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MAKING ROOM FOR EUROVISION
By Sohail Rahman
Al Jazeera
http://blogs.aljazeera.com/europe/2012/05/25/making-room-eurovision
May 25 2012
Qatar
It's that time of the year again when Europeans descend into
insults and accusations as well as threats of boycotts and copycat
performances.
Well, this year that's not so far from wrong.
The Eurovision contest won by Azerbaijan last year in Dusseldorf gave
this former Soviet republic the automatic right to host the event in
2012, and Armenia the excuse to withdraw. It is still officially at
war with Azerbaijan over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
What a great start to winning the event in 2011! President Ilham
Aliyev must have been rubbing his hands with glee.
On the other hand, some European capitals perhaps are wondering whether
such an opportunity would be used wisely. It's an opportunity for a
country mired in accusations of corruption and human-rights abuses
to prove its detractors wrong.
Since independence from the former Soviet union in 1991, there was
great optimism in the country that a new generation would sweep aside
the communist legacy and bring in new blood with fresh thinking and
free thought.
Influence and power
It may have started off brightly but seven presidents later, enter
Aliyev in 2003. Sworn in soon after the death of the incumbent, his
father Heydar Aliyev, Ilham Aliyev is now a man of great influence
and personal power.
Walking around the capital, Baku, posters of his father Heydar Aliyev
adorn every street corner.
I expected a Eurovision host city to be buzzing with excitement,
the streets, shops, buildings and buses are merchandised to the hilt.
You'd have to be completely stupid to miss the fact that Baku is this
year's host city.
Yet having worked on several Eurovision Finals in my career, there
is no buzz and certainly little excitement on the streets from the
local people themselves.
Though the fans have descended on Azerbaijan like bees round a honey
pot, locals are uncomfortable speaking about the event at all. They
don't want to be in front of the camera and they don't want to say
anything off-camera about the event.
They look suspicious and, in some cases, just scared to even be seen
talking to a TV crew.
Positions of influence
Local journalists and human-rights activists I meet during my weeklong
stay in Baku explained that since 2008, Aliyev has been consolidating
his grip on power, placing his most trusted lieutenants in positions
of influence.
So who's in charge of Eurovision? Someone with vast event management
experience, or a senior TV executive with decades of entertainment
experience behind them?
Influence, yes but experience? That's questionable.
It's the First Lady, Mehriban Aliyeva.
Stunning and educationally smart, she is chairperson of this year's
organising committee and the personality to whom all must defer
and obey.
The venue - Baku's Crystal Hall, where the Eurovision will be held -
is a controversial site.
Built alongside an area called Flag Square, the whole place was a
residential site until 10 months ago.
Then the residents were kicked out of their homes to make way for Le
Grand Prix de la Chanson!
With 300 families forcibly evicted, human-rights groups have been up
in arms both domestically and internationally.
And the arguments continue.
I saw at first hand what happens if you speak up: you are arrested
and thrown into a van.
No one will get in the way of the image of this country or the
Eurovision from being tarnished.
Fund by oil wealth
For the Eurovision event in Baku, $800m is the total price tag,
most of it funded by the vast oil wealth of Azerbaijan.
There is a downside to all this, however. Funding for projects such as
water distribution and development has been redirected to the contest.
Pension and government salary increases have either been put on hold
or reduced.
Perhaps now you can see why the locals are disgruntled.
However, it's not all bad.
On the surface, money has been spent on improving the city. It is
evident in the roads, utilities and tourist attractions developed to
attract foreign visitors and future cash.
It may not be mass tourist destination for the moment as the deputy
tourism and culture minister told me, but they are working on it.
Like it or loathe it, Eurovision is here to stay, although a country's
problems will always be a matter of media interest. News is news,
with bad news always being a top story for any editorial meeting be
it print, online or TV.
So, the question you want me to answer after seeing some of the
performances is who's going to win.
Well, Russia and Sweden are well thought of. The Russians, always
well prepared, have six grannies on stage and two spare, just in case.
I am not joking but the UK has Engelbert Humperdinck, one of the
oldest contestants ever in the competition. The BBC has not thought
of a back-up plan should he keel over. Dressed in my tux for the big
night, I am willing to fill the breach in that case, though I fear
my employers will not be amused.
So I will play it safe and just offer my humble opinion. Not that
I've picked a winner since Sandra Kim represented Belgium in 1986.
Vote for Cyprus. I like their song and I always could do with a beach
holiday when I report on the contest next year from Limassol.
By Sohail Rahman
Al Jazeera
http://blogs.aljazeera.com/europe/2012/05/25/making-room-eurovision
May 25 2012
Qatar
It's that time of the year again when Europeans descend into
insults and accusations as well as threats of boycotts and copycat
performances.
Well, this year that's not so far from wrong.
The Eurovision contest won by Azerbaijan last year in Dusseldorf gave
this former Soviet republic the automatic right to host the event in
2012, and Armenia the excuse to withdraw. It is still officially at
war with Azerbaijan over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
What a great start to winning the event in 2011! President Ilham
Aliyev must have been rubbing his hands with glee.
On the other hand, some European capitals perhaps are wondering whether
such an opportunity would be used wisely. It's an opportunity for a
country mired in accusations of corruption and human-rights abuses
to prove its detractors wrong.
Since independence from the former Soviet union in 1991, there was
great optimism in the country that a new generation would sweep aside
the communist legacy and bring in new blood with fresh thinking and
free thought.
Influence and power
It may have started off brightly but seven presidents later, enter
Aliyev in 2003. Sworn in soon after the death of the incumbent, his
father Heydar Aliyev, Ilham Aliyev is now a man of great influence
and personal power.
Walking around the capital, Baku, posters of his father Heydar Aliyev
adorn every street corner.
I expected a Eurovision host city to be buzzing with excitement,
the streets, shops, buildings and buses are merchandised to the hilt.
You'd have to be completely stupid to miss the fact that Baku is this
year's host city.
Yet having worked on several Eurovision Finals in my career, there
is no buzz and certainly little excitement on the streets from the
local people themselves.
Though the fans have descended on Azerbaijan like bees round a honey
pot, locals are uncomfortable speaking about the event at all. They
don't want to be in front of the camera and they don't want to say
anything off-camera about the event.
They look suspicious and, in some cases, just scared to even be seen
talking to a TV crew.
Positions of influence
Local journalists and human-rights activists I meet during my weeklong
stay in Baku explained that since 2008, Aliyev has been consolidating
his grip on power, placing his most trusted lieutenants in positions
of influence.
So who's in charge of Eurovision? Someone with vast event management
experience, or a senior TV executive with decades of entertainment
experience behind them?
Influence, yes but experience? That's questionable.
It's the First Lady, Mehriban Aliyeva.
Stunning and educationally smart, she is chairperson of this year's
organising committee and the personality to whom all must defer
and obey.
The venue - Baku's Crystal Hall, where the Eurovision will be held -
is a controversial site.
Built alongside an area called Flag Square, the whole place was a
residential site until 10 months ago.
Then the residents were kicked out of their homes to make way for Le
Grand Prix de la Chanson!
With 300 families forcibly evicted, human-rights groups have been up
in arms both domestically and internationally.
And the arguments continue.
I saw at first hand what happens if you speak up: you are arrested
and thrown into a van.
No one will get in the way of the image of this country or the
Eurovision from being tarnished.
Fund by oil wealth
For the Eurovision event in Baku, $800m is the total price tag,
most of it funded by the vast oil wealth of Azerbaijan.
There is a downside to all this, however. Funding for projects such as
water distribution and development has been redirected to the contest.
Pension and government salary increases have either been put on hold
or reduced.
Perhaps now you can see why the locals are disgruntled.
However, it's not all bad.
On the surface, money has been spent on improving the city. It is
evident in the roads, utilities and tourist attractions developed to
attract foreign visitors and future cash.
It may not be mass tourist destination for the moment as the deputy
tourism and culture minister told me, but they are working on it.
Like it or loathe it, Eurovision is here to stay, although a country's
problems will always be a matter of media interest. News is news,
with bad news always being a top story for any editorial meeting be
it print, online or TV.
So, the question you want me to answer after seeing some of the
performances is who's going to win.
Well, Russia and Sweden are well thought of. The Russians, always
well prepared, have six grannies on stage and two spare, just in case.
I am not joking but the UK has Engelbert Humperdinck, one of the
oldest contestants ever in the competition. The BBC has not thought
of a back-up plan should he keel over. Dressed in my tux for the big
night, I am willing to fill the breach in that case, though I fear
my employers will not be amused.
So I will play it safe and just offer my humble opinion. Not that
I've picked a winner since Sandra Kim represented Belgium in 1986.
Vote for Cyprus. I like their song and I always could do with a beach
holiday when I report on the contest next year from Limassol.