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Harmonies of Influence: Exploring the Political Dimension of Eurovision

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The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) is a cultural phenomenon that, since its creation in 1956, has transcended its original purpose of a European Song Contest, becoming a platform for soft power politics, diplomacy and ideological messages. The increase in complexity in Europe and the Middle East, along with the growing audience of the ESC, has made this century's edition increasingly political. The ban on Belarus in 2021 and Russia in 2022 are two recent examples of the politicisation of the competition, and controversy currently surrounds Israel's participation in this year's edition (2024). Given the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, it is likely that the Swedish edition of the ESC will feature a higher number of political messages on the stage and an increase in strategically using points for diplomatic purposes.

By Andrea Di Marcoberardino

Introduction

The Eurovision Song Contest is the world's most-watched song contest that has been around since 1956. Inspired by Sanremo, the festival of the Italian song, Eurovision has seen  67 editions and is much more than a music contest. Politics has often been the protagonist above music, showing the diverse range of instruments that diplomacy and power politics use to regularly influence public opinion. The connection between Eurovision and politics goes beyond economic interests and the pursuit of soft power is often observed in mega-events like this: it has also served as a platform for political expression by the participating countries and their respective performing artists. With the next edition, due to be held in May 2024 in Malmö, the expectation is that it will likely be one of the most politicised editions of the world's most political song contest. Since the start of the Israeli military attack on Gaza, there have been several requests to exclude Israel from the contest. These requests for exclusion are similar to the ones that led to Russia being banned from the contest in 2022. Analysing the tortuous relations between Eurovision and politics may help to understand what will happen in Malmö and future contest editions.

Twelve points

The winner of the Eurovision Song Contest is determined through a mix of votes from the public and the commission of the participating countries. During the voting process, each country commissions votes for eleven artists, excluding their country's artists. The commission awards points on a scale of one to ten. Moreover, they must allocate twelve points to one artist. This system was introduced in 1975. Since then, it has been the most essential soft-power instrument of the Contest. Countries have mostly given the twelve points based on their diplomatic relationship to show closeness to specific international issues and often to give a message to the global system on where the country stands on particular topics. The twelve points have been clearly shown: cultural biases, political alliances, and the desire to push more for a political message than for the victory of a deserving artist since 1975. One of the most visible exchanges of these twelve points has been between Greece and Cyprus; the reason is primarily based on ethnic and cultural lines. Greece has given 12 points to Cyprus in 15 of the last 18 editions, while Cyprus did the same in 19 of the previous 21 times. However, the twelve points and the point system are generally not just about the continuous exchange of votes, but mostly about sending messages to the vast Eurovision and international community. 

Exclusion

After the Israeli attack on Gaza, a vast number of artists, political figures and activists have asked the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the organiser of the competition, to exclude Israel from Eurovision. The EBU has resisted the pressure, arguing that Eurovision is not a political contest. However, excluding Russian and Belarusian artists in past editions contradicts this rhetoric. In 2021, a few days before the beginning of the Rotterdam edition of the Eurovision,  the EBU decided to disqualify the Belarus band Galasy ZMesta and their song ‘“Ja nauchu tebya” (I’ll Teach You), which was a propaganda song in support of the Belarusian president Lukashenko. EBU justified the ban, arguing that the participation of Galasy ZMesta would have put the “non-political nature of the Contest in question”. However, the main reason for this exclusion can be found in the general political consensus among EU countries that the Belarusian President manipulates the electoral process in his country, often by means of violent repression of protests. 

The EBU’s defence of Israel’s participation can be seen as even more contradictory if one considers the fact that Russia was excluded after its invasion of Ukraine. In the Russian case, the problem with the involvement of Russian artists was not the text of their song but the aggression of the country against Ukraine and the violation of international law. Martin Österdahl, the director of Eurovision at the time, declared: “When we say we are not political, what we always should stand up for are the basic and ultimate values of democracy. Everyone has the right to be who they are. This will be a Eurovision song contest that shows the values that we talk about – solidarity, reaching out, uniting through music.” Once again, in the case of the Russian aggression on Ukraine, there was a clear consensus among Western countries on condemning Russian actions that made EBU’s decision reasonably easy. The situation is different regarding Israel, as many Western countries are sustaining Netanyahu’s government actions or are refraining from condemning them. This places the  responsibility of an exclusion on Eurovision’s directives, which have not yet acknowledged the fact that Eurovision indeed has a political nature.

However, there have also been complaints from pro-Israel perspectives, particularly against Olly Alexander, this year's Eurovision artist for the United Kingdom, who signed a statement that defined Israel as an “Apartheid State.” For this reason, members of the conservative party and the Jewish Charity Campaign Against Antisemitism asked the BBC to remove him. However, the BBC does not seem interested in taking any action against the singer. The EBU will likely stay out of the discussion to avoid any possible politicisation of their action. They will not ban the singer either due to the risk of losing the high funding the BBC provides to the Union.

Conclusion

Mega-events have historically served as a platform for political activism, promoting ideologies or manipulating public opinion. Eurovision, in this sense, is not an exception. The academic studies behind the influence of politics in Eurovision have disproved the myth that the contest is “non-political.” This article has analysed just some of the dynamics and recent events that show how Eurovision has been used as an instrument of diplomacy and soft power. However, much more can be examined on the relation between the world’s most political song contest and politics. What we can expect for this year's Eurovision (2024) is that protests and boycott threats will remain at the centre of the discussion until May, and Malmö will probably become one of the most political editions of the Contest since its creation in 1956. The EBU will likely be giving fines to artists who try to send pro-Palestine messages on the stage, as it happened in the 2019 edition in Tel Aviv when the Icelandic band Hatari received a fine for displaying a Palestinian flag. Still, predicting the future is impossible, and there is no room for certainty regarding the Eurovision Song Contest. Nevertheless, by misquoting Benjamin Franklin, we can say that only two things are sure in life: “Deaths and the twelve points of Cyprus to Greece.”

References

  1. Ray, Michael. “Eurovision Song Contest.” Britannica. 07 February 2024. https://www.britannica.com/art/Eurovision-Song-Contest.

  2. Eurovision Song Contest. “Sanremo - the festival that inspired Eurovision.” Eurovision Song Contest. 08 February 2017. https://eurovision.tv/story/sanremo-the-festival-that-inspired-eurovision.

  3. PRESS-BARNATHAN, GALIA, and NAAMA LUTZ. “The multilevel identity politics of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest.” International Affairs, 2020: 729-748.

  4. POLLET, MATHIEU. «Israel faces Europe’s ultimate threat: Getting kicked out of Eurovision.» POLITICO. 02 February 2024. https://www.politico.eu/article/israel-eurovision-song-contest-hamas-war-finland-sweden/.

  5. Kavanagh, Adrian. “Key Dates in the History of the Eurovision Song Contest.” Adrian Kavanagh's Blog. 18 May 2015. https://adriankavanagh.com/2015/05/18/key-dates-in-the-history-of-the-eurovision-song-contest/.

  6. Ibid.

  7. Dubas-Fisher, David. «Political Eurovision - who votes for who?» Manchester Evening News. 12 May 2023. https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/world-news/political-eurovision-who-votes-who-26904755.

  8. BBC News. «Israel chooses Eurovision 2024 entrant amid calls for a boycott.» BBC News. 08 February 2024. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68238270.

  9. Yair, Gad, e Chen Ozeri. «A March for Power: The Variety of Political Programmes on the Eurovision Song Contest Stage.» In The Eurovision Song Contest as a Cultural Phenomenon, di Gad Yair e Chen Ozeri. 2022.

  10. Ibid.

  11. Österdahl, Martin. Interview. By Björn Ulvaeus. BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. 2022

  12. Matamoros, Cristina Abellan. “EBU fines Iceland for their band's display of Palestinian scarves during Eurovision final.” Euronews. 22 September 2019. https://www.euronews.com/2019/09/22/ebu-fines-iceland-for-their-band-s-display-of-palestinian-scarves-during-eurovision-final#:~:text=Iceland's%20Hatari%20are%20known%20for,the%20contest's%20final%20in%20Israel.