Own Asiavision Song Contest 21

Own Asiavision Song Contest 21, often referred to as OASC #21, is the 21st edition of Own Asiavision Song Contest. The contest took place in Sana'a, Yemen, following the country's victory in the 20th edition with the song "Mudbira", performed by A-WA. The contest was held at the Ali Mohsen Al-Muraisi Stadium, and consisted of two semi-finals and the final. This is the first time that the country hosted the contest.

Location
For more details on the host country, see Yemen.

Host City
Sana'a is the largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sana'a Governorate. The city is not part of the Governorate, but forms the separate administrative district of "Amanat Al-Asemah". Under the Yemeni constitution, Sana'a is the capital of the country, although the seat of the internationally recognised government moved to Aden in the aftermath of the September 21 Revolution. Aden was declared as the temporary capital by President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in March 2015.

Sana'a is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. At an elevation of 2,300 metres, it is also one of the highest capital cities in the world, and is next to the Sarawat Mountains of Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb and Jabal Tiyal, considered to be the highest mountains in the country and amongst the highest in the region. Sana'a has a population of approximately 3,937,500 (2012), making it Yemen's largest city.

The Old City of Sana'a, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has a distinctive architectural character, most notably expressed in its multi-storey buildings decorated with geometric patterns. In the conflict that raged in 2015, bombs hit UNESCO sites in the old city. Located here is the Al Saleh Mosque, the largest in the city.

Venue
The Ali Mohsen al-Muraisi Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Sana'a, Yemen. It is currently used mostly for football matches and serves as the home stadium of Al-Ahli. The stadium holds 25,000 people.

Semi-final Allocation Draw
The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place on 29 September 2019. The first part of the draw determined in which semi-final the Big Six would have to vote. The second part of the draw decided in which half of the respective semi-finals each country would perform, with the exact running order determined by the producers of the show at a later date. Fifteen countries will participate in each semi-final. From each semi-final, ten countries will join the "Big 6" in the final, where a total of twenty-six countries will participate.

The semi-finalists were allocated into six pots, based on their geographical place and cultural similarities. Drawing from different pots helps in reducing the chance of so-called neighbour voting and increasing suspense in the semi-finals. Each time a country was drawn from the pot, its semi-final and half of the semi-final was determined.

The six pots were the following:

Other countries


Eligibility for potential participation in the Own Asiavision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active OABU membership that would be able to broadcast the contest. As in every edition, an invitation to all the members have been sent in order to confirm whether they will participate or not. The following list of countries declined stating their reasons as shown below.