The Eurovision Song contest has once again made it to the national agenda. I have been responsible for the performing arts at our University and have worked to strengthen it against all sorts of academic snobbism, and so I would refrain from commenting on the pop element of this event.
I wish instead, to stick to the political controversy that entrapped Ira Losco. With hindsight, it is now very clear that before the actual competition had begun, the authorities wanted Ira Losco to win the local stage. It is not normal that a singer wins with a song and then goes to the Eurovision interpreting a different song.
Yet, what is less discussed is the level of hidden abuse that exists in the pop singing world. This whole experience is not only banal but sexually corrupt. I am sure that the powers that be in the media are aware of this reality. This is working against young and good singers. Unknown singers find it difficult to make it on the local scene unless they are ready to accept indecent proposals. I know cases of individuals who were good at singing but abandoned the pop world because they were not ready to become “bitches” in the pure sense of the term.
It is a great pity that as always in Malta, great potential is lost in a web of corruptionwho have been subjected to sexual harassment start speaking out in public and denounce the perpetrators. This is a business mostly dominated by males. Most of those who have the money can pull the strings and manoeuvre who will win and who will lose in a contest.
Now that Eurovision is over, it is about time that the media starts investigating this hidden reality. It is about time that the Maltese tax payer stops supporting these types of charades.
After this contest, the main discussion in Malta was not about the performance of the artist/s but whether it is right or not that such large sums of money are spent on a dress for a singer, which at the end of the day will not even be worn again. The social media is talking about a dress that has cost over 80,000 euros and the price does not include the designer’s fee.
The designer is Australian, the same who does the costumes for Lady Gaga. But I ask you, is it not obvious that pregnant women are going to expand by the day if not by the minute? I don’t want to sound a Victorian moralist, for I am not, but surely a more suitable dress would have been in order. Having an obviously pregnant woman trying to impress by wearing such an outfit is counter productive.
Boobs and sexy legs may impress men, but men only form part of half of the electorate in this type of show. Furthermore most men still believe that motherhood is 'sacred' and abhor seeing a mother-to-be so blatantly and unscrupulously exploited. Women too are not endeared to watching such a spectacle. Discretion is a good old–fashioned word, which our modern guru advisers on such issues have thrown to the four winds and look at the results. Incidentally women in term of voters may be even bigger than that of men. Do not the organizers realize all this? Are they so daft as not to take into account this demographic factor?
Then there was the cardinal mistake by Ira Losca and her partner to enter into the political fray both on the local and international agenda. If Losco and her advisers thought that by passing comments in favour of gays and lesbians, she was going to earn votes, they have lost the plot completely. Gender issues are today a political predicament and pop music has long been used to push forward this agenda.
But this is not always going to work. What the Maltese organization should have done was to present a good song and a good voice and as we say in Maltese “ħallih ħa jħabbat il-baħar” or as the wise words of William Shakespeare rendered the same thoughts through different wording “it is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” This is what Ukraine partly did and this is why she won the festival. Ukraine presented a simple but good meaningful song.
There was a second element regarding Losco’s statements. I believe that these were said to snub the big Russian bear. It is a known fact that on an international level, these issues of gays and lesbians are being propelled by America and her allies to irritate Russia who does not tolerate gay rights.
I am sure that the winner, Ukraine, is part of a wider political game and was supported to snub Russia. But Eurovision is also this. Israel was allowed to participate on the premise that even if, as a country it is in Asia, still it is made to feel that it is part of Europe. Neighbouring countries like Jordan and Syria were not admitted. One may argue that Morocco was admitted in the past to this festival. This is true but its admission concurred at a time when Morocco was bidding to join the European Union. After Europe said no, Morocco stopped participating. This proves my point that Eurovision is not simply about music but has its hidden political agenda.
The new phenomenon is Australia. Australia is not interested in joining the union, but one cannot perceive behind this acceptance the idea that Australia is a European extension due to the history of European mass emigration to this continent.
Nevertheless, the end result was that thousands of euros, some are saying over a million, was spent and there was no satisfactory result. Worse still, social media is furious since no other singer has ever had so much money spent on his/her persona. Undoubtedly it would be in the interest of the Government to give an account of the money spent on this event, money, which could have been better spent.
At least, one lesson should be learned by studying the history of Eurovision. Singers who participated in past Eurovisions should not participate again. This experiment already failed with Chiara Siracusa and if my memory is correct, others who in the past tried, also failed miserably. The organizers ignored history. I am starting to appreciate the draconian move taken by Mintoff to pull out of this festival after the bad performance with the song Marija il-Maltija. UK is now on the same wavelength.
This story confirms St Augustine’s wise philosophy. For him, all things that would not last for eternity are not important in life.