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TELEVISION – Each Eurovision has its controversies. This 2021 edition – the final of which is broadcast on France 2 this Saturday, May 22 from Rotterdam in the Netherlands – is no exception to the rule. It is even, between political conflicts, plagiarism or even songs considered provocative, particularly rich in controversies.
Armenia, Hungary, Belarus, Russia, Malta, North Macedonia, Cyprus, and finally Ukraine … eight countries are concerned. A significant figure, higher than that of the 2019 competition in particular (latest edition), where controversies had arisen in Ukraine, Italy or France.
. Armenia
If Armenia do not participate at Eurovision this year, it is largely because of its very tense relations with Azerbaijan, which will be present in Rotterdam. Tensions between the two countries, which do not date from yesterday, reached their peak in September 2020 during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. The conflict opposed the self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh supported by Armenia, and Azerbaijan, supported by Turkey, for the control of the territory, not recognized by the international community.
. Hungary
Hungary had already announced in 2019 that it would not participate in the edition initially scheduled for 2020. The British newspaper The Guardian revealed that the hard right-wing government in power in the country had made this decision, because it judged the competition “Too gay”. Despite its postponement, Hungary has not flinched and will therefore not take part in this edition of the Eurovision Song Contest.
. Belarus
Another absent, but disqualified this time. The EBU (European Broadcasting Union, in charge of the competition) has in fact decided to exclude Belarus. The reason? The song “Ya Nauchu Tebya” (“I will teach you”) of the group Galasy ZMesta, considered contrary to the rules of the competition, because too political.
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Indeed, from the publication of the clip on March 9, many voices were raised against the title as underlined 20 Minutes, accusing him of supporting the Belarusian regime, much contested since his re-election.
. Russia
Russia is well and truly present and its representative, Manizha, a 29-year-old singer and activist for women’s rights, is getting a lot of attention. With her song “Russian Woman”, she stands up against misogyny and xenophobia in Russia.
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But this ode to tolerance disturbs the conservatives of his country. An association of Orthodox women accused her in particular of “insulting and grossly humiliating Russian women” and of inciting “hatred towards men, which undermines the foundations of the traditional family”, reports AFP. Also according to the press agency, a complaint was even filed last March against the singer and her title.
. Malta
This time it is Destiny, the Maltese representative and one of the favorites of this Eurovision Song Contest which is concerned. As soon as it was released, the clip for his song “Je me cassse” angered some Maltese. The reason? The sexual objectification according to them of the model present in the video sequence.
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A subject that has been widely debated in Malta after the controversy related to an advertising of a milk brand, deemed sexist. Destiny will justify himself after the fact to a Maltese media, explaining that “the message of the song is that women don’t need a man to be powerful and independent”.
. North Macedonia
Against the backdrop of tensions between Macedonia and Bulgaria, the music video for the song “Here I stand” performed by Vasil, put the powder fire.
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In question? A detail in the video which takes place in the National Gallery Daut Pashin Amam in Skopje, the capital of the country. One of the works in the museum, by artist Žaneta Vangeli, featured the three colors of the Bulgarian flag: white, green and red.
. Cyprus
The song of discord. “El Diablo”, performed by Elena Tsagrinou, ulcerated the Cypriot conservative Christians. They saw it as a call to serve the devil.
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The controversy has grown enormously, even pushing the authorities to open an investigation after death threats against the singer.
. L’Ukraine
Go_A’s song “SHUM”, a cover of traditional Ukrainian folk song “A v nashoho shuma”, was judged too similar to its elder.
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While several fans of the competition demanded his withdrawal from the competition as undeserving compared to the original titles of other countries, the EBU defended “Shum”, explaining that the folk songs were free of rights. The title of Go_A will still be completely rewritten after the controversy.
See also on The HuffPost: Barbara Pravi, the singer who will represent France at Eurovision, has a super power
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