It's going to be a hot summer...

Well certainly not in terms of the weather that's for sure!

After the dust has settled on Eurovision 2012 it appears that the authorities in Azerbaijan are starting to take action against those pesky human rights campaigners who were part of the Sing for Democracy campaign back in May. After the contest, Ali Hasanov, released a statement condemning those who had been involved in several peaceful protests during the run-up to Eurovision in Baku. "Such people shouldn't feel they can dare to go out in the city; they should feel ashamed". Hasanov had previously stated that there would be no retaliation against protestors, something which seemed to appease the EBU at least. However this seems to be nothing more than lip-service, as expected. On 13 June Mehman Huseynov, media coordinator of the Sing for Democracy campaign, was arrested and detained for "acts of hooliganism" (didn't the authorities pay attention to the antics of many Euro fans during the week??) Whilst Huseynov has now been released, he faces a criminal case which could see him serving a lengthy prison sentence. Meanwhile journalists who criticise the government continue to be arrested. It's situations like this that remind me personally that we are very lucky in the UK (and other countries) to live in a society free from fear of persecution and intimidation. Sing for Democracy were, in my opinion, fine ambassadors for Azerbaijan. The people I spoke with were eloquent, informed and more importantly, used peaceful means to spread their message. As far as protesters go, they could teach our lot a thing or two about dignity!

Does all this mean that Eurovision should never have been in Azerbaijan? Not quite. For the first time ever a huge spotlight shone on Azerbaijan's human rights record. This was specifically because of Eurovision. The contest allowed the pro-reform protesters a voice and a platform. For civil society in a young democracy this is surely a good thing. It's saddening to hear that those who worked so hard to raise awareness of the situation in Azerbaijan are now facing repercussions. However I genuinely hope that the seeds of change have been planted and that maybe Eurovision did have a positive impact in terms of raising awareness and opening a dialogue in the country. There were calls for the boycott of Eurovision this year. This sort of misses the point. The EBU is not a political organisation and amongst the list of members are countries which have a dubious record on human rights at best. The time for questioning Azerbaijan's eligibility to be a part of Eurovision was back in 2008 when the country joined the contest. It'll certainly be a tricky time for the EBU should Belarus win in future! 

Sing for Democracy made major strides in those few weeks in the run-up to the contest. Baku may have lost out on the 2020 Olympic bid but I dare say that there will be other opportunities for that spotlight to shine in the future. The everyday people I met in Baku were absolutely delightful, for that reason alone, 2012 could quite possibly be my favourite Eurovision ever and I hope for their sake that basic human rights are upheld in Azerbaijan in future. 

In other news (or not news as the case may be) in June the Daily Mail reported that the BBC were embroiled in a "Eurovision race row" and that several "senior figures" connected to a number of previous UK entrants had gone on the record to state that they thought racism was a factor in Britain's recent flops at Eurovision and that the UK should withdraw from the competition altogether. The (poorly written) article alluded to racism behind the scenes of the contest itself. If racism is alive and well at Eurovision then how did Estonia win in 2001 with a black singer? How did the UK finish second in 1998 with Imaani (the first black UK representative)? How did the Netherlands end up in fourth place that year? How did Sweden's Loreen, who has Moroccan heritage and performed with a black dancer, storm to victory in 2012? 

Only this week Andrew Lloyd-Webber waded into the row by stating that the UK was the victim of racism in 2009. His argument holds no water. Jade Ewen came 5th out of a field of 42 in 2009, our strongest showing in the best part of a decade. Her placing can hardly be seen as a failure and she received votes from both East and West. Lloyd-Webber's comments personify and embody all that is wrong with the British attitude towards Eurovision. Why do we arrograntly assume that we are the best? Andy Abraham had a very weak song in 2008 and was rewarded with just 14 points for it. The UK public didn't buy the single either. Like Josh Dubovie in 2010, Jade Ewen in 2009 and Engelbert this year, if the British public can't get behind the song then how can we expect our cousins on the continent to vote for it? We shouldn't be so arrogant to assume that it must be someone else's fault, that we deserve to do well just for showing up. Maybe, just maybe, the likes of Javine and Andy Abraham just weren't good enough. Quite frankly Lloyd-Webber was lucky to finish 5th with such a bland, clichéd and repetitive song! Jade Ewen, a fantastic singer and wonderful ambassador for the UK, deserved better. 

Such reporting and blanket statements from unnamed sources do not add anything to a serious debate on a pertinent issue. On the one hand it could be argued that overt racism does appear to be a major problem, perhaps more so in the East, if recent concerns over Euro 2012 are anything to go by. Certainly Gaitana, the Ukrainian singer in 2012 faced racism from her own politicians when one minister stated that she shouldn't performing in Eurovision because she failed to represent "organic Ukrainian culture". However TV bosses stood firm and Gaitana represented her country with the anthemic, "Be My Guest". Her selection as the face of Ukraine at Eurovision was certainly an interesting one in the year that racism in Ukraine was in the spotlight as a result of the country hosting Euro 2012. In a field of 42, Gaitana finished 15th. Is this racism? I doubt it. Something like this can never really be proven which is the difficulty in having a sensible debate about it.

The article from the Daily Mail and Andrew Lloyd-Webber's comments have merely turned something which wasn't news (it only appeared because it was a slow news day) into something which is even less than a storm in a teacup. If anything, rather than racism, it screams of good old-fashioned sour grapes to me.   

 

Eurovision 2012: Day Three

All the days appear to be merging into one. I seem to have lost track of what is going on in the real world. The perils of the Eurovision bubble!

We've finally worked out where the shuttle buses to the arena leave from (the very plush Hilton!) Getting to the hotel was more than a challenge. You would think that crossing a road would be simple but not in Baku. The cars kept on coming and coming and coming. When in doubt follow what the natives do; just step out in front of the on-coming traffic and hope that they stop. When in Rome and all that. We lived to tell the tail and boarded the shuttle bus to the Crystal Hall.

There is more food available in the press centre (at a small charge) and coffee has arrived. It seems that slowly but surely things are becoming more organised. Outside the landscaping is continuing and the pavements are nearing completion. They're working day and night in preparation for next week. Security is pretty tough and airport-style checks are in place. This is the only press centre where I've noticed that the security officers have guns. I'm not sure if this is just the Azeri way or if it's as a result of some sort of threat.

Building continues outside the arena

On the streets, people continue to stare. Eurovision delegates are a curious attraction. In the local mini market several school girls piled in to speak to us and in general people have been very friendly. One thing which is notable is that I've not seen much in the way of people begging or stray dogs for that matter. Could it be that the rumours of "cleansing" the streets are true? Several YouTube videos suggest that culls have taken place and beggars removed from the city centre. Who knows?

Another day of rehearsals. Ukraine was the most highly anticipated of the day. Gaitana is in my opinion, the best singer in the contest. She's a belter. As for the staging, whilst it was only the first rehearsal, it looked a bit "busy". After she was selected to sing for Ukraine, Gaitana came under attack from politician Yuriy Syrotyuk who claimed that she failed to represent "organic Ukrainian culture". In other words she's a bit too black for his liking. I asked Gaitana about her response to this. She said that it was the first time in her life that she had experienced overt racism in Ukraine and that whilst she was initally devastated, she chose not to respond and kept a diginified silence. Gaitana is a classy lady and a fine ambassador for her country. It's interesting that she is the first singer of African origin to represent Ukraine, with their Euro 2012 anthem, in the same year that there are concerns over racist football fans overshadowing the matches.

In the evening I went to meet up with some locals who had befriended many of us on Facebook. We went to a local bar and learned about life in Azerbaijan. Later on it was decided that we would go to the Euroclub for a bit of dancing. You can't get into the Euroclub without accreditation. However our new friends somehow managed after one of them phoned their father. It seems that money and connections speak louder than regulations here.

Tomorrow Estonia, my adopted country, take to the stage. Stay tuned!