The Eurovision Song Contest Used to Be a Campy Joy – But It Has Become a Cynical Way to Whitewash War.
An freshly coined initialism emerged a few months into the military campaign against Gaza. Known as WCNSF, it stands for “Child casualty without any family left”. This acronym is found only in Gaza, as stated by medical experts such as paediatricians. Normally, it is unusual for medical staff to care for a minor who has lost their whole family. But, there has been absolutely nothing ordinary about the genocide in Gaza, where complete genealogies have been eradicated and the number of children who have lost limbs surpasses that of anywhere else in the world. Nothing normal about numerous doctors returning from a devastated terrain with reports of children being intentionally shot at.
An Unimaginable Crisis Despite a Supposed Ceasefire
The Gaza Strip continues to be an utter catastrophe. Vital medicines and equipment are not getting in those in need, and groups like Amnesty International assert that atrocities are ongoing. The Israeli government rejects these accusations, just as it disavows each claim it is implicated in. Yet as traumatised orphans are now enduring frigid conditions in improvised encampments, there is a little heartwarming news: apparently nothing is going to stop the international singing competition from continuing with its stated mission of “togetherness and artistic sharing.” Organizers will continue to roll out a welcoming platform for Israel, despite the fact that several European countries have now pulled out in protest. Since this, we are told, is what unity resembles.
The contest, notably excluded Russia from competing in 2022 over the “serious conflict in Ukraine”. However, the situation in Gaza appears to be treated differently.
Contradictory Principles
Disregard the reality that Israel was alleged to have used questionable voting tactics last year in what could be seen as an effort to inject politics into Eurovision. Set aside the news that a young child was allegedly fatally struck in Gaza recently. Neglect the data that attacks by settlers and forced displacement in the West Bank have surged. Forget the fact that global media are still denied freely reporting in Gaza. None of this, it would seem, should be allowed to get in the way of Eurovision’s much-touted ethos of unity.
The Show Goes On Against a Backdrop of Unimaginable Suffering
Eurovision reaches its seventieth anniversary next year – roughly two times the average life expectancy of a person in Gaza now. The broadcast will air, but it will never be able to restore the whimsical pleasure it was formerly known for. An institution that was originally built on togetherness has transformed into a cynical way to sanitize military aggression.
