Eurovision Was Once a Whimsical Delight – But It Has Become a Calculated Tool to Gloss Over Warfare.
An freshly coined acronym came to light a couple of months into the intensive bombing of Gaza by Israel. Labeled WCNSF, it stands for “Wounded child, no surviving family”. This term is found only in Gaza, according to health professionals including paediatricians. Typically, it is uncommon for physicians to attend to a young patient who has been bereaved of their whole family. Yet, there has been nothing “normal” concerning the devastating conflict in Gaza, where complete genealogies have been wiped out and the number of children who have lost limbs exceeds that of any other region in the world. No sense of normalcy about numerous doctors coming back from a devastated terrain with reports of children being intentionally shot at.
An Unimaginable Crisis In Spite Of a Supposed Ceasefire
The Gaza Strip continues to be hell on earth. Vital medicines and equipment are not getting in those in need, and international watchdogs assert that genocidal acts are continuing. Officials has denied these accusations, consistent with how it disavows each claim it is implicated in. Meanwhile, while young survivors are now freezing in temporary shelters, there is some ostensibly positive news: nothing is going to stop the Eurovision song contest from continuing with its declared purpose of “unity and artistic sharing.” Organizers will continue to extend a blood-red carpet for Israel, even though at least four European countries have now pulled out in protest. Because this, we are told, is what international harmony looks like.
The contest, notably banned Russia from participating in 2022 over the “unprecedented crisis in Ukraine”. But the crisis in Gaza is completely different.
A Double Standard
Disregard the reality that Israel was alleged to have used unfair vote practices last year in what seems to have been an effort to manipulate Eurovision. Set aside the news that a young child was reportedly killed in Gaza recently. Forget the fact that aggression from Israeli settlers and forced displacement in the West Bank have escalated. Overlook the situation that global media are still denied freely reporting in Gaza. This entire context, it would seem, should be seen as a barrier of Eurovision’s self-proclaimed spirit of unity.
The Show Goes On While Ignoring Staggering Tragedy
The contest reaches its seventieth anniversary next year – almost double the current lifespan of a person in Gaza now. The broadcast will air, but it will likely never recapture the whimsical pleasure it was formerly known for. A competition that once promoted peace has transformed into a blatant mechanism to whitewash war.
