Eurovision Was Traditionally a Campy Joy – Yet It Has Become a Calculated Tool to Whitewash War.
An freshly coined initialism came to light a couple of months into the intensive bombing of Gaza by Israel. Referred to as WCNSF, it means “Wounded child, no surviving family”. This term is found only in Gaza, according to doctors like child health specialists. Typically, it is rare for medical staff to treat a minor who has lost their entire family. Yet, there has been nothing “normal” regarding the widespread destruction in Gaza, where entire family lineages have been wiped out and the number of children who have lost limbs exceeds that of any other place in the world. No sense of normalcy in scores of doctors coming back from a sea of ruins with reports of children being intentionally shot at.
A Living Nightmare Despite a Announced Cessation of Hostilities
Gaza remains a profound humanitarian disaster. Essential medical supplies are not getting in those in need, and major human rights organizations assert that violations are continuing. Authorities has denied these claims, consistent with how it disavows each claim it is implicated in. Yet as young survivors are now enduring frigid conditions 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 “togetherness and cultural exchange.” Eurovision will continue to offer a blood-red carpet for Israel, even though several European countries have now pulled out in protest. Because this, it seems, is what global togetherness looks like.
Eurovision, of course banned Russia from taking part in 2022 due to the “unprecedented crisis in Ukraine”. Yet the conflict in Gaza seems entirely distinct.
Contradictory Principles
Forget the fact that Israel was criticized for questionable voting tactics last year in what seems to have been an attempt to inject politics into Eurovision. Ignore the report that a toddler was allegedly fatally struck in Gaza recently. Neglect the data that attacks by settlers and coerced removal in the West Bank have increased dramatically. Overlook the situation that international journalists are still prevented from freely reporting in Gaza. This entire context, it would seem, should be permitted to obstruct of Eurovision’s self-proclaimed spirit of unity.
The Pageant Proceeds Amidst Unimaginable Suffering
Eurovision reaches its seventieth anniversary next year – nearly twice the current lifespan of someone in Gaza now. The broadcast will air, but it will likely never recapture the camp joy it historically embodied. A competition that was originally built on peace has now become a cynical way to provide a cultural veneer for conflict.
