What does the Eurovision Song Contest stand for?
More than just a matter of taste the Eurovision Song Contest is a reflection of the continent itself, Europe's commentators muse after the mass spectacle on Saturday in Kiev.
Eurovision stands for peace
The Eurovision Song Contest stands for exchange between cultures - and that is exactly what makes it so important, Offnews writes:
“You could see it in Kiev: the flags of almost every European country being waved together to the beat of the music; people singing and dancing together without understanding each other's language. For a few hours it wasn't about confrontation, war or money. We witnessed the interaction that forms the basis of the European memory. The simplest thing would be to cancel the extravaganza, but we mustn't forget that it's thanks to these many small interactions between our cultures that we have enjoyed peace and unity in Europe for half a century. They mean more to us than we realise. Anyone who can't live with that can just reach for the zapper.”
Forget harmony and unity!
For Rzeczpospolita the European Song Contest says a lot about the current state of Europe:
“The competition shows, for example, that the Europe of nations is a fact. Europe and the EU don't stand for 'We the people' but 'We the peoples'. For some time here on the Old Continent we've been acting as if we were a single entity. With the same success as the little stars of the Eurovision contest: a dreadful English accent, texts that are virtually unintelligible and a complete lack of harmony. Things only get interesting when we're inspired by our own traditions. Like the winner of this year's contest, Salvador Sobral, who sung a beautiful unassuming song inspired by the Portuguese fado.”