Dynamic duo Ahinoam Nini and Mira Awad

January 12, 2009 - 5:55 PM by David

Mira Awad

Mira Awad

Ahinoam Nini

Ahinoam Nini

Even as we’re fighting for the lives of residents of the South, we Israelis are also keeping a close eye on how we’re being perceived by the rest of the world. I don’t mean the anti-Israel protests that have plagued European and Asian cities the last two weeks, but where it really counts - the entertainment world.

Perhaps that’s why the Israel Broadcasting Authority committee which choses Israel’s performer to represent the country at the annual pop schlock fest Eurovision Song Contest, has selected a Yemenite Jew and a Christian Arab - Ahinoam Nini and Mira Awad - to perform at the May 16th show in Moscow.

Although purported to have no political influences, the much derided song contest has always blown hot and cold with Israel - depending on whether we were the good little children of the Oslo era or the big bad guys who invaded Lebanon, the West Bank, Gaza, take your pick…

So what better antidote to the anti-Israel blues than to package a beautiful liberal singer with a beyond Israel’s borders reputation like Nini (known in the rest of the world as Noa) and a well regarded Israeli Arab singer and actress like Awad.

At least the two are highly regarded professionals, and a few notches above the Israel Idol caliber of our recent reps.

YouTube Preview ImageThe two have collaborated previously on a Middle-Easternized version of the The Beatles’ “We Can Work it Out”. Whatever song they end up choosing, the coexistence message that Nini and Awad will likely offer is bound to captivate the spangle and glitter polyanna crowd at Eurovision and the millions of bored Europeans and Asians who gather around the continent to view and vote.

Count this bored boy in.

Tags: , , , , , • Category: General, Israeliness, Music, Pop Culture, coexistence 

Comments

2 Comments on Dynamic duo Ahinoam Nini and Mira Awad

  1. David-Joe on Tue, Jan 13th 2009 4:35 AM

    2. So Israel selects according to ethnicity, color or religion in order to appease a stupid song contest that nobody in the United States has heard of or cares about rather than the best singers regardless?

    Get a grip!!

    I hope the Israeli entry loses!

  2. London Jew on Tue, Jan 20th 2009 9:17 PM

    3. ” I don’t mean the anti-Israel protests that have plagued European and Asian cities the last two weeks, but …………….”

    And what about the anti-Israel protests in North America ? Your anti-European or anti-UK isms are getting to be nearly as bad as anti-semitism. And no-one here or in Italy or in France, etc. takes the Eurovision seriously anymore. The scoring system is politically motivated for the Russians, Ukranians, Albanians, etc.

    So why does Israel seem to take it seriously ?

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