IZHEVSK, March 20 (Itar-Tass) —— The Udmurtia authorities will help the Buranovo Babushkas folk band, which will represent Russia at the Eurovision-2012 finals, to build a church in their native village, Udmurtia’s first deputy minister for ethnic policy Larisa Buranova told a press conference on Tuesday.
Babushkas noted that their main dream is to restore the St. Trinity Church destroyed in their native village in 1939.
“The negotiations continue to help actually the babushkas in financial terms, but not only to give an emotional support,” she said.
The Udmurtia ministry of ethnic policy noted that the Buranovo Babushkas became a new brand of the republic after the victory in the qualification round for the Eurovision-2012 finals. “We give a low bow to them. What we are doing and were doing for many years, they did it for one evening,” Buranova said. For the night after their triumph the frequency rating on the websites, which are linked somehow with Udmurtia’s language, the people of the republic and the republic in general, skyrocketed.
It would be quite short-sighted not to profiteer on a growing popularity. In this connection, the creation of tourism routes to the homeland of the elderly folksingers to their native village Buranovo that was launched about three years ago, has intensified. For instance, designer Alexander Pilin has created a project of a felt boot museum in the village and arranged a relevant museum tour before the victory of the folk band. The museum is almost built. According to the deputy minister, the companies involved in domestic tourism and the regional authorities have already engaged in the popularization of tourism.
In the final of the qualification round, which was held in Moscow on March 7, the Buranovo Babushkas folk band won the first place, gaining 38.51 points in a telephone and sms voting of spectators and thanks to the position of members of the professional jury. The Eurovision-2012 finals will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, on May 22-26.