41 f Arena Adventures
WOMAD 2016 saw some changes to their site and lots more of everything. Cathia Randrianarivo did the full bodied experience while Judith Burrows took the pics.
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ach year we look forward to heading down to WOMAD at Charlton Park in Wiltshire, a welcome opportunity to switch off and get immersed in a selec-
tion of the world’s best music and dance for a weekend. It’s a highlight on the cal- endar for good music, good conversation and good food.
Unsurprisingly, the festival is still growing both in size and popularity. 2016 saw a change in the main arena layout which made it feel a lot bigger and busier than before. Music, shopping, food and well being areas were more clustered together with the main stages along the top of the arena, food stalls facing into the main music area and shopping in between this and the arboretum. My pri- ority is to home in on the music (with a side of good food) so overall the new lay- out made it easier to see and hear more performances. Every year the same dilem- ma pops up: too much good music over the weekend’s bill to choose from. I half- prepared by highlighting a few acts to see but also wanted to leave room for some ear-exploration. Clashes are always bound to happen, but despite those I somehow managed to see an act at every stage. In retrospect, I may have attempted a little too much (seeing two or three songs was- n’t nearly enough for some acts) but the attempt was still worth it.
Parade
Music-wise, highlights included the mesmerising and beautifully composed Anoushka Shankar who had the Siam Tent audience in the palm of her sitar-twanging hands; the 20-years-in-the-works seamless mix of Malian kora, double bass and fla- menco by Songhai with Toumani Diabaté, Juan and Josemi Carmona, Javier Colina and guests (despite a delayed start); Konono No 1’s infectiously energetic set tearing the Siam roof down; the combined powerful voices and classic West African rhythms of Les Amazones d’Afrique; the impressive and hypnotic sounds of Desert Slide featuring one-time Ry Cooder collaborator VM Bhatt; the barrier-breaking poignant voice of Aziza Brahim; great hi-life vibes from Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band; the unmatched energy and great storytelling of Russia’s Otava Yo; and the home-grown island sounds of Haiti’s Chouk Bwa Libète which had us dancing away.
Huge appreciation also goes out to other great acts where I only caught snip- pets of, either en-route or at the end of other performances when there were clash- es, including Volosi, This Is The Kit, Hindi Zahra, Bamba Wassoulou Groove, Buika, Lura, Ana Tijoux, Hanoi Masters and Aynur – it’s a shame everyone was constantly com- peting for my eyes and ears.
The only minor blip after a fairly good start to Baloji & L’Orchestra De La Katube’s set: lead singer Baloji started musing about
Hanoi Masters
how “This is not world music, world music is a polite way for the West to name third world music… there is no djembe, no banana belts, no cultural costumes [on stage] … we are one.” Although his senti- ment that we are all one is appreciated, his words had the potential to offend both musicians playing their local music and festi- val goers wanting to know more. As some- one who has gone to WOMAD from early childhood and coming from an island most people might not have heard of without this very festival, the opportunity to be able to encounter different cultures from across the globe is one of the main reasons I love it. Ana Tijoux’s description of music being the language of identity and culture res- onated more, and is the very reason every- one should experience WOMAD at least once – because if you can’t travel to every distant part of the globe, this is the one place where you can experience a lot of it.
There was no shortage of world music
legends – we were treated to the classic power hits of Baaba Maal and the smooth grooves (and musings) of Blick Bassy – or rel- atively mainstream headliners to attract the crowds, from the soulful sounds of Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires to the heavy funk beats of George Clinton Parliament Funkadelic and the positive party sounds of Hot 8 Brass Band. Popular rappers Akala and Roots Manuva also seemed to attract a relatively younger audience, and we even
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