Belarusian Eurovision Entrants Disqualified For Political Lyrics
Belarus’s Entry at the 2019 Eurovision in Tel Aviv (Wikimedia Commons).
Eurovision 2021 organizers removed Belarus’s act, Galasy ZMesta, on March 11 due to contention regarding their song’s political message. Opposition leaders in Belarus had protested the song, arguing that the lyrics mocked the country’s recent pro-democracy demonstrations.
The contestants are known for their support of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. On their website, they condemn the protests in Belarus and state that they could not remain indifferent while "political battles try to break the country we love and in which we are living."
Their Russian-language song selected for their Eurovision performance, "Ya Nauchu Tebya" (I Will Teach You), features lyrics such as "The free world cannot be stopped/the unfashionable, unworthy reactionary must go." Pro-democracy advocates in Belarus believe that the song mocks the protesters and the opposition movement.
Other songs by the band make fun of opposition leaders, including “A Wife’s Song” which references opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, and “Flutist,” about Maria Kolesnikova, a jailed political activist.
Eurovision officials had threatened to remove the act if the lyrics were not changed, claiming that it is too political and incompatible with the organization’s apolitical nature.
The group’s music references protests that began in August, when both Lukashenko and Tikhanovskaya claimed victory in a contested election. Lukashenko has been in power for 27 years and is widely believed to have fixed the election. Both the EU and the United States have disputed the results and levied sanctions against Belarusian officials.
This incident is not the first time that a song has been deemed unsuitable by the organization. In 2005, organizers asked that Ukraine rewrite its entry to remove references to the Orange Revolution. In 2009, organizers requested that the Georgian entry, “We Don’t Want to Put In,” change its lyrics due to references to Russian President Vladimir Putin amid Georgian-Russian tensions.
In 2015, an Armenian entry initially titled “Don’t Deny” changed its name to “Face the Shadow” after Turkey and Azerbaijan complained that the entry referenced their denial of the Armenian Genocide.
Last week, the ESC wrote in a statement on Twitter, “It was concluded that the song puts the non-political nature of the Contest in question. In addition, recent reactions to the proposed entry risk bringing the reputation of the ESC into disrepute. We have written to the broadcaster BTRC, which is responsible for Belarus’s entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, to inform them that the song in its present form is not eligible to compete.”
While the act has been disqualified temporarily, Lukashenko said on March 13 that Belarus may submit another entry soon and claimed that this decision is just one of many attempts by outside influences to undermine the country. He stated, “They are starting to press us on all fronts. Even at Eurovision, I see… We’ll make another song. You see that this is all politicized.”
During the freezing winter months, the demonstrations and strikes have mostly been on hold. However, Tikhanovskaya recently called for resuming street protests starting March 25 in a statement on Telegram. The song contest will be held in Rotterdam on May 18–22.