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Dana will not come to Momarkedet
Dana International from Israel has sung "diva" up to the first place in this year's Eurovision Song Contest. But to Momarkedet she will most probably not be coming, unlike previous winners
June 9, 1998
[Translator's notes: Blikk is Norway's only GLBT newspaper; Momarkedet is an annual music festival and fund raising fair held by the Norwegian Red Cross in August and broadcasted over National Norwegian TV (NRK). Traditionally the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest is invited to perform in this festival -- DRK]
Momarkedet's marshal Trond Myhre told Blikk that if Dana International will not be at Momarkedet this year, it will have absolutely nothing to do with her sex change. "We have no problems with that, but we haven't finalized the concept for Momarkedet," said Myhre who told Blikk that despite it being almost a tradition that the Eurovision winner appears at Momarkedet, it isn't certain that this year's festival will have a connection to the Eurovision.
Chairman of the Norwegian Eurovision Fan Club Kato Hansen thinks that much ugliness has surfaced after this year's competition with regard to the attitudes toward transsexuals and gays. "Transsexuality is nothing new, and one must expect that an artist can be transsexual. Dana International is in no way more dangerous than Baccara with their moaning and heavy breathing," Said Hansen.
"I won for Israel and for all the world's gays," the transsexual Dana told the press after her victory in Birmingham. Dana International's victory in the Eurovision brought a demand by orthodox Jews in Israel to cancel next year's competition that is to be held in Israel. Several high ranking officials in the national Norwegian Broadcasting Cooperation, NRK, involved in organizing the Eurovision said to Verdens Gang that Dana's victory has turned the musical competition into a freak show. They will suggest that the Eurovision will return to a voting system based on professional juries in order to regain the musical criteria.
"NRK is double faced about wanting to have the professional juries back. They themselves wanted to have open voting by telephone," said Kato Hansen who couldn't understand how the NRK officials could call the Eurovision a freak show.
He thinks it was the most catchy tune that won, and that it is the type of song that does well in the Eurovision. "(The Eurovision) is about pop music and about catchy music and the winner is a good disco-dance tune," said Hansen
?by Tor Henning Pedersen, Blikk
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