The aim of the Focus was to open new doors for Francophone African artists and music producers. We want to know about the upcoming MASA, Africa's top music salon in Abidjan (spring 2001). We enjoyed new showcases, get down with new trends in the local recording and live music industry and learn to find our way through the jungle of the established structures de la Francophonie. Last year's WOMEX focus Brazil was an instant success. For many of the Brazilian delegates it was their first international music trade fair experience. The language barrier between Brazilian Portuguese and InternationalEnglish disappeared over the days and nights of the event, the conference opened new networking possibilities even amongst the Brazilians themselves. Many of the showcase artists booked complete summer tours before the weekend was over. A Carta de Berlim was taken back home, a new Brazilian wave was talk at MIDEM as a result of the WOMEX99 Focus (Midem Daily News 24.01.2000).
WOMEX FOCUS 2000
Trade Fair Stands:
- Accords Croisés
- Umbrella Stand of Zone Franche: Azimuth Prod. + several more companies under one roof.
- Umbrella Stand of Wallonie Bruxelles Musiques: Alan Stewart Prod; Contre-jour; Fonti Musicali; Mukalo Prod.; UBU.
- Umbrella Stand of Conseil Francophone de la Chanson: Africa Fête (Senegal);
- Alpha Blondy Productions (Ivory Coast); Musico Center (Cameroon); Espace Linga Téré (Central African Republic), Pôle Régional des Musiques Actuelles (La Réunion)
- Label Bleu
- Umbrella Stand of Agence Intergouvernementale de la Francophonie: MASA (Ivory Coast); Ballaké Sissoko (Mali); Culture et développement (France); R.E.M.Y (Cameroon); Siggi Musique (France); Sonia M'Barek (Tunisia)
Conference Sessions:
Courbis, Alain (Réunion/France)
Musics from the islands of Indian Ocean
A Crossroad of Africa, Europe and Asia
Thiange, Dominique (Belgium)
Record production in French-speaking Africa
with: El Hadj N´Diaye (Senegal), Dembele, Bamba (Mali) and Doherty, Maggy (UK/ France)
Eyre, Banning (USA)
String music from Mali Lobeck, Katharina (Germany/UK)
Guinea's music scene today
Petterson, Bernard (Switzerland)
The policy of the Agence de la Francophonie' Cultural and Heritage Department of the with regard to support of performing arts and cultural enterprises.
Description of schemes established for improving the circulation of shows from the developing world which are of an international, professional standard.
with: Deck, Jacques (Belgium); Coulibaly, Maïmouna (Ivory Coast)
