So, yesterday after few margaritas we decided to join the Eurovision Party organized by a close friend of mine.
We arrived at the place, ordered drinks, took pictures, listened to the songs, which, I have to admit, were mostly much better than all the other Eurovision contests I remember.
Anyway, then came the Armenian girls.
The crowd started whistling, boo-ing and finally demanded that the organisators turn off the sound. They did. Armenian girls danced and opened their mouths in total silence to the accompaniment of Azerbaijani whistling. As I expected such thing to happen, the only question I asked my friends was: "Is it gonna help return the lands?". Of course, no one have had the answer.
Then there were Turkish chick and Azerbaijani legs with Arash jumping up and down around them. Have to admit, Aysel looked gorgeous.
And of course, my favourite Norwegian who kicked the big Eurovision ass with his simple but adorable song and forget-about-your-boyfriend smile.
When the traditionally predictable voting started the crowd stood up on their feet cursing one countries and making plans on visiting the most generous to Azerbaijan ones. They were happy to discover they are still alowed to love Ukraine and Netherlands.
I didn't notice the picture Sirusho held in her hands but I saw it today on TV and it made me think. I finally realized that there's no chance for this region to become a civilized one unless we rewrite the whole history which makes us all think we're fucking special.
We might have had plenty of lands and legendary kings but what do we have today? 3 major and several minor conflicts in a tiny region and headlines in the world news? Is this something to be proud of? Are hating-the-neigbor zombie generations good future for us? Not for me or the kids I will eventually have. Not for any of us.
Perhaps, it's time to switch from Kindergarten approach to the real Conflict Resolution one, don't you think?
Our kids need fairytales not war tales, love, not hatred.
Our kids deserve the peaceful happiness we have never had.
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Kindergarten
ReplyDeletevery interesting..
ReplyDeleteGreat observation. Loved it! I would add that we need Morwegian fairytales. With local flavor of course!
ReplyDeletewhat about Armenia's one point to Azerbaijan?
ReplyDeleteIs it gonna help return the lands? Great question. Right you are. Time for thinking not whistling. Whistling is the easiest and the laziest way of protest
ReplyDeletewhat about Armenia's one point to Azerbaijan?
ReplyDeleteOne of my Armenian friends once asked me why Armenians are more tolerant to Azerbaijanis (in media) than Azerbaijanis to Armenians. My answer was: "No wonder, Armenians won the war, they get to be tolerant".
So, yes, it was a nice and tolerant gesture, but don't expect Azeris to do the same any time soon.
Great post, Nigar.
ReplyDeletevoice of reason. here is hoping it prevails
ReplyDeleteagree..
ReplyDeleteagree..
ReplyDeleteNigar, great post! I was watching the contest at home and to be honest I actually voted for Armenia, because no one whistled, no one turned the TV off or turned the volume down. And yes, while I expected more colorful performance after last year's "Kele kele" it wasn't bad and I also enjoyed this Eurovision contest more than any other ones.
ReplyDeleteSo you are right! It is time to move on! I choose Conflict Resolution approach (starting with cutting the crap with all the violent, angered, or hatred messages during song contests- enough of that), but thats just me, a humble bloger from Azerbaijan.
i think you are right this is not the answer..i mean if somebody turn off the sound it is like teenagers use to do, really..but it is even the true that maybe society in some way should grow up to resove such kind of conflict...look at israel song they sang it with palestinian girl,,this is the one step ahead, but there is even the fact that even if you understand, even if that palestinian and israeli singers understand.... there always will be masses who will turn off the sound and this is the key of the problem.
ReplyDeleteExactly. Both Armenian and Azerbaijani societies are very immature and sometimes childish. I mean, was our conflict in any way worse than Israeli-Palestinian one?! Not even close.
ReplyDeleteTime to grow up and take responsibilities.
What is immature and childish, calling for love when you are being hated, wanting peace when it's the biggest obstacle for us uniting our lands? Get over yourselves, it's sad but it's true that we don't need love, we need more hate, we don't need peace, we need war. After we accomplish all we need, then bring on all those love and peace songs, I'll be on board.
ReplyDeleteLike I said - pathetic losers on both sides of the boarder.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with that.
Sister there's nothing more pathetic than what you are doing here, learn to hate, it gives you strength. It's a great human feeling.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post. Thanks for sharing. I had the pleasure of watching the contest with some friends who most certainly left the volume on during Armenia's performance and even said the liked the song. Maybe there is hope yet.
ReplyDeleteSister there's nothing more pathetic than what you are doing here, learn to hate, it gives you strength. It's a great human feeling.
ReplyDeleteDude, u need a shrink.
Great feeling! Especially taking the situation in the region. Woo-hoo. Keep it up.
I have a solution! Let them give Zangezur back and we give them a piece from NK equivalent to the one from Zangezur ;)
ReplyDeleteOK, Nigar. First of all, it IS up, you don't worry about that.
ReplyDeleteSecond, you are on the wrong path here, hence my remarks, situation in the region is not the result of people's feelings towards each other. Evem if you replace all hate with love tomorrow, NOT A THING will change, because how people feel about each other is not the root of the problem(s).
"because how people feel about each other is not the root of the problem"
ReplyDeleteOf course, the root is wrong national ideas based on victim positioning. Hatred came after. Today it's more of a stupidity and stubborness.
And trust me, with this approach none of the parties will give up. U want a never ending conflict? No problem, u've already got it. What next?
God, you keep repeating the same "complicated sounding but essentionally bullshit" stuff. No side had a nation or national ideas or any such organized center to direct people in 1905, then how can it be the root? People like you- who are able to think, should be able to get beyond this, but some of us are stuck in words that "sounds" right. It's an illusion, yes, love, peace, friendship, all sound good, and they are good on themselves. But when you bring these into something a lot bigger like a conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia and advertise these things as a solution or even a part of a solution, then someone has to call it. I've said above and will say it again. We don't have a conflict becase we hate each other, that has nothing to do with that (actually it's the other way around). Real root of the problem is simple and that's why it's very real and hard to solve. And the reason is that two people have diametrically opposing views on this issue. Both consider this part of land as rightfully theirs. Therefore there's no solution that can be without one side winning and the other losing, and whoever does their homework better, wins.
ReplyDeletePlease, don't blame me for saying this, I didn't make it that way, I'm just saying it. If you want, you can give up whataver you want, I'm actually wondering what's the maximum you can give and if you are aware that anything less than the "whole thing" will not be acceptable to the other side. Do you then still want to give up? Then good luck with that too.
Well said, Nigar.
ReplyDeleteI would really appreciate if you signed ur name.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'm sane enough to realize that there'll be no love or friendship until the conflict is solved. The main idea of my post was: "I'm tired of this pain-in-the-ass conflict and I want this to be solved until it's not too late" and I hope u've noticed that.
Both u and I know that the whole conflict is not completely idealogical but also financial. We also know the roots and the branches very well. Is it or was it ever a fair game? No.
No one is giving up anything. This is THE problem.
Compromise, is what I demand from BOTH yours and my governments. It is your choice to agree or not.
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ReplyDeleteGlad u liked it, Myrthe. And thanks for the birthday congrats! :)
ReplyDeleteLike the post! Keep at it.
ReplyDeleteBeen wanting to add a comment, but just too worn out from some work I've needed to finish. Which is just as well because I think the answer to all these issues is answered in one great post by a regional security blog:
ReplyDelete[...] it is up to the Southern Caucasian societies to decide on whether to continue down that self-destructive path of mutual recrimination, consigning themselves to the status of small, miserable and endlessly bickering tribes. The alternative is to listen to those who advocate an alternative view that rejects a black and white vision of the region in favour of colour and complexity - and, luckily enough, those voices do exist in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. They should be encouraged by a West that has, in the name of 'national sensitivities', so far been much too tolerant of the garbage produced by some local 'historians', commentators and 'political scientists' pandering to the nationalist orthodoxies advocated by their respective regimes. Propaganda masquerading as history, and bigotry packaged as policy, should be confined to the rubbish-bin of history through relentless critique, and, where necessary, ridicule.http://kovkaz.blogspot.com/2009/05/stereotype-wonderland-and-rubbish-bin.html
May be Armenians won the most insignificant phase of the battle (not the war), but this has been and will be just the end of the beginning. Armenians now are the major loosers from this conflit and they will remain so. They should realize that a normal nation can't live on international begging and leftovers of the fascist Armenian diaspora & armenian elites.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all allow me to express my gratitudes to both Azerbaijani and Armenians who are intelligently expressing their opinions and venting their feelings in the most axceptable and civilized manner. I have accidently visited sides where low class Armenians and low class Azerbajanis were fighting with each other regarding Eurovision event and Karabax, using the most vulgar and deragatory language I have ever encountered in my life. Guys, let's be objective and give constructive critisism to each other and to ourselves. This is a Resolution of the conflict in itself. Too bad it's not us who are sitting at the top of Armenian and Azerbaijan government. We would definately have come to the agreement and pease between two countries, who once shared nothing, but love, compassion and respect towards each other. As I say this my eyes are filling with tears, because I am an Armenian from Azerbaijan, and I am tired.I can't visit my classmates from Baky, I can't even send them money through Western Union, when they really need it, because it's being returned right back to me as a result of my Armenian last name. AS far as Eurovision goes: I have one message to both Armenian and Azeri artists. Don't ever forget that you are artists first, and then everything else. If politics invades ART, it can only breed untallented artists. If ART invades politics, it will breed most tallented politicians. Let's keep up communicating like this. Maybe it's us the new, educated young generation who should speak up and we'll be heard, you know why? Because Only one thing makes a person or a nation higher and better than another and it is EDUCATION. Thank you, all,it's a pleasure and a relief to know that you exist out there.
ReplyDeleteDear Lucina,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment and I have to say - I completely agree! Politics in art is important maybe only as an act of resistance against wrong decisions but never as a ridiculous competitiveness we all saw.
I sincerely hope that one day you will be able to see your classmates! One day we will grow up.
It's time to realize that our cultures are not the greatest, and that our people's lives prevail over everything else. So therefore, I think we should LEARN from each other, and shut up for once. Azeri = Armenian for me. Just the typical hatred on people, that's what it is...
ReplyDelete