In 2005, Womex is held for the first time in the UK - a country with its own unique set of unequal historical relationships in every continent on the planet. From East, West and Southern Africa to the islands and mainlands of the Caribbean; from Pakistan and India to the Far East and Australasia; from all of these and more to the multicultural riches of the UK itself, it cele- brates the constantly evolving networks of musical tradition and exchange that exist in the Commonwealth, the organisation that grew out of the British Empire and is made up of 1.7 billion people in 53 independent states - 30% of the world´s population, over half of which are under the age of 25. Of WOMEX 2005´s 41 selected main showcase acts, fifteen are from Commonwealth countries. The "Common Wealth" focus has been controversial in some circles - it has been seen as backward looking and politically suspect, as if the acknowledgement of the historical and political connections between many Commonwealth countries in itself implies a support of the negative aspects of the British Empire. Others however can see positive elements - for instance, Sierra Leone born pianist Alex Wilson, who works with Jazz Jamaica (featured in the offWOMEX section)and with Jazz saxophonist Courtney Pine as well as with his latest project Aventuras. He took part in a major Commonwealth initiative produced by Serious in Millennium Year and comments: "Any organisation that forges genuinely productive links between the globalized West and the poorer countries is worthwhile in my book..."
Whereas in fields such as literature and the visual arts the Common- wealth connection is seen as a useful way of uniting artists with common heritage, this has proved less so to date in the field of music. However, the extraordinary flowering of World Music shows how relationships between former colonies and their one-time rulers can take on new lives of their own, subverting the continuing inequities of economic and military power. We hope this debate continues at WOMEX 2005 and beyond - there are lessons to learn from the success of the countries involved in developing a strong francophone network of musicians and music organisations as well as lessons from the Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch speaking angles. Informal discussions are already underway as to the potential of a network of promoters and artists from English speaking countries worldwide.
Ros Rigby
Performance Programme Director, The Sage Gateshead
THE WOMEX FOCUS 2005 CONFERENCE
incl. THE WOMEX FILM MARKET/IMZ FILM SCREENINGS
Youth & the new Pan-African Renaissance - Music as a tool for rebuilding Africa in the 21st Century - Ashong, Derrick (Ghana/USA)
Promoting African Music from Anglophone Countries - offWOMEX Meeting - Brighton Dome and Festival (UK)
Calypso at Dirty Jim´s - Film Screening Dynamo Production (France)
ELMF - A Lobby Group for European Live Music Communities - Mountains to move, rivers to cross & bridges to burn - Jenner, Peter (UK)
With Hjorth, Hans (Sweden)
Is Bhangra now a legitimate Force within the World Music Industry or simply Fashion? History, present & future of Bhangra - Johal, Ninder (India/UK)
Meet Bi Kidude The winner of the WOMEX Award 2005. Kidude, Bi (Zanzibar)
Interview and Q & A by Ray, Rita (Ghana/UK), translation by Mahmoud, Yusuf (UK/Zanzibar)
A Foot in each World - International Exchanges Experiences, challenges, successes -Kiel, Hildegard (Germany/Zanzibar)
With Yussuf, Kheri (Zanzibar)
Maori Music - against the Flow - The role of music in decolonisation - Maniapoto, Moana (New Zealand)
Go, have Fun, make good Music - Making cross-cultural musical collaborations more equal - Missingham, Andrew (UK):
Has Britain failed its Communities? How its ethnic groups make the country funky - Nawaz, Aki (Pakistan/UK)
With Canoville, Katherine (UK) and Mark, Markie (UK)
Strategising Carnival Arts in UK - History and future of the trade - Nindi, Pax (Zimbabwe/UK)
Meet the Artists World Music - the Rock musician´s perspective. - Plant, Robert (UK)
With Adams, Justin (UK), Chaired by Rigby, Ros (UK)
In the Rhythm of a City - Suckale Filmproduktion (Germany) -Film Screening
Sufi Soul The Mystical Music of IslamSonglines (UK) - Film Screening
Yorkshire Arts Yorkshire Arts (UK) - offWOMEX Presentation
More than just a Gig - Best practice in linking participation with performance - Zeserson, Katherine (UK)
With Burkmar, James (UK), Menter, Annie (UK) and Spiegelberg, Diana (UK).
THE WOMEX FOCUS 2005 SHOWCASES
Atongo Zimba (Ghana/UK) THURSDAY 23:00 |HALL ONE
Aziz (Pakistan/UK) THURSDAY 23:40 |NRFH
Babar Luck (Pakistan/UK) FRIDAY 13:00 |HALL TWO
Debashish Bhattacharya (India) SATURDAY 14:00 |NRFH
Dele Sosimi (Nigeria/UK) SATURDAY 21:45 |HALL ONE
DJ Aki Nawaz (Pakistan/UK) THURSDAY 00:20 |HALL TWO
DJ Scratchy (UK) THURSDAY 00:40 |NRFH
Flook (Ireland/UK) THURSDAY 21:10 |NRFH
Genticorum (Québec, Canada) FRIDAY 21:10 |NRFH
Jagwa Music (Tanzania) FRIDAY 23:20 |HALL TWO
Nitin Sawhney (UK) THURSDAY 20:30 |HALL ONE
Sarr & Soul (DJ 's)(Senegal/Rwanda/UK) WEDNESDAY 21:45 |HALL TWO
Thandiswa (South Africa) FRIDAY 21:45 |HALL ONE
The Nasha Experience (UK) SATURDAY 00:20 |HALL TWO
The Unusual Suspects (Scotland) SATURDAY 20:30 |HALL ONE
Vusi Mahlasela (South Africa) THURSDAY 14:00 |NRFH
Members of the Commonwealth are:
Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Cameroon, Canada, Cyprus, Dominica, Fiji Islands, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malaysia, Malawi, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, St.Kitts and Nevis, St.Lucia, St.Vincent, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Kingdom, Vanuatu and Zambia
