Audiovisual narratives of the Sami people at the beginnings of the Eurovision Song Contest (1960–1980)

Held annually since 1956 and attracting the continuing participation of most European countries, the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) is usually defined as the audiovisual counterpart to the contemporary history of the continent. Regarding this issue, the narratives incorporated into the performances by each state television network can be understood as aesthetic-political messages. This is made explicit primarily by means of the performers’ place of origin, the chosen musical style and the language of the song lyrics. In this sense, the case of the Sami ethnic minority, inhabiting four countries—Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia—is paradigmatic. Not constituting a de jure nation, their participation in the competition is only possible through other, officially recognised nation-states—a situation that has recurred several times in the contest. For this reason, this study will concentrate on the visibility of this community in the ESC. The focus will be put on its first two decades (1960–1980), a crucial time for the assertion of the rights of the Sami people, analysing three entries that set a precedent as to how this ethnic group would be represented in the context of the culture of spectacle, and at the same time suggesting their own particular audiovisual narratives.