This song will melt your mind! | My Name is Jeff Reacts to IGNEA - Alga

[@GiovanniPerini]

This is a timely reaction! Think of this song as kind of a National Anthem for Ukraine... it was written in 2015, when Russia invaded Ukraine back in the days (And apparently, now we are it again... ). "Alga" is the traditional war call (I'm told it means "forward") of Crimean Tatars, one of the ancient populations of the area. Tarpans were wilde (or feral) horses of the steppe. They went extinct at the end of the 18th century.

[@MyNameisJeffReacts]

Damn man thank you! I forgot about that.. that’s actually really crazy and that’s really cool they did this. I appreciate it!

[@mazerumaze]

​@@MyNameisJeffReacts Just to also add to it a bit of history, because it's not just about the annexation of Crimea in 2015. It's a much longer story, and the song kind of plays on a far older sentiments that bear less relevance to the current state of affairs, but it shows an interesting throughline: Crimea was actually under the rule of the Crimean Khanate until the 18th Century, at which point it has been annexed by the Russian Empire, starting a period of nearly two centuries of strenuous relationships between the Tatar population on the peninsula and Russia, with multiple instances of exodus waves (one of the bigger ones following the Crimean war), leading to the Crimean Tatars becoming a minority in the area by early 20th century. Towards the end of World War II the USSR government ordered what became known as "Sürgünlik", or exile. Mass deportation and genocide of Crimean Tatars from the peninsula. Most who survived wouldn't be able to return to their homeland until late 20th/early 21st century. There has always been resentment towards Russia in the ethnic minorities, Tatars being one of the ones most affected, especially as they were the people who called Crimea home for several centuries before being forcibly removed or cleansed from their homeland. As Giovanni pointed out, "Alga" is an old war call of Crimean Tatars. But that's not the only reference the song makes. The "two-headed eagle" the vocalist tells the bastards to shove up their arse is the Russian coat of arms, dating back to its days as an Empire (the symbol itself is a frequently used one across various empires of Europe, originating most likely from the Byzantine Empire). Due to the imperial connotation, it's a symbol that largely faded out of use throughout the soviet rule, for all I know, but the message there is still clear. They still see Russia as the imperialistic bastard trying time and time again to infringe on their homeland. (Though as someone whose half family is from Ukraine and has been to Crimea a number of times... most Ukrainians I personally know don't mind the annexation as much, since Crimea after WW2 has been almost purely Russian anyway, and had strong separatist sentiments for decades now. Every trip there we took, we always got the same warning from family and friends: "whatever you do, don't ever use Ukrainian while you're there". What does bear a lot of resentment is how the takeover took place though - there was a referendum held for Crimea to decide on where the want to belong is, and they supposedly voted to go back to Russia, but it was deemed illegitimate by outside powers, but Russia announced it's taking it anyway, hence the outrage... though after being there, I honestly wouldn't doubt that they would have voluntarily gone back to Russia by majority of votes anyway, to be honest. So while the song tugs at my heart to a ridiculous degree (my grandfather was Tatar, though of the Azerbaijani origin, not Crimean), part of me finds it a bit insulting that the history of what is a minority with little connection to Ukraine itself is being used that way. It absolutely should not be thought of as Ukrainian anthem of any sort, because the Tatar history of the penninsula and that of Ukraine are very different matters.)

[@rockisrx]

Love it! Thank you!!! I got a new band to check out!! 🤘🤘🤘

[@MyNameisJeffReacts]

Thank you!! It’s awesome :).

[@tupsuke2009]

this song was created in 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine. There is a war going on there. And it is happening now and now. You can think that the members of this ensemble have also lost loved ones. The symphony orchestra is from Kiev. This is a sad story and damn unfair.

[@rashby69]

React to Lilith Zcar anarchy

[@MyNameisJeffReacts]

Bet on it bud, how’ve you been?

[@rashby69]

@@MyNameisJeffReacts been good. You?

[@vladyslavserdiuk2893]

Man, stop listening such songs. You may die of a heart stroke. :). Your pulse was probably 220 during the song.

[@АндрійПетров-с2о]

this group is from ancient Kyiv! Ukraine ! Ukraine is the ancestral home of the Aryans! Slavs, ancient Goths, Vikings lived in it! it was called Russia and was the largest state in Europe in the 8th-12th centuries! the ancient princes of Kyiv were the creators of many royal houses in Europe! Ukraine is a warrior country!! winner!