Eurovision Song Contest has never been my cup of tea although as children it was fascinating sitting in front of a black and white TV and watching groups like ABBA and wondering who would be the winner of the contest.
Many years have past since and today 43 countries have taken part rather that the original 12 countries which was the case years back. But something has never changed and will never change is that politics play major role in this Song Contest as in the years of ABBA and the other groups. Neighbours voting each other can now be seen in a larger scale as the ex-Soviet Union countries increased by numbers and voting for each other. Greece voting for Cyprus and vice versa has never changed. The fact also that there is not one Cyprus but North and South Cyprus and both sides have their own Parliament, their constitution and MP’s has been ignored for many years and has never changed. Watching a singer representing Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest shows how much politics dominate the world of entertainment is no longer a surprise anymore.
Azerbaijan has won the right to host next year’s competition after winning Saturday’s Eurovision Song Contest. And again of course politics played a major role in this year’s results. It was a good illustration how masses and ethnic minorities living in Europe can influence the contest through their votes in the final decision making and the ultimate results. I am not going to go into detail of this and leave it to the reader to make their own interpretation.
After Saturday’s Eurovision Song Contest victory for Azerbaijan it was very sad to read that broadcasters, fans and human rights groups are concerned that the country’s record on gay rights makes it deeply unsuitable to hold the contest in 2012 in Azerbaijan. Nobody expressed concerns in the past when the Eurovision Song Contest took place in the former eastern European countries.
The unnamed broadcaster who told The Times newspaper: “So many Eurovision devotees are from the gay community — it’s known as the gay world cup. Azerbaijan could be far from welcoming and many fans may decide not to go. People at a high level are worried about this.”
It is very sad to read such comments just two days later after the results of the Song Contest. After all we should not forget as I have written in my blog on the 19th of February that there is a big increase in the numbers of homophobic incidents in London over the past four years and reports of homophobic incidents soared by 28 per cent.
We should also remember that even in the countries where gay rights are acceptable for many people such as in Britain the hostility towards gay community is widespread. Therefore, going to Azerbaijan is not more dangerous than living in London where homophobic incidents have been on the increase.
Again it is more judgemental when The Times newspaper reports “The Muslim nation’s victory on Saturday night…..”. It looks as odd as reporting previous victories as “The Christian nation’s victory on Saturday night…”. I have never read or heard comments such as these reported in any newspaper ever before or since my childhood. So why play the religious and Islamaphobic card even with the Eurovision Song Contest!
Let’s use this window of hope and opportunity to unite people through music than to demonise the people of Azerbaijan. It is time to celebrate and look forward to another annual contest that will offer yet more surprises both on and off the stage.
Copyright Semra Eren Nijhar – All rights reserved
Semra Eren-Nijhar 