Spread the Social Love:
The internationally established festival brought artists together from all over the world, celebrating the globe’s many forms of music, arts and dance. First established in 1982 by Peter Gabriel, the world’s biggest international music festival aims to give audiences an insight into different cultures, through the universal language of music.
When telling people I was going to WOMAD festival this year, one person assumed that it’s a very small hippie festival that plays “world music”, another thought that perhaps it might be a conference for nomadic women. Others however, went on about acts they once saw there and wished that they were going again this year. An estimated 35,000 people gathered in the countryside of Wiltshire to soak up a variety of sounds from around the world, ranging from soul, electronica, dubstep, jazz, folk, blues, rock and flamenco. The crowd was also lucky to soak up a bit of English sunshine. If you haven’t been to WOMAD before and enjoy broadening your mind to new music (whether it’s Saharan blues, a Parisian ‘one-man band’ electronic DJ or a Cuban Creole choir), then you really will appreciate this festival. With a total of nine stages or tents to choose from, there is a lot to discover.
With the festival kicking off on the Friday, most people arrive on this day. Ranging from families, university students, groups of teenagers and perhaps your parents, this festival is for everybody. Offering more than just music, the site is equipped with a variety of workshops, such as morning yoga, singing, dancing, the opportunity to learn a new instrument or to learn how to cook from a featuring WOMAD artist. When entering the site for the first time, I was immediately blown away from the amount of food stalls that I will have to choose from. If you’re a foodie like myself, then you’ll really like eating here. My plan of saving money by making my own lunch at camp was destroyed. If you’re a shopaholic and like to buy nice things impulsively, then you’re also in danger, with a variety of stalls tempting you with well-crafted clothes, music, jewelry and instruments.
The first catch of the day was Dub Colossus at the Siam tent. An Ethiopian project with a collective that fuses traditional and contemporary Ethiopian styles with vintage Ethio-jazz and Jamaican dub. As a 13-piece, the group got the crowd dancing with their thrilling horn sections and East African takes on reggae classics. Immediately following this acts was AfroCubism on the Open Air stage. A group of Malian and Cuban musicians who finally collaborated fourteen years later than what was originally planned. With the original project postponed due to the Malian musicians unable to reach Cuba, the multi-million-selling Buena Vista Social Club was instead recorded. Finally, we see the Cuban and Malian musicians performing together onstage at the WOMAD festival. Cuban guitarist Elias Ochoa led the Cuban contingent, while Toumani Diabate, Djelimady Tounkara, Kasse-Mady Diabate and Bassekou Kouyate represent Mali. The group got every member of the crowd dancing, with their Cuban takes on traditional Malian songs, and African rhythms incorporated into Cuban classics.
Reggae artist Aplpha Blondy from Cote D’ Ivoire headlined for the Friday evening on the Open Air stage. With reggae as a platform of political expression in West Africa, Alpha Blondy definitely made himself heard. The artist was the first to import reggae from Jamaica into West Africa, maintaining the political consciousness of roots reggae. Singing of AIDS, poverty and safe sex, the crowd danced under the clear night sky, to lyrics “Protect your vuvuzela before you ‘waka-waka’!”.
A personal highlight of the Friday evening was catching Ballake Sissoko and Vincent Segal at the Charlie Gillet stage. A kora and cello duet from Mali and France. The kora (a 21-stringed West African harp) and cello complimented each other beautifully, with the artists performing their recent 2008 record Chamber Music. Performing at 11:15pm, the crowd sat on the floor with their warm blankets wrapped around them. Seeing two musicians from two very different backgrounds interact with each other, was amazing to watch. Understanding each other with rippling kora melodies and sturdy cello lines. Segal's ability to make the cello also sound like a flute, made the instrumental pieces sound beautifully intricate.
Finally, the Australian banjo-clutching, bow-tie wearing CW Stoneking played a tangle of pre-war blues, calypso and trad jazz, backed by his Horn Orchestra. His voice sounded as though he was from the deep South of the States, only to notice that it's his weather-beated voice making him sound decades over his actual age. Telling stories about his travels in Spain, Trinidad and New Orleans, his act was entertaining and got the crowd laughing as well as dancing.
After leisurely browsing around the stalls on the sunny Saturday afternoon, we caught Vieux Farka Toure at the Open Air stage. Some might remember the Malian bluesman him from the opening concert for the 2010 World Cup, others will know him as the son of the late Ali Farka Toure, who was one of the pioneers for putting Malian music on the international stage. There are definitely echoes of his father within his voice and guitar style, with other songs reflecting the style of Hendrix. Oi Va Voi followed after the guitarist, with their fascination for Jewish music. As they put it in The Sunday Times, "people who know a lot about world music think we're quite mainstream, but to people who don't listen to world music, we might seem quite exotic". As a result, the group pleased the crowd whilst they soaked up the sunshine.
Rodrigo Y Gabriela, two acoustic guitarists from Mexico, later played at the Siam tent. The duo, who were once buskers on a Saturday afternoon in Dublin, are now an act who have played for Barack Obama. With only two acoustic guitars for the instrumentation, the pair's talent is astonishing. Here's a clip from when they appeared on Later with Jools Holland.
Saturday's headlining act Baaba Maal, who's role is to give advice, to warn people and make them aware of certain issues, got festival goers talking for the rest of the weekend. An icon of West African music, the Senegalese musician is a committed ambassador for the continent, with his messages expressed through music. The sun had just set and the large crowd was gathered ready. He reworked old songs with djembe drums, two kora players and brass instruments. I was very shocked and surprised to see that it was my very own kora teacher Kadialy Kouyate sitting on that stage with Saturday's headliner. The traditional instrumentation, lyrics and dancing made this an excellent act.
On the Sunday morning, festival goers were once again greeted by sunshine. It was also the day where I took a shower for the first time at a festival. The day started with Shunsuke Kimura x Etsuro Ono, a duo transforming traditional Japanese music into blues. The pair played tsugaru-shamisen, a style of semi-improvised Japanese folk music originally performed by blind musicians in the 19th century, with the occasional accompaniment of the shakukachi bamboo flute. It was a beautiful and relaxing start to a sunny Sunday afternoon.
Another great act was the french violinist Chapelier Fou (translated as Mad Hatter),who incorporated his classical background of violin into his quirky electronica. His music was the perfect soundscape whilst the sun was setting.
Finally, my favourite act of the day was Bombino. A young man born into a nomadic goat-herding family on the outer reaches of the Sahara Desert. Omara Moctar, the Taureg guitarist, was also once accompanied by Angelina Jolie on a week-long tour of his home patch of Agadez in Niger. At 11pm, he gave the audience the fresh desert rock sound that they had been waiting for. His lyrics are straight to the point; about his people, their struggles and the harsh, beautiful land in which they live in. The Taureg people were once banned from using guitars. During the rebellions of 1990-1995 and 2007-2009, the government forbade the use of guitars, fearing that it will mobilise the young Taureg to fight. The guitarist aims to promote the music and culture of the Taureg.
WOMAD is known for its unknown artists. My personal favourite was Danyel Waro, who appeared at the Siam tent at 11pm on Saturday night with his musical style maloya, which used to be banned on the Indian Ocean island Reunion because of its ties with Creole culture. It was adopted for the sound of independence during the 70s and 80s, with Danyel Waro at the forefront. Containing call-and-response vocals, it echoes the sound of mainland Africa. He has enormous amounts of energy and charisma on stage, using traditional instrumentation only. He looks like a mad professor and also spent two years in jail rather than doing national service under the French tricolour.
When telling people I was going to WOMAD festival this year, one person assumed that it’s a very small hippie festival that plays “world music”, another thought that perhaps it might be a conference for nomadic women. Others however, went on about acts they once saw there and wished that they were going again this year. An estimated 35,000 people gathered in the countryside of Wiltshire to soak up a variety of sounds from around the world, ranging from soul, electronica, dubstep, jazz, folk, blues, rock and flamenco. The crowd was also lucky to soak up a bit of English sunshine. If you haven’t been to WOMAD before and enjoy broadening your mind to new music (whether it’s Saharan blues, a Parisian ‘one-man band’ electronic DJ or a Cuban Creole choir), then you really will appreciate this festival. With a total of nine stages or tents to choose from, there is a lot to discover.
With the festival kicking off on the Friday, most people arrive on this day. Ranging from families, university students, groups of teenagers and perhaps your parents, this festival is for everybody. Offering more than just music, the site is equipped with a variety of workshops, such as morning yoga, singing, dancing, the opportunity to learn a new instrument or to learn how to cook from a featuring WOMAD artist. When entering the site for the first time, I was immediately blown away from the amount of food stalls that I will have to choose from. If you’re a foodie like myself, then you’ll really like eating here. My plan of saving money by making my own lunch at camp was destroyed. If you’re a shopaholic and like to buy nice things impulsively, then you’re also in danger, with a variety of stalls tempting you with well-crafted clothes, music, jewelry and instruments.
The first catch of the day was Dub Colossus at the Siam tent. An Ethiopian project with a collective that fuses traditional and contemporary Ethiopian styles with vintage Ethio-jazz and Jamaican dub. As a 13-piece, the group got the crowd dancing with their thrilling horn sections and East African takes on reggae classics. Immediately following this acts was AfroCubism on the Open Air stage. A group of Malian and Cuban musicians who finally collaborated fourteen years later than what was originally planned. With the original project postponed due to the Malian musicians unable to reach Cuba, the multi-million-selling Buena Vista Social Club was instead recorded. Finally, we see the Cuban and Malian musicians performing together onstage at the WOMAD festival. Cuban guitarist Elias Ochoa led the Cuban contingent, while Toumani Diabate, Djelimady Tounkara, Kasse-Mady Diabate and Bassekou Kouyate represent Mali. The group got every member of the crowd dancing, with their Cuban takes on traditional Malian songs, and African rhythms incorporated into Cuban classics.
Reggae artist Aplpha Blondy from Cote D’ Ivoire headlined for the Friday evening on the Open Air stage. With reggae as a platform of political expression in West Africa, Alpha Blondy definitely made himself heard. The artist was the first to import reggae from Jamaica into West Africa, maintaining the political consciousness of roots reggae. Singing of AIDS, poverty and safe sex, the crowd danced under the clear night sky, to lyrics “Protect your vuvuzela before you ‘waka-waka’!”.
A personal highlight of the Friday evening was catching Ballake Sissoko and Vincent Segal at the Charlie Gillet stage. A kora and cello duet from Mali and France. The kora (a 21-stringed West African harp) and cello complimented each other beautifully, with the artists performing their recent 2008 record Chamber Music. Performing at 11:15pm, the crowd sat on the floor with their warm blankets wrapped around them. Seeing two musicians from two very different backgrounds interact with each other, was amazing to watch. Understanding each other with rippling kora melodies and sturdy cello lines. Segal's ability to make the cello also sound like a flute, made the instrumental pieces sound beautifully intricate.
Finally, the Australian banjo-clutching, bow-tie wearing CW Stoneking played a tangle of pre-war blues, calypso and trad jazz, backed by his Horn Orchestra. His voice sounded as though he was from the deep South of the States, only to notice that it's his weather-beated voice making him sound decades over his actual age. Telling stories about his travels in Spain, Trinidad and New Orleans, his act was entertaining and got the crowd laughing as well as dancing.
After leisurely browsing around the stalls on the sunny Saturday afternoon, we caught Vieux Farka Toure at the Open Air stage. Some might remember the Malian bluesman him from the opening concert for the 2010 World Cup, others will know him as the son of the late Ali Farka Toure, who was one of the pioneers for putting Malian music on the international stage. There are definitely echoes of his father within his voice and guitar style, with other songs reflecting the style of Hendrix. Oi Va Voi followed after the guitarist, with their fascination for Jewish music. As they put it in The Sunday Times, "people who know a lot about world music think we're quite mainstream, but to people who don't listen to world music, we might seem quite exotic". As a result, the group pleased the crowd whilst they soaked up the sunshine.
Rodrigo Y Gabriela, two acoustic guitarists from Mexico, later played at the Siam tent. The duo, who were once buskers on a Saturday afternoon in Dublin, are now an act who have played for Barack Obama. With only two acoustic guitars for the instrumentation, the pair's talent is astonishing. Here's a clip from when they appeared on Later with Jools Holland.
Saturday's headlining act Baaba Maal, who's role is to give advice, to warn people and make them aware of certain issues, got festival goers talking for the rest of the weekend. An icon of West African music, the Senegalese musician is a committed ambassador for the continent, with his messages expressed through music. The sun had just set and the large crowd was gathered ready. He reworked old songs with djembe drums, two kora players and brass instruments. I was very shocked and surprised to see that it was my very own kora teacher Kadialy Kouyate sitting on that stage with Saturday's headliner. The traditional instrumentation, lyrics and dancing made this an excellent act.
On the Sunday morning, festival goers were once again greeted by sunshine. It was also the day where I took a shower for the first time at a festival. The day started with Shunsuke Kimura x Etsuro Ono, a duo transforming traditional Japanese music into blues. The pair played tsugaru-shamisen, a style of semi-improvised Japanese folk music originally performed by blind musicians in the 19th century, with the occasional accompaniment of the shakukachi bamboo flute. It was a beautiful and relaxing start to a sunny Sunday afternoon.
Another great act was the french violinist Chapelier Fou (translated as Mad Hatter),who incorporated his classical background of violin into his quirky electronica. His music was the perfect soundscape whilst the sun was setting.
Finally, my favourite act of the day was Bombino. A young man born into a nomadic goat-herding family on the outer reaches of the Sahara Desert. Omara Moctar, the Taureg guitarist, was also once accompanied by Angelina Jolie on a week-long tour of his home patch of Agadez in Niger. At 11pm, he gave the audience the fresh desert rock sound that they had been waiting for. His lyrics are straight to the point; about his people, their struggles and the harsh, beautiful land in which they live in. The Taureg people were once banned from using guitars. During the rebellions of 1990-1995 and 2007-2009, the government forbade the use of guitars, fearing that it will mobilise the young Taureg to fight. The guitarist aims to promote the music and culture of the Taureg.
WOMAD is known for its unknown artists. My personal favourite was Danyel Waro, who appeared at the Siam tent at 11pm on Saturday night with his musical style maloya, which used to be banned on the Indian Ocean island Reunion because of its ties with Creole culture. It was adopted for the sound of independence during the 70s and 80s, with Danyel Waro at the forefront. Containing call-and-response vocals, it echoes the sound of mainland Africa. He has enormous amounts of energy and charisma on stage, using traditional instrumentation only. He looks like a mad professor and also spent two years in jail rather than doing national service under the French tricolour.
