16/05/2025

FRIDAY | MAY 16, 2025

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Basel: City at heart of European culture o Swiss locale known for art, museums takes centre stage

B ASEL will be in the international spotlight for a week of festivities surrounding the Eurovision Song Contest but the Swiss city has been at the heart of European culture for centuries. With a population of 180,000, Switzerland’s third-biggest city after Zurich and Geneva straddles the River Rhine and sits right on the northern border with both France and Germany. Basel’s location played a major role in its growth and continental importance through the ages. The city is again at the centre of public attention as it hosts the Eurovision 2025, which began on Sunday with the grand final taking place tomorrow. The pop music extravaganza that has become one of the world’s biggest annual live television events and a giant international party. The influence of the Rhine can be felt in Basel’s historic centre, dominated by the twin towers of Basel Minster, where the Dutch thinker Erasmus is buried. But Basel’s modern emblems are the two Roche Towers, Switzerland’s tallest buildings. Completed in the last decade, standing 205m and 178m high, they are the headquarters of the eponymous

Across the Rhine, the Museum Tinguely draws in thousands of visitors with its kinetic art sculptures, while just outside the city, the Beyeler Foundation hosts an outstanding collection of modern and contemporary artworks. And every year, art lovers and gallery owners from around the world flock to Art Basel, one of the world’s top contemporary art fairs. In sports, Basel is home to tennis all-time great Roger Federer, while FC Basel are on the verge of winning their 21st Swiss football championship. Chemicals, quakes Besides its culture, Basel is now synonymous with the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, home to globally important groups such as Roche, Novartis, Sandoz and Syngenta. The psychedelic drug LSD was created at the Sandoz laboratories there in 1938. Pharma and chemicals make Basel a major player in the Swiss economy, attracting researchers and students as well as cross-border workers. Around 35,000 people cross over from France and Germany, attracted by higher Swiss wages. – AFP

giant pharmaceutical firm. The chemical and pharmaceutical industries now drive the city’s economy. Carnival, arts Basel is one of Europe’s great centres of culture. The first edition of Sebastian Brant’s Ship of Fools , one of the bestsellers of the European Renaissance, was printed in the city. The Rhine spirit is vividly expressed every spring at the three-day Basel Carnival, which transforms the city streets into a river of painted lanterns, colourful masks and creative costumes, flowing to the sound of pipes and drums. The world’s biggest Protestant carnival features on Unesco’s intangible cultural heritage list and attracts thousands of tourists. The city has world-renowned museums – none more so than the Kunstmuseum, the oldest public art collection in the world dating back to 1661. In a referendum in 1967, citizens decided to buy two paintings by Pablo Picasso, who, moved by the vote, would later donate several more works to the city.

Basel is one of Europe’s great centres of culture. – PEXELSPIC

Eurovision: How it works

Australia’s SBS is an associate member and has been invited to join in since 2015, with Eurovision popular Down Under. Unhappy with voting changes, Turkiye pulled out after 2012. The Belarusian state broadcaster was suspended from the EBU in 2021 after repeatedly submitting songs disqualified for being overtly political. The EBU’s Russian members were suspended following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Vatican Radio is an EBU founding member but has never entered Eurovision. Rules Given there are 26 acts to get on and off the set, songs must be under three-minutes long, and no more than six performers can be on stage. The lead vocals must be live, performed to a pre-recorded backing track. Songs must be original, and since 1999, can be in any language. The lyrics and performances must avoid political, commercial or offensive content. Big Five Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain form the so-called ‘Big Five’. The main financial backers of the competition are duly given guaranteed places in the final, along with the hosts. The Big Four concept began in 2000, with Italy swelling the number in 2011. Semi-finals replaced the previous relegation systems in 2004. Eurovision fans debated whether direct entry to the final was a help or a hindrance:

THE Eurovision Song Contest evokes a world of intrigue with its song rules and system of semi-finals, juries and votes that draw out the drama until a winner is crowned. Here is a look at how the competition works: Organisers The competition is organised by the European Broadcasting Union, the world’s biggest public service media alliance. Founded in 1950, the EBU has 113 member organisations in 56 countries, plus 31 associates in Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Americas. Together they reach a potential audience of more than one billion people. Hosts Winners host the following year’s competition. Switzerland won the right to host the 2025 edition after Swiss vocalist Nemo triumphed at Malmo in 2024 with The Code . Basel was selected Competitors are selected by EBU member broadcasters representing their countries. The song and artiste can be chosen through televised national selection shows, an internal process or a mixed method for songs and artistes. This year, 37 countries are taking part: 31 contest the semi-finals and 26 appear in tomorrow’s grand final. Although outside Europe, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation is an EBU member. Israel first competed in 1973 and has won four times. to stage the event. Who takes part?

(Clockwise from left) Albania’s Shroede Elektronik, Sweden’s Kaj and Estonia’s Tommy Cash. – PICS FROM AFP

Voting in final All 37 participating countries get to vote in the final. Two sets of points, with equal weight, come from each country. One set is given by a jury of five music industry professionals, who vote in advance after watching the second dress rehearsal. The other set is given on the night by viewers voting via telephone, text message or the official app. Each gives a maximum 12 points to their favourite act, 10 to their second favourite, then 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 in declining order. The rest of the world also has a viewer online vote, counting as an additional voting country.

these countries have only won twice this century, and a semi-final airing helps artistes gear up and can build momentum with viewers. Since last year, the Big Five and the hosts now get to perform at the semis too. Semi-finals The remaining participating countries are split into two semi-finals. Fifteen took part in Tuesday’s first semi-final, with 16 nations in yesterday’s second semi. The top 10 from each semi-final go through to tomorrow’s final. Audience televotes from those countries appearing in each semi-final decide who goes through. The scores are not given.

Countries

cannot

vote

for

themselves. Winner

Each country’s jury votes are revealed in turn, with only the maximum 12 points recipient announced verbally. Moving to the second stage, points awarded by all 38 audience votes are tallied up for each competitor. They are then announced one by one, starting from the bottom of the scoreboard following the jury vote – thereby stretching out the suspense until the end. The winner receives a trophy and gets to perform their song again. Their country will have the right to host Eurovision 2026. – AFP