UK: WOMAD, THE WORLD OF MUSIC, ARTS AND DANCE FESTIVAL, CELEBRATED ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY IN READING

Record ID: 386754

  • Title: UK: WOMAD, THE WORLD OF MUSIC, ARTS AND DANCE FESTIVAL, CELEBRATED ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY IN READING
  • Date: 25th July 1999
  • Summary: (PERFORMANCE CLEARANCE MAYBE REQUIRED BEFORE RE-USE) FEMI KUTI PERFORMING ON STAGE
  • Embargoed: 9th August 1999 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: READING, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA23U8XULVQ7QW0DYK34LYVU0OQ
  • Story Text: The World of Music, Arts and Dance Festival celebrated its tenth anniversary last weekend in spectacular style.The three-day festival, held in Reading, attracted over fifty performers from more than thirty countries, including Billy Bragg and Femi Kuti, son of legendary Nigerian singer and political activist, Fela Kuti.
    It started as a small gathering ten years ago - a three-day festival that catered for those few people who loved world music.Now it attracts around twenty thousand people a day and boasts an impressive list of acts from around the world.
    WOMAD - the World Music, Arts and Dance Festival - celebrated its tenth anniversary last weekend.Co-founded by pop icon and ex-Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel, WOMAD has proved that there is a huge audience for world music and more than fifty performers delighted the festival-goers with a diverse display of music and dance from over thirty countries including Jamaica, South Africa, Japan, Senegal and Cameroon.
    WOMAD is a family festival - there is a childrens' play area, a kiddies procession and a fun-fair.The atmosphere is relaxed and safe, with parents happy to leave their children in supervised tents where they can enjoy costume-making, painting and instrument playing.
    The compact site is filled with food stalls boasting an impressive range of worldwide food - from Japanese noodles to felafels to food from the Caribbean - all tastes are catered for.
    But the main attraction was the music - and the audience was treated to a stunning line-up including Asian Dub Foundation, Imbizo, Zap Mama, Billy Bragg and Femi Kuti.
    Imbizo is nine-man band from Africa - their music is drum-based with the performers using whistles and sticks to generate a distinctly tribal sound.They have a cult following in the native country, but they now want to gain a wider audience.One band member explained "it's our first time out of Africa - since our formation we have been touring Africa.
    You know we are on demand in Africa, people are crying for us, as it is now people back home are crying 'Where are the guys? Where are the guys?' We say, no, now let us go to Europe and show them what Africa is like.What we are doing, we call the true roots of Africa.We are doing the roots of Africa.the true ones."
    Another crowd pleaser was Femi Kuti, son of the legendary singer and political activist, Fela Kuti.Fela was jailed by the Nigerian military authorities for his outspoken views - and his son is also strongly political, taking time between songs to convey his thoughts to the audience.His show is electric - never stopping for a moment and constantly getting the huge crowd to participate with hand-clapping and singing.He was headling on the Sunday night and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he deserved to be the last main act at this year's WOMAD.
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