‘Sweating Like a Mafioso’: Italians Offended by Estonia's Eurovision Song, Demand Its Removal
Italy is demanding that the song of the Estonian representative be removed from this year's Eurovision Song Contest, as it allegedly ridicules stereotypes about the country, depicting Italians as mafia men who drink coffee and eat spaghetti. This was reported by The Guardian.
The song ‘Espresso Macchiato’ by Estonian rapper Tommy Cash is sung in a mixture of broken English and Italian, with the following lyrics: ‘Ciao bella, I’m Tomaso, addicted to tobacco. Mi like mi coffè very importante’ or ’Mi money numeroso, I work around the clocko. That’s why I’m sweating like a mafioso,’ and so on: ‘Life is like spaghetti, it’s hard until you make it.’
However, in Italy, this song did not arouse enthusiasm. The Italian consumer association Codacons asked the European Broadcasting Union whether it was ‘appropriate to allow a song that insults a country and an entire community to participate in the contest’.
‘Numerous citizens have expressed outrage, the lyrics contain stereotypes about Italy and Italians - the usual clichés about coffee and spaghetti, but above all about the mafia and the display of luxury, which conveys a message about a population linked to organised crime,’ the association said in a statement.
The senator from the far-right League, Gian Marco Centinaio, also spoke out against the song, saying that ‘those who insult Italy should stay away from Eurovision’ and called Cash's song ‘stupid’ and ‘full of stereotypes’.
At the same time, the newspaper noted that many Italians on YouTube praised the song and said they would support Estonia at the contest.
On Saturday, Cash won the national selection for Eurovision and will represent Estonia at the contest in Basel in May.