We sing, we don’t whistle. L’European Broadcasting Union she had been clear: no politics in Malmö. But how do you keep global tensions out of the way?Eurovision Song Contest? The hyperpop and ultratrash festival (for Italy, a rightful finalist, there is the winner of Sanremo Angelina Mango) is a live showcase broadcast worldwide, which easily breaks with shouts of “Free Palestine” from the audience in the room. He knows something about it Eden Golan: since the rehearsals of the second semi-final the Israeli representative has been openly contested on stage (and ignored in the press room) despite her song Hurricane you’re talking about a love story.
Hurricane it is the third choice: the first, October Rain, it contained explicit references to Hamas attacks and to the “flowers”, in jargon for those killed in battle. The media-diplomatic clash had already been bitter at the beginning of the year when the EBU, under international pressure to exclude Israel from the musical event, asked for the text to be changed. An initial denial from Tel Aviv state TV with the threat of withdrawing, then the direct intervention of President Herzog to have the offending verses revised.
Even this wasn’t enough, and Eden Golan had first retreated Dancing Foreverfinally up HurricaneAnd. But even before the live broadcast of the second qualifying round tonight, in view of the final on Saturday, Malmö is a pressure cooker with security measures worthy of a G8: after the NGO ship “Ship to Gaza” from Norway docked in the port, here is the high-voltage afternoon procession – with counter concert – of 25 thousand demonstrators, at a safe distance from the Festival Arena, inside which it is forbidden display Palestinian flags. There is also among them Greta Thunbergthe founder of the movement Fridays For Future. Ban circumvented last Tuesday by Eric SaadeSwedish singer and presenter with DNA from Lebanon and the Strip who performed out of competition by re-proposing Popular, with which he took third place in the event in 2011. Saade appeared on stage with a keffiyeh wrapped around his arm, arousing discontent from the organizing body.
A thorny question also for Bambie Thugthe participant from Ireland, who for his Doomsday Blue a phrase had been written on her body, the ancient “Ogham” alphabet of the Emerald Isle: an appeal for a ceasefire and freedom. And while for the victory the bookmakers indicate the Croatian as the favorite Baby Lasagna, a transversal alliance of competing artists – the Norwegians Gatethe San Marino people Megarathe Swiss Nemo and the Danish Sabachiede – calls in a joint declaration for an end to hostilities and the release of the hostages held by Hamas.
Not enough, the Israeli Eden Golan is the only artist of Russian blood present in Sweden. Moscow was again excluded from the competition, as was Belarus. Ukraine sent Alyona alyona and Jerry Heil to Malmö, who in their Teresa & Maria they left the allusion to Kiev’s impasse at the front to the scenography (a rain of incandescent stones in a mythological setting). Where two years ago the members of the Kalush Orchestra after the obvious victory at the Turin Eurofestival. Ukraine had also established itself in 2016 thanks to Jamala, and on that occasion too its “1944” had fueled historical-political trouble, given the issue of the Tatars deported from Crimea by Stalin because they were suspected of collaboration with Hitler. Seven years earlier the accident had instead been triggered by the song by the Georgians Stephane and 3G: their We Don’t Wanna Put In sounded explicit right from the title: the Ebu “warmly” invited the group to withdraw before the semi-final cameras turned on.
