The 26th edition and the first-ever digital event of WOMEX — produced by Piranha Arts together with the local Hungarian partner, Hangvető — hosted a virtual programme of meetings, conferences, showcases and films.
This Digital Edition, the first of its kind, proved that it is possible to connect and network globally, amidst lockdowns, from the comfort of our homes and spaces. This edition concluded with more than 1130 registered participants from 90 countries, hosted 38 jury-selected showcase artists representing 40 countries, 21 music-based documentaries from 21 countries, 23 conference sessions, mentoring opportunities with 7 experts including 3 roundtable and 4 one-to-one mentoring sessions, 8 network meetings and 147 video stands.
In digital terms — this edition streamed 70 hours of online content consisting of 20 hours of conference sessions, 8 hours of network meetings, 4 hours of mentoring, 18 hours of films, 20 hours of virtual showcases including the artist interviews, and last but not the least, over 20,000 interactions between delegates on the official networking channel on MatterMost. As a part of this year's registration, all the delegates can re-stream the conference programme and the virtual showcases via the new 'On-demand' section on the virtualWOMEX platform.
Eight weeks ago as the news and the consequences of border closing and national lockdowns rolled in from Budapest, Hungary, the prospect of operating a digital-only event this year seemed inevitable. The digital transformation of WOMEX, enabled the delegates to network from around the world, round the clock, and to conduct business on a global scale while making new connections. The digital edition also allowed comfortable and seamless transitions between conference sessions, network meetings, mentoring, streaming films and networking. We travelled to a lo-fi concert on the streets of Malawi, the rooftops of Mexico City and Lisbon, the courtyard of the Tekfur Palace in Istanbul, studios in Tel Aviv, Reykjavik, Real World Studios in the UK and joined our local partners in Müpa Budapest to watch some live Showcases and Conference sessions.
WOMEX believes firmly that Indigenous music has a key place in the transmission and survival of cultures. We are proud to continue to host the Pan Indigenous Network, coordinated by Hinurewa te Hau (New Zealand), director, Matariki Cultural Foundation.
article posted by:Communications Assistant, Piranha Arts