Imagine the scene. The director of Rai Entertainment Stefano Coletta, with that veiled air of embarrassment of a gentleman from another era, call Volodymur Zelensky: «Um, hello Vol, I can call you Vol, right?… Ok Vol, no problem: you can come to Sanremo, we’ll send you on the air late at night anyway». “Good,” Zelensky nods, heaving a sigh. «Ehm, though, dear Vol, there’s a big problem» adds Coletta «Dr. Fuortes thinks you should tell us the content first of your message, you already know Fedez screwed us up once…”. And dear Vol, he doesn’t understand at first. Then with the precarious telephone line, between a rumble of mortars, a building falling down and the flak that paints the sky purple against the Russian drones, Vol replies to the shy Coletta with polite bewilderment. But wondering who the heck this Fedez is. Fedez. Maybe a Moldovan dissident. Mah. Which, among other things, Fedez hadn’t been censored when he ranted at the concert on May 1st on Raitre.
THE PARADOX OF THE TEXT
So here we are at this fantastic paradox. Rai, assailed by controversy over the invitation of the Ukrainian leader to San Remo Festivalconfirms his intentions. However, Rai itself is also shaken by doubts; so that the directors, already disturbed yesterday by the controversy over the confirmation of the company budget, think it well to confirm «the company’s line for the yes to the intervention of the Ukrainian president, but they ask to understand what the recorded message will contain and any presence of positions taken», reports the LaPresse news agency. What one then wonders: apart from ineducation, what the hell do you want Zelensky to say in a two-minute video message? Presumably the same things he said at the Venice and Cannes Film Festivals, et al Golden Globe: «We are suffering from a horrible invasion. The West help us with weapons, we will fight until victory. We cannot suffer Putin’s dictatorship. He could touch you … ».
Words of this tenor; exactly what you’d expect from a Zelensky put on a stage to denounce crazy war. I doubt Vol asks if Madame got the shots; or why Fiorello isn’t among the guests; or if Elodie’s song really reflects the evolution of the artist. Yet, it seems to have returned to the times of the vax against no vax, or the Putinians against the rest of the world: the only shadow of Zelensky that stretches over the songs and sequins of the Ariston becomes a divided element of the political debate. Among other things, it is a question of a debate of rare transversal nature.
They range from Casini who jokes «Do we want to send Putin to Sanremo too, in the name of a level playing field?» accompanied by transversal supporters of the Ukrainian Matteo Orfini and Alessandra Moretti, Andrea Vianello and the president of Liguria, John Totie Benedict DellaVedova of +Europe. And we move on to the critical ones Carlo Freccero, Luigi De Magistris, Franco Cardini, Vauroe Charles Calenda unusually in agreement with Giuseppe Conte on the “spectacularisation of war”. And, later, here is the Advertising Association (pro Zelensky) and the Radio TV Service Users Association (against). And here are the petitions against “Ukrainian propaganda” which associations with DuPre precipitate the controversy in full surrealism.
SONG CLIMATE
Now, maybe Zelensky’s presence could have been avoided, given the ditty atmosphere of the demonstration Amadeus. But Sanremo is always Sanremo. And a dozen million viewers can even do good by drumming a message of peace. Which, however, if accepted, must be broadcast without inspections, on trust. All we need is that now we censor Zelensky on Raiuno. TeleMosca is already thinking very well about that…
