Womad Abu Dhabi Promises Global Entertainment

Founded by Peter Gabriel in 1980, the World of Music Arts and Dance - Womad - has grown into one of the largest festivals in the world, with annual concerts not only in its home-country UK, but also in various other parts of the world.

Abu Dhabi is the first host of the festival in the Middle East, taking place here on April 23 -25, with three concerts on Abu Dhabi’s Corniche and one in Al Ain’s Al Jahili Fort.

Somewhat reminiscent of Woodstock, Womad brings to the stage the very best in world music, often being responsible for launching careers of young, talented musicians.

The festival is more about the world, rather than the music, as Womad now includes workshops, educational programmes and even ethnic cooking. All this will be part of Womad Abu Dhabi, which will also have its own ‘atmosphere’, including the famous Womad flags, here specially designed with an Arabian theme.

According to the organisers, the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH), the festival will become an annual event and, as the name and location implies, it will have a local flavour. “The list of artists performing at Womad Abu Dhabi proves that we were not interested in importing the UK festival brand, but to create our own,” said Isadora Papadrakakis, arts and culture advisor at ADACH.

Most of the musicians lined-up for Womad Abu Dhabi have an Arabian, Middle Eastern, African or Asian background. Among them are Abdullah Chhadeh, one of the Arab world’s most innovative qanun players, Tunisian-born composer, vocalist and oud player Dhafer Youssef, the North African singer and composer Souad Massi and the virtuoso percussionist Trilok Gurtu from India.

Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali group, which made its international debut at the 1998 Womad in England, is also on the list, headed by the nephews of legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan of Pakistan. The torchbearers of a 700-year-old tradition, qawwali, meaning utterance, is a devotional music of Pakistani and Indian Sufis.

The haunting voices of the Bedouins of Sahara, gathered in the Etran Finatawa band will be heard too, singing away the rich nomadic cultures of Nigeria.

It may sound like a cacophony, but Paprika Balkanicus best describes what gypsy music is all about - loud violins playing in a logical chaos. With musical influences from Serbia, Slovenia, Hungary, Romania and even Russia, the gypsy band Paprika Balkanicus is the only European representative in the festival so far. “Since this is Womad Abu Dhabi, we are also setting the stage for the launch of a few young, emerging Emirati artists,” added Abdulla Al Amri, director of arts and culture at ADACH.

“We are now in the process of selecting these musicians and they will also participate in this summer’s Womad Charlton Park in England,” said Al Amri. ADACH has begun discussions with the Real World Records to record Emirati and other Arab musicians.

silvia@khaleejtimes.com