25 March 2024
Tavaris Will Decline to Compete in Urthvision XXI
NUVRENON– The Tavari Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Sport announced on Monday that, just as it did for Urthvision XIII in Nuvrenon, Tavaris will not send an entry to the twenty-first edition that it is due to host later this year. “It is a tremendous honour for Tavaris to be hosting Urthvision, one of the world’s truly premier cultural events, for the second time. After consulting with the leadership of Public Broadcasting Tavaris, our country’s broadcasting partner for Urthvision, we have decided as we did for Urthvision XIII for Tavaris to decline to send an entry for the edition of the contest that it is hosting. It is doubtless that Tavaris, the Tavari people, and the Tavari culture will be everywhere during Urthvision XXI, and we believe that with this remarkable opportunity to showcase who we are to the world through designing, organizing, and coordinating the event, it is unnecessary for us to also compete in the event, potentially taking away a spot from another country. We are especially pleased to issue a special welcome to our Novaran friends Volkheim, a country who participated for Urthvision for the very first time in edition XX, who will be taking the Tavari spot as an automatic qualifier for the final. We know that there will be many across the country who will be disappointed that they will not be able to cheer for a Tavari competitor, but rest assured that the Tavari will be well-represented at Urthvision through our sister countries in our Tavari Union, who are more than ready and willing to carry the Tavari banner for all of us,” said a written statement issued by Lemezda Vonarík, Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Sport.
One Tavari person who is certainly disappointed is the winner of Urthvision XX, Oda Rundra Lita, who had surely been looking forward to trying for a repeat victory. “Absolutely gutted x,” posted the popstar on Pigeon shortly after the announcement. The Tavari music world has been thrown upside down since Ms. Rundra Lita’s shock announcement on Saturday that she is seeking election to the National Diet under the Tavari National Party, who are ideologically controversial to say the least. It is undeniably awkward for politics to suddenly come so blazingly close to Urthvision, which is ostensibly meant to rise above politics for the sake of music and togetherness, and the question of whether Ms. Rundra Lita would even be eligible to compete if she were an elected Diet Delegate had been raging since she made her announcement. The rules for the All-Tavaris Songfestival—the contest by which Public Broadcasting Tavaris selects the Tavari entrant—have long banned competitors from publicly identifying with “controversial political causes” during the course of the event. Ms. Rundra Lita and her campaign declined comment for this article.
However, politics are not necessarily the only reason behind Tavaris’ move. Not only is it true that Tavaris declined to send an entrant to the last edition it hosted for precisely this same reason, several high-level sources within the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry for Internal Affairs (which regulates Public Broadcasting Tavaris) told the News that the actual primary reason for the decision is much more mundane: money. Speaking anonymously because they were not approved to speak on the record, several people with whom the News spoke indicated that the government simply did not have the funds to run both the All-Tavaris Songfestival and Urthvision itself. “The Diet is currently dissolved for the election and the Prime Minister is in caretaker status, meaning no new appropriations can occur. No one knows how the election is going to turn out, and we don’t want to be left holding a bag that the next Prime Minister refuses to fill, so best to just get it out of the way now,” said one. Another individual was more blunt: “The Culture Ministry runs on spare change and pocket lint, especially post-Ranat Accords. If we have to foot the bill for Urthvision, we aren’t footing the bill for anything else.”
Fans across the country are expressing their disappointment on social media. “SO disappointing that Tavari Urthvisions never have Tavari singers! No one else does this!” said Vedra, 24, a Pigeon user from Ratani. “Who the [expletive deleted] is Volkheim? I want Oda Lita!” said Pigeon user @xanivat_devri2. “Tavaris has not won enough Urthvisions to be lording around like New Leganes declaring retirement,” said @NezoNavandri64. And the recent posts of popular Tavari celebrity news blogger @OdaLitaNews are entirely unpublishable for their profanity. While some online spoke of the inability of the Diet to meet during the election to handle event details, many others expressed frustration that the government seemed to be rolling over without trying. “They’ve known since January, they couldn’t have budgeted some money then? They can’t reuse some plans from Urthvision 13?” said Gazna, 31.
At a campaign event on Monday afternoon, Prime Minister Žarís Nevran Alandar did her best to dodge questions about Urthvision. Speaking in front of the headquarters of TavariRail South—coincidentally in Oda Rundra Lita’s hometown of Dravai—she tried to keep reporters focused on her plans to expand fibre-optic internet service by running telecommunications backbone cables along TavariRail rights-of-way. “We already won last time, we’re happy as we are, we want more countries to have a chance. But I tell you, future Urthvisions, no matter where in the world they take place, will be easier and more fun to watch and to stream online once our Digital Tavaris Agenda is enacted,” said the Prime Minister. Later in her remarks, she said “What will really ‘Blow Your Mind’ is how fast the Internet can be with fibre-optics.” The crowd at TavariRail South skewed old and wonky, but by the end of her short address, there was a crowd of teenagers—TavariRail ticket station employees, it would seem, still in their impeccable uniforms—silently gathered in the back with crossed arms and stern expressions. The Prime Minister, who ordinarily waits after events to speak with at least some of those who came to see her, departed the venue from a back door flanked by TavariRail security personnel rather than speak with the scorned youth. Said one young TavariRail employee, who declined to give their name, after she had left: “I used to like her a lot, but she seems out of touch. I would have loved the distraction of rooting for a Tavari person in Urthvision. If I could vote, I don’t think I would vote for her.” Said another “I would much rather be voting for Oda Lita.”