Here is an excerpt from WOMAD's official press release:
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WOMAD Singapore Grows
WOMAD Singapore 2006 features two large outdoor stages and three smaller, more intimate spaces for performances and workshops. The Subaru Groove Tunnel at Fort Gate provides an atmospheric club setting which will be rocking till the early hours!
Once again, the site will feature a Global Village of some 30 traders selling a diverse range of unique local and international crafts and foods.
And fresh for this year, a number of artists appearing at WOMAD Singapore will be dipping into their recipe books and cooking up their favorite dishes from South Africa and China in our Taste the World festival kitchen.
“Tantalising tastes and succulent samples will be on offer at WOMAD’s new fifth stage. It gives the chance to hear how these artists connect music and food,”
says Ms Sarah Martin, Festival Director, WOMAD Singapore 2006.
Throughout the weekend, in familiar WOMAD style, there will be many opportunities for festival-goers to meet the artists in a series of workshops for children and adults. On stage the Festival will be presenting sounds from Peru to Korea, from Australia to Nigeria — and all points between.
This year’s WOMAD Singapore line-up is as follows:
Bukky Leo & Black Egypt (Nigeria); Chico César (Brazil); Risenga Makondo (South Africa); Dulsori (Republic of Korea); Guo Yue (People’s Republic of China); Jimmy Cliff (Jamaica); Musafir Gypsies of Rajasthan (India); Radio Mundial (Puerto Rico); Association of Capoeira Argola de Ouro (S) (Singapore); Sam Tshabalala (South Africa); Soul Jazz Soundsystem (UK); Stevie Goldsmith (Australia); Movida DJs Marvin Kam & Adrian Wee (Singapore); Susana Baca (Peru); T-Bone (Thailand); Kng Mian Tze & Dahlia Osman (Singapore)
The WOMAD organization, based in United Kingdom, presents festivals worldwide in an array of beautiful venues – from verdant parks in Australia and New Zealand, beaches in Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, the historical backdrop of Sicily and Madrid, to the banks of the River Thames at Reading, UK. The location of WOMAD Singapore – a garden in the heart of the city of the world’s most famous Garden State – provides yet another stunning location in which to present the WOMAD philosophy.
I think WOMAD is a good example of cultural globalization, not just because it is about "the globalization of World music" but at the social level, it suggests that there are a lot of Singaporeans who feel that they are part of this "global village". In other words, they are fully aware of the many cultures around the world, and have this (a) curiosity and (b) appreciation for the music, arts and dances of various cultures. Viewed more critically, WOMAD is also globalization in that WOMAD is now a "product" that is "consumed" by a select segment of society, i.e. usually the more highly educated, higher social status, well-travelled etc. generation.
Alexius Pereira
18 October 2006
Below are some pictures from WOMAD 2006, from the official Global WOMAD website
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