by Diarmuid Bailey
Eurovision is fast approaching and whilst everyone is looking towards the songs that are being performed what are the political messages that will come and have come from this ‘Non political’ event. The contest has been held annually since 1956, which makes it the world’s longest-running live international music competition. The competition was born out of the wish to promote unity and harmony between the post-World War II European countries that competed, however it has certainly been divisive at times. Whilst the rules of the competition clearly state that the event is non-political, Eurovision still lives and breathes politics every single year and symbolises the unity of Europe in that year and where its alliances are.
Some of the big political statements?
In recent history Ukraine has been the biggest source of political turmoil in the competition, and rightly so. In 2016 Ukraine won with a song the addressed the fate of Crimean Tatars during the Second World War, whilst it was an interesting story intertwined with national history and the personal stories of some of the countries greatest hero, nonetheless it was not void of political undertones - especially in light of the annexation of Crimea in 2014 by Russia. After their victory in 2016 the 2017 competition was to be held in Kyiv, this provided another opportunity for contention between the Ukraine and Russian competitors. Just before the competition Ukraine failed to provide a visa to the Russian entry because she had visited Russian annexed Crimea shortly before resulting in the EBU announcing Russia’s withdrawal from that year’s competition altogether.
The competition has always been a symbol of liberal change and more open views especially around sexuality and gender. Eurovision is regarded highly by the LGBTQ+ community, and its annual themes seem to frequently touch upon a message of acceptance. The visibility of various gay, trans, bisexual and lesbian performers, and now judges and hosts, as well as high-profile drag performers such as Verka Serduchka and Conchita Würst at Eurovision is political too, showing its profound advancement for sociology at the time and its understanding of such issues . Countries like Russia, Hungary, Turkey and China, which decided not to broadcast these symbols of the LGBTQ+ community and there have been many protests in host countries when these acts have been performed due to the media censorship and religious views of the host countries.
Why are there non european countries involved?
There is the constant question from everyone when Eurovision comes around as to why there are non european countries competing from all over the world. Countries such as Israel, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia have been integrated into the competition due to their national broadcasting agencies. Israel made its debut into the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973 as the first non-European country granted permission to participate in the event. The country was allowed to join as its broadcaster was part of the European Broadcasting Union, the controller of the Eurovision competition. Similarly, Azerbaijan first joined Eurovision in 2008 solely due to its broadcaster İTV becoming an active member of the EBU and the country gaining credibility to join the competition. Armenia Joined in 2005 after their national service AMPTV was promoted to an active member of the EBU. There had previously been a debate about the legality of the country joining as they attempted to force their way in in 2003, however it was decided that they would be allowed following their rescinding of this attempt in 2003-4. There is also a country separated from Europe by over 14,000 km, of course Australia who, even though not European, have broadcast Eurovision Since 1983 on SBS. Invited to take to the stage as an interval act in the second Semi Final of the 2014 Contest. After a successful performance Australia were invited to compete for the first time to commemorate Eurovisions 60th Anniversary. The country is confirmed to compete until 2023 with the hope that they will be allowed to stay following this. This shows that most competitors from other continents are there due to their integration with the event, either politically due to their acceptance into the EBU or just the societal appreciation of the spectacle that is Eurovision.
What do the votes mean?
Despite the attempts by the EBU to limit the amount of sway voting blocs have, especially through the use of impartial juries to deliver half of a nation's score, there is still evidence of countries who continue to vote in the same way despite the quality of the song.
We can see from the amount of evidence provided that there may be some hidden political messages, and some not so hidden, in the Eurovision Song Contest. As we look to this year's competition we can expect that there will be heavy points sanctions against Israel, due to the increased tensions with Palestine, as well as lots more points for Ukraine in solidarity against the horrific invasion of Russia.
Bibliography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_in_the_Eurovision_Song_Contest
https://www.euphoriazine.com/blog/2021/05/culture-politics-eurovision/
https://towardsdatascience.com/identifying-voting-blocs-in-the-eurovision-song-contest-4792065fc337
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