Türkvizyon 2013. Photograph courtesy of ATV

Not content with a Europe-wide festival of song, our friends in Turkey have devised a variation on this popular theme. Using the base of Eskişehir, Turkish city of culture for 2013, 11 countries and 13 sub-national regions will compete for the prize on 19 and 21 December.

Some of the songs have had videos made and where they have, they are below the details about the song.

In alphabetical order, here they are (some include videos):

Altai Republic – Altayym Menin – Artur Marlujokov

Azerbaijan – Yaşa – Farid Hasanov

Bashkortostan – Kuray Şarkısı – Diana Ishniyazova

Belarus – Son Hatıralar – Gunesh Abbasova

Bosnia & Herzegovina – Ters Bosanka – Emir & Frozen Camels

Crimea – Dağlarin Ellan – Elvira Sarihalil

Georgia – Kalbani saf tut – Eynar Balakisiyev & Afik Novruzov

Kirkuk – Kerkük’ten yola çikak – Ahmed Duzlu

Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia – Adamdı bizni atıbız – Eldar Zhanikev

Kazakhstan – Birlikpen alga – Rin’go

Khakassia – Tus çirinde – Vladimir Dorju

Kosovo – Şu prizen – Ergin Karahasan

Kyrgyzstan – Kaygyrba – Çoro

Macedonia – Düşlerde yaşamak – Ikay Yusuf

Moldova-Gagauzia – Vernis lubov – Ludmila Turkan

Northern Cyprus – Havalanıyor – Grup Gommalar

Romania – Ay ak shatır – Genghiz Erhan Cutcalai

Shoria – Şoriya’nın unu – Çildiz Tannakaseva

Tatarstan – Üpkälämim – Alina Sharipzhanova

Turkey – Sen, ben, biz – Manevra

Tuva – Çavidak – Saylik Ommun

Ukraine – Elmalım – Fazile Ibraimova

Uzbekistan – Unutgin – Nilufar Usmonova

Yakutia – Sulus uonna tuun – Olga Spiridonova

The semi-final starts at 18.30 GMT (19.30 CET) on Thursday 19 December, with the final at the same time on Saturday 21 December. Various national and regional broadcasters will be showing the event live.

Do you think that the concept of Türkvizyon will become an event on the musical circuit each year and more importantly will this see Turkey stay away from Eurovision in the future?

Author : John Stanton

Source : Eurovision Ireland