No, this leader is not about the Eurovision Song Contest.

This leader is about the country that will be hosting the event this week, with two semi-finals today and on Thursday and the final on Saturday – Azerbaijan, a nation that emerged from the ashes of the Soviet empire just two decades ago, and which is still technically at war with neighbouring Armenia which, not surprisingly, pulled out of the contest.

Last Sunday, there was an interesting feature on the BBC. It was about Azerbaijan as it prepares to host one of the most followed music contests in the world – and this, permit us this jibe, in spite of the poor level of the music.

The journalist who took care of the feature brought out the best and the worst of this country, which is spending millions to show the world how much it has developed but at the same time still fails to tackle the many problems that its citizens have to face each day.

The Eurovision Song Contest did not bring much luck to hundreds of families who, for example, had to abandon their homes because they were to be demolished to make way for a road that leads to the arena where the event will take place. Yes, they were given alternative accommodation, but in their interviews they did not seem too happy about it. From what they said, it does not seem that they had any choice.

The journalist also hinted that high walls were being built on highways so that foreign visitors on their way to the venue will not see the misery in which some people live on the sides of the road in question. There were also interviews about the poor human rights records that this country has, as well as the high level of corruption that exists. The media can hardly be described as free, while any hint of dissent is crushed.

We are saying this because we know that, on Saturday, Azerbaijan will be presented to Europe as a paradise. No doubt, the country has so much to offer and we are sure that the contest will serve as a good promotion of the lovely places that exist and which are worth a visit.

But, those who will be watching the event on Saturday should stop and think that beyond the glamour, there is a nation that is struggling.

It is perhaps quite ironic that the title of the song Azerbaijan will be presenting this year is ‘When the music dies’. That is the question the Azerbaijani people are asking themselves.