas”, or “Don’t Forget” was first performed at a concert in November during the commemoration period of the First World War, “while the singer emphasizes that the song refers not only to this very special event in history but to any kind of conflict.”
There is a part of the lyrics in the song sung in French that translates as: “I remember the smiles of the kids, the voice of the men when they went out in the fields, the Thanksgiving celebrations, the scent in the houses, the love and laughter. But I am here, do not forget.”
The song makes no specific reference to any historical event, including the Armenian Genocide, as Eurovision rules prohibit “political messages” in contestants’ entries.
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France was one of the nations that gave refuge to many Armenian survivors of the Ottoman-era massacres. The country that has a sizable ethnic Armenian community today officially recognized the Armenian Genocide in 1998.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2015 is due to take place in Vienna, Austria, on May 19-23.
Listen to the song
