Global Courant 2023-05-13 13:00:02
A Canadian diva sings for France at the annual festival of sequins and songs known as Eurovision.
While La Zarra’s participation has been welcomed by many fans, some Eurovision viewers feel that by not participating directly in the contest, Canada is missing out on an opportunity to exert cultural influence abroad.
“Eurovision is in itself a form of international relations, except that it focuses on music,” said Saskia Postema, a Dutch scientist who written about the Eurovision Song Contest.
After almost 70 years on the air, the Eurovision Song Contest has a worldwide audience of more than 160 million people every year. And although ‘Euro’ is in the name, there is a precedent for involvement of non-European countries.
Australia has been participating in the competition since 2015. Israel competed in the 1970s and has won several times. Winning countries may host the competition the following year. That exposure is valuable, said Paul Jordan, a British academic who wrote his dissertation on Eurovision.
CBC News: The House12:34Canada participates alternately in Eurovision
Canadian singer La Zarra will represent France at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. CBC’s Jennifer Chevalier speaks to academics, journalists and diplomats about how nations can use the annual competition to exert soft power on the global stage, and whether Canada could benefit from participating.
“There’s soft power involved, which is why many countries see value in hosting this event,” Jordan told CBC’s The House. Ukraine, he said, entered the competition in 2003 with the aim of improving its international image.
“Other countries might make fun of the Eurovision Song Contest, but for smaller countries, especially newly independent countries, it’s a great opportunity to showcase your country,” he said.
Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra won the Eurovision Song Contest last year with “Stefania,” a folkloric hip-hop song on mothers’ struggles that came to symbolize Ukraine’s plight after Russia’s invasion. (Yara Nardi/Reuters)
Ukraine won the Eurovision Song Contest last year, but the UK – the number two of 2022 – is the host this year on behalf of Ukraine because of the war with Russia. The UK has planned a series of celebrations for the event, including a waiting party at the High Commissioner’s residence in Ottawa.
“Part of our job as diplomats revolves around public diplomacy, and soft power is a very important part of that,” said High Commissioner Susannah Goshko, adding that music and culture are “very important parts of telling the story of a country.”
Zelenskyy’s request to speak was declined
On Thursday, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the group of public broadcasters organizing the contest, rejected a request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to address the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. The EBU said it would violate the competition’s “strict rules and principles” which prohibit political statements.
But politics still plays a role in many aspects of the contest, including how the numbers are ranked.
The UK won the professional jury’s votes last year, but after counting the votes by phone, Ukraine won with a landslide victory. People across Europe overwhelmingly voted for the embattled nation.
The group Let 3 represents Croatia. The group’s act features a missile and blood-stained dresses, as well as what could be interpreted as dictatorial moustaches. (Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)
“Everything becomes political when the whole reason for your struggle is challenged, namely the unity of Europe. And suddenly that was at stake,” said Postema.
“Winning Ukraine was symbolically infused with the idea that Europe would support Ukraine,” Toronto Star theater critic Karen Fricker told CBC’s The House from Liverpool, UK, where the competition is being held.
Jordan said the response to Ukraine’s song was less of a political event and more of “a very, very emotional moment”.
King Charles and Camilla turn on stage lights as they visit the host venue of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, UK, on April 26, 2023. (Phil Noble/Reuters)
It is not uncommon for voting in the Eurovision Song Contest to be influenced by world politics.
For example, Azerbaijan and Armenia are engaged in a conflict over disputed territory. They usually rank each other last on the scorecard.
On the other hand, the EBU openly rejects political songs. In 2021, Belarus performed a song mocking anti-government protests against dictator Alexander Lukashenko. The EBU rejected the number.
A Georgian song with a veiled reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin (“We Don’t Wanna Put In”) was also rejected in 2009.
But coded political songs make it to the contest. This year’s entries from Ukraine, Croatia, Switzerland and the Czech Republic contain seemingly subtle references to the war in Ukraine.
In the Czech song “My Sister’s Crown” voices sing in different Slavic languages: “My sister’s crown, don’t take it down… She is her own queen.”
“It almost feels like it’s some kind of Slavic community, former Soviet Union states say, ‘Don’t touch my sister Ukraine,'” Postema said.
Conchita Wurst, who won for Austria in 2014, will perform at the final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna on May 23, 2015. (Kerstin Joensson/AP)
“If we say Eurovision is apolitical and the rules require it to be apolitical, there’s a gray area there,” said William Lee Adams, author of Wild Dances: My Queer and Curious Journey to Eurovision. He said the EBU allows some covert political references and does not allow others.
“The EBU seems very willing to let it remain gray if values match those of the West.”
Those European values include inclusiveness, especially when it comes to LGBTQ representation. A trans woman won the contest for Israel in 1998 and Austrian drag queen Conchita Wurst won in 2014. Their performances were followed by backlash in some countries.
“After Conchita won, there were … petitions in Russia and Belarus to pull out,” Adams said. “I would say Eurovision brings us together, yes. But it also divides us because there are so many cultural fault lines across the continent.”
Should Canada participate in Eurovision?
Some Canadians (including Ryan Reynolds in an ironic Twitter post) have complained that Australia is in the Eurovision Song Contest, but Canada is not.
So should Canada get involved?
Jordan said it’s not necessary.
“I’m not sure Canada necessarily needs the visibility that countries might crave because it’s so well known,” Jordan said.
Electronic music group Tvorchi represents Ukraine with the song ‘Heart of Steel’, reportedly inspired by the soldiers who defended the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol from a Russian attack. (Martin Meissner/AP)
Fricker said she believes Canada could benefit by participating. She pointed out how Australia has used the Eurovision Song Contest to showcase its diversity, including through Indigenous artists.
“The contest is an incredible platform to represent your country in a way the world may not necessarily know,” she said, adding that Canada could use the Eurovision Song Contest to showcase its work on Indigenous reconciliation. to take.
“Any smart national broadcaster can use the content to convey meaning.”
The CBC, as a Canadian public service broadcaster and an associate member of the EBU, would be a means by which Canada could enter the contest. But Chuck Thompson, CBC’s head of public affairs, said the broadcaster will not take Canada to the Eurovision Song Contest.
In a statement, Thompson said: “CBC has considered participating, but our programmers don’t believe it would catch on here as it has in other countries, some of which have aired the show for decades.
“Although it is not the only factor in our decision-making process, Eurovision is very expensive to produce, especially if we were to organize it.”
While that may be disappointing to some, Canada can at least participate vicariously through La Zarra this year.
“It’s very exciting when you think about it from a Canadian perspective that we’re not in the Eurovision Song Contest, yet we have a singer from Quebec representing France, one of the most high-profile artists in the contest,” he said. fricker.
“It begs the question – why can’t we go in?”