On 10 of May in Italy began the international music contest called Eurovision.
I know a lot of people who watch this show with interest, cheer for their country, vote. To be honest, I’ve never watched Eurovision, but I always know what’s happening there from my friends.
Last years the event was for fun and relaxation, people laughed and talked about it in a friendly manner. But it seems like this year everybody divided into two camps:
1.Those who believe that Eurovision has remained an honest and independent event, the main purpose of which is to show the diversity of Europe’s musical talents
2.Those who believe that Eurovision has become a political event, in which some are given the right to express their position through shows and songs, while others are limited in this, not even giving the right to perform.
Naturally, there are so many people and we will never come to a common decision, but I would very much like to know what do you think about Eurovision and the context of this show. Is it just music or something more? And isn’t music always more than just a music?
refugeenotes 
I use to “semi-follow” the Eurovision. I have never watched the whole competition or even a whole semi-final or final, but I usually know who is competing, which songs are likely to win and so on.
I think it is both music and a political event. Clearly, since Eurovision is watched by tons of people all over many countries of the world, many performers take this opportunity to send messages that go beyond the simple musical competition. But it is also a way to appreciate different musical styles and to hear performers one wouldn’t hear of otherwise.
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Yes, but this year Russian performers were banned from participating in the competition. Thus, the competition restricts some and prevents them from speaking. Perhaps through Russian performers and their message, we would come closer to understanding how propaganda works and how it affects people. Or (who knows!?), a Russian performer could support Ukraine in the contest and show that some Russians are against this war 🤔
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I think it was a mistake to ban them from participating.
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I do not know. I have a lot of thoughts on this, but I don’t have a clear opinion yet 😔
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I haven’t really engaged with Eurovision, although I think any contemporary contest where Ukraine is tipped to win will, inevitably, be politicised for better (hopefully) or worse (hopefully not). Any art form has the capacity to send a political message, we see that all the time.
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Yeah, that’s true!
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Well, congratulations, but I guess you know this already! https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/ukraine-wins-eurovision-after-irregular-voting-patterns-delay-count-20220513-p5al93.html
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Yes! I was happy about it. 🤗 But I think everybody knew who is going to be a winner of this year so it wasn’t a big surprise for me 😅
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