WOMEX NEWSLETTER #12/2009
FIRST WOMEX 09 AWARD ANNOUNCEMENT
GREENING: CALL FOR PANELISTS
DOWNLOAD NEW WOMEX REGISTRATION FLYER
DAVID BYRNE & AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
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Take Advantage of the WOMEX Smart Rate - Register before Friday, 19 June: www.womex.com/realwomex/register
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Dear WOMEXicans,
This is the first WOMEX 09 programme announcement:
The WOMEX Award for artists goes to...
FIRST WOMEX 09 AWARD ANNOUNCEMENT
WOMEX is proud to announce the winners of the WOMEX 09 Award for artists: the incomparable Staff Benda Bilili, from Congo-Kinshasa.
The artists will perform at WOMEX Copenhagen during the Awards Ceremony on Sunday, 1 November 2009.
We are used to honouring great artists at the end of long illustrious careers. This time, however, it might appear like we're lionising mere beginners. Therein lies a humbling lesson.
We'll let writer Andy Morgan take over from here. He spent time in Kinshasa with the artists and is writing the WOMEX Guide essay and Laudatio for the WOMEX Award presentation. "So often, by the time many groups play their first note on a European stage, they have already lived, struggled and suffered a tale of epic proportions," he says. "And no group could possibly illustrate this truism more effectively than Staff Benda Bilili."
"Their story is about polio-ravaged limbs and survival in the toxic atmosphere of Kinshasa, one of the largest and most dysfunctional cities in Africa. It's about homelessness, ostracism, community, courage and music. Most of all, it's about a refusal to pity oneself..."
Read on at www.womex.com/realwomex/awards
GREENING: CALL FOR PANELISTS
Just after WOMEX 09 the city of Copenhagen hosts the UN Climate Change Conference, which gives us the opportunity to address "green" issues as well in our conference. Anyone out there have innovative initiatives linking music and green issues? Let us know by writing to: conference@womex.com
DOWNLOAD NEW WOMEX REGISTRATION FLYER
The new registration flyer - with photos and graphs - for WOMEX 09 Copenhagen (sent out to many of you in the past week) is now also available online for download. You are welcome to spread the message...
Click here to download the pdf.
DAVID BYRNE & AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
From David Byrne: "Some time ago Amnesty International asked if I might do "something" for that organization this year- (in previous years I had done one of my tour dates as a benefit for them). Amnesty has such an amazing and consistent track record of speaking out and helping to illuminate courageous people who might otherwise not be heard from so the answer was "yes."
It was decided to record some songs from my current tour for them to be sold as a download with the proceeds going to Amnesty. As there are no physical costs with digital distribution this means more of the sales percentage actually goes to where it's supposed to. So, thank you for supporting a great organization and I hope you like these recordings too."
Read on at www.everythingthathappens.com
Stay tuned and keep in touch -
Best regards from your WOMEX team in Berlin
If you want to get in contact:
womex@womex.com
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WOMEX 09 Copenhagen / 28 October - 1 November
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