Protests, Scandals, Politics. 70 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest
Political messages are not actually permitted at the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). Yet from the very beginning, artists have found ways and means of including them anyway. But what counts as political, and what does not?
Song lyrics about loving one’s nation have not raised objections from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Songs voicing protest have sometimes been allowed, sometimes banned—the same goes for songs criticising authoritarian rulers. References to the past have faced similar contradictions—some lyrics have had to be changed, while other songs with historical references have even managed to win the ESC.
This web exhibition invites you to dig into the political history of the song contest, which has had many different names over its long history.
Web Exhibition Credits:
Curator: Florian Wagner | Founding Director hdgö: Monika Sommer | Head of Public History, hdgö: Stefan Benedik | Proofreading: Karolin Galter, Tanja Jenni | English Translation: Joanna White | Production: Andreea Dosa
With special thanks to:
Christine Ehardt, Caitlin Gura, Anja Lenhart, Martin Majnaric, Konrad Mitschka, Ulrike Polnitzky, Marco Schreuder, Christopher Steiner, Renée Winter
Song lyrics about loving one’s nation have not raised objections from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Songs voicing protest have sometimes been allowed, sometimes banned—the same goes for songs criticising authoritarian rulers. References to the past have faced similar contradictions—some lyrics have had to be changed, while other songs with historical references have even managed to win the ESC.
This web exhibition invites you to dig into the political history of the song contest, which has had many different names over its long history.
Web Exhibition Credits:
Curator: Florian Wagner | Founding Director hdgö: Monika Sommer | Head of Public History, hdgö: Stefan Benedik | Proofreading: Karolin Galter, Tanja Jenni | English Translation: Joanna White | Production: Andreea Dosa
With special thanks to:
Christine Ehardt, Caitlin Gura, Anja Lenhart, Martin Majnaric, Konrad Mitschka, Ulrike Polnitzky, Marco Schreuder, Christopher Steiner, Renée Winter
Show Credits
