When I wrote a blog about Serbian victory last year and rightly predicted the outcome, many people in the 'Wild West' contacted me in order to learn more about some trivial, semi-trivial and even some important facts. I was also asked to write an article for mainly British readership. Thus I am getting ready this year for the 'PART DEUX'. Hence the blog in English.
Europe is not fighting wars any more as countries have a more peaceful opportunity to measure their own strengths and exercise ancient rivalries. It is called Eurovision Song Contest and is hosted this year by the country that has been often named as pariah state involved in latest wars on the continent. Serbia won the right last year after a combination of regional alliances, vote of Diaspora and ‘gay factor' brought win to previously little known Serbian singer Marija Serifovic. The dissolution of Yugoslavia means six new states that participate in this competition and they all granted Serbia maximum points last year.The wars of Yugoslav succession and long period of Slobodan Milosevic in power in Serbia forced many to flee the country and settle throughout Europe. Many of them have the only chance of expressing their ethnic origin or patriotism by making telephone calls and casting their votes for Serbia. Finally, it has been estimated that like Kyle, Eurovision Song Contest is amazingly popular among the gay population for whom the clubs organize special nights and evenings to follow the competition and consequently vote. Therefore ‘pink vote' was won by Serbian singer who was (mis)taken as lesbian by many.
National pride and joy in Serbia were quickly replaced by worries as the declaration of independence by province of Kosovo, albeit not recognized by Serbia who still claims its sovereignty over this territory, brought recognition by over thirty countries and riots in the centre of Serbian capital Belgrade in February of this year. The Eurovision governing body held urgent talks in order to possibly displace the event but in the end opted to remain loyal to Serbian organizers. Special security arrangements will be put in place despite the fact that Slav countries that were in war only ten years ago are now so openly co-operating with each other that it brings suspicion among the other participants. One might call it reconciliation at work. This year's host, Zeljko Joksimovic is regional star who performed for Serbia before, wrote a song for Bosnia last year and wrote a song for this year's Serbian entry.
Representatives of all the European countries with notable exceptions of Italy, Austria, Slovakia and Luxembourg are singing in Belgrade Arena to decide whose song attracts most attention and votes. The building where over twenty thousands spectators are expected might have a curse because its history is the story of several attempts to build it and stage some great international competition in order to promote the state. Every single time this state was different as Belgrade was declared capital of the original Yugoslavia when the works started only to be interrupted by war. The supposed World Basketball Championship was therefore moved to safe Canada. It seems that basketball only followed a path of many Serbs who emigrated to Canada during the 1990s. The next state to try to host some global gathering in the same arena was the union of Serbia and Montenegro who invited the best table-tennis players to compete in Belgrade in 1999 butt he NATO bombing over Kosovo caused ping-pong masters to abandon the idea and the leaders in Belgrade to abandon again the works on the arena.
The first ever event to be hosted in the Arena was a pre-electoral meeting of Slobodan Milosevic's party in 2000 although the building was to be finished only four years later. Serbian President lost the elections and was consequently extradited to the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia in The Hague. Finally, after the fall of Milosevic and the change of the regime it was finished in time to host European basketball championship in 2005. The Serbs, rightly or wrongly, pride themselves as being only second to African Americans in the art of good basketball. During their heighty period in the NBA League, Sacramento Kings were colloquially known as Sacramento Serbs few years ago due to the number and importance of players coming from this country. Despite their history, tradition and self-perception of being the best in Europe, they did not manage to qualify even for the quarter-finals. The country dissolved a year later and it is now Serbia only that is host to the Eurovision Song Contest. Whether the curse of the Belgrade Arena actually exists remains to be seen on the 24th May when the grand finale of the competition is due to take place.
Newly created or recreated countries of Eastern and Central Europe put plenty of importance to this ‘parade of noise and kitsch' as cynics often see the competition. When Ukraine hosted it, President Yuschenko walked onto the stage to present the winner only to the shock of French commentators who imagined a scene when Charles de Gaulle did something similar. The competition has often been ridiculed in many western countries but on occasions of success, it is quickly forgotten that the quality of the music is questionable if lacking completely, that voting patterns are familiar year after year and that ever since ABBA won it in 1974 the winner is yet to make significant international career. Cliff Richards who came second for Great Britain in 1968, still bears scars of not winning the competition and when being told of possible conspiracy led by Spanish dictator Franco that prevented Richards from claiming the top, said delightedly ‘there won't be a happier person on the planet' if claims proven true.
Who will be Serbian Yuschenko, or for that matter Franco, is unclear. The country found itself equally divided after the elections of 11th May as before. The coalition for European Serbia led by the Democratic Party of the state president Boris Tadic is the strongest but will have to compromise their ideology if realistically expecting to form larger coalition that would make majority in the Parliament. The other half belongs to ultra-nationalist Radicals and several other nationalist parties. They all oppose Stabilisation and Association Agreement that Serbia signed with the European Union last month. If the supposed celebration of European unity is going to be hosted by the officials of the party whose leader Vojislav Seselj is accused of involvement in ethnic cleansing and war-crimes and whose party is against European integrations, it will make the whole circus even more surreal. But then again, this is Europe after all.