SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2013 Eurovision winner sings for revolution in Ukraine very night on Kiev’s Independence union office-she half-closed her eyes Square, Ukraine’s Eurovision Song when asked about her gruelling routine. EContest winning pop star Ruslana “It’s possible. I’m a soldier,” she said, leads the crowd in an a cappella version laughing huskily. “It’s not a problem. The of the Ukrainian national anthem, hand problem is our future. I never think about on heart. In popular protests that have me. I’m just thinking about today, tomor- suffered from the lack of a charismatic row and after tomorrow.” Like everyone in political leader, the petite, powerfully- the crowd, she is an ardent foe of voiced singer has become a kind of talis- President Viktor Yanukovych. “He has man for the demonstrators, chatting and already died as a politician, he is a politi- singing on stage through long, cold cal corpse,” she said, raising a victory sign. nights. “It’s our problem. We don’t have one When riot police severely beat stu- leader. We’re just looking for one,” she dents on November 30 in the incident said, chuckling. “He will be born soon,” that profoundly shocked Ukrainians, she added ironically. One of the move- Ruslana encouraged them to take shelter ment’s political leaders, former heavy- in a nearby cathedral and worked hard to weight champion Vitali Klitschko, is “my provide them with food and medicine. A big friend-as a boxer, as a good man,” she couple of days later, she called for the acknowledged, but denied supporting government’s dismissal from the stage, any single leader. saying: “I need revolution!” Somewhat Ukrainian pop singer and winner of the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest, Ruslana “We support the Maidan,” she said, melodramatically, on December 5 she Lyzhychko, talks on a stage during a rally of the opposition on the Independence using the local name of the square which threatened self-immolation “if there are Square in Kiev yesterday. — AFP has become shorthand for the protest as no changes.” For Ruslana, whose full a whole. Whenever Ruslana sings the name is Ruslana Lyzhychko, this is not a visitors as never before, reflecting the jeans and a ribbed sweater with a ribbon national anthem on stage, the audience new role. During the Orange Revolution mood of optimism before the revolution’s in the Ukrainian flag colors round her sings along, waving lighted cell phones as of 2004, she also took to the square, leaders, Viktor Yushchenko and Yulia neck, she had spent the whole night on if they were at rock concert, to its lyrics: becoming one of the symbols of the rev- Tymoshenko, bitterly fell out. In 2006, stage, sharing it with everyone from rock “We will lay down our souls and our bod- olution, along with a Ukrainian rock Ruslana became an MP for Yushchenko’s musicians to a choir of priests singing folk ies for freedom.” One protester said he singer, Svyatoslav Vakarchuk of group Our Ukraine party, but gave up politics songs at 3:00am. Stepping off stage, she appreciated that Ruslana turned out for Okean Elzy. shortly afterwards. showed her fatigue, the Ukrainian flag the protest despite being cushioned by After winning Eurovision in 2004 with Yesterday, morning, Ruslana seemed painted on her cheek flaking. wealth. “She has everything. She is pros- the high-energy song “Wild Dances”, she effervescent on stage, reading out news perous. What we see here is that a lot of brought the cheesy but wildly popular headlines on her phone, smiling at the ‘I’m a soldier’ people have something to lose: they have contest to Kiev in 2005. It was a first for audience and telling them: “I wish every- Lying back in a seat in the protest money or some kind of business,” said Ukraine that saw it open up for Western one a good mood today.” Dressed in movement’s press centre-a chaotic trade Yevgeniy, a cafe owner. — AFP Mammut Icefall climbers ascend Eidfjord in Norway Climbers Daniel Arnold and Stephan Siegrist collaborated with climbing photographer Thomas Senf’s and Swiss moun- tain sports manufacturer Mammut to create unique mystical atmosphere images on the Eidfjord in northern Norway, using colored flares, spotlights and headlamps. Eidfjord, three hours east of the city of Bergen, is famous for the large number of icefalls (frozen waterfalls) at over 500 meters (1,640 ft) long. The innovative idea to capture the athletes climbing the huge icefalls took several hours of preparation as lamps were fixed in the ice using elaborate rope construc- tions and connected by 700 meters (2,296 ft) of electric cable. Thomas Senf and his team’s goal using Mammut alpine equipment was to portray the reflective ice and moving shadows combined with colored lights to create images that appear to be from another world. “Photography and filming at night is a big challenge,” says Senf. “The right lighting determines whether you succeed or fail.” — AP photos.