Image credit: Courtesy NOT Wieden+Kennedy
By Pete Mullineaux
In a parallel universe, not that different from
this one, but with a few marked variations,
at the Eurovision Song Contest, a Palestinian
singer takes the stage, filling it with olive trees
and dreamy faces in love, wins over an infinite
number of hearts. In this inverted world, it’s
not even a contest: a simple sharing of cultures,
appreciation of diversity, each offering sung
in its own language. Here, the humble English
entry caresses the ears with its novelty …
The Eurovision Song Contest is coming round again. Last year there was some attention given to why Israel wasn’t excluded (especially given the way Russia was so quickly thrown out). I feel now the focus should be on both exclusion of Israel and inclusion of Palestine. Palestine can’t take part because it isn’t a country – not allowed due to the US veto at the UN Security Council – the very country promoting the genocide and land-grab. The poem though is not a polemic – hopefully making its point in a gentle, slant kind of way. The final line is of course a subtle reference to British & US imperialism in general.
