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Anna Mudeka
Adesose Wallace
Julie Murphy
Boka Halat
Ahmed Mukhtar
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World on Your Street
Over the past year Radio 3 has been discovering that all the music of planet earth is right here on our own streets. Special greetings to everyone who visited our World on your street tent at WOMAD. There were intimate performances and workshops all weekend from UK-based artists - and a wonderful atmosphere! Have a look at our photogallery and listen to audio from the tent.
Friday 25th July - 'Africa on your Street'
On Friday morning at 11am, wet bedraggled passers-by heard the first music of this year's WOMAD coming from our tent. Within minutes the charismatic Risenga Makondo from South Africa had the tent packed with people clapping and singing. We knew the WOMAD spirit was here despite the rain!
Risenga was followed by the exquisite Zimbabwean mbira playing and singing of Linos Wengara Magaya from Brighton, Anna Mudeka from Norwich and Netsayi Chigwendere from Bristol. Adesose Wallis gave us two lively sets from Nigerian tradition, with lots of call-and-response from the audience, and Mosi Condefrom Guinea Conakry (now based in London) played a magical set on kora. There was also a hilarious demonstration from Lesotho's Sotho Sounds on how to make a guitar from a tin oil drum and other scraps - check out our photogallery.
Saturday 26th July - 'UK Roots on your Street'
On Saturday Late Junction presenter Fiona Talkington spent much of the day in the tent, introducing some wonderful artists who are keeping English and Welsh traditions alive and fresh. We had two rousing sets from Boka Halat, featuring Roger Watson on melodian, Musa M'Boob on percussion, and Rachel McLeod on double bass. After their first set, Julie Murphy and Dylan Fowler performed some beautiful and tragic songs from Wales.
For visitors who wanted to get hands on, Joan Holloway gave a workshop on how to play the bones, and John Walls helped create strange instruments from plastic tubes and other scrap materials. A great discovery of the day was the a capella group the Witches of Elswick (including Fay Hield): four young women from Newcastle with a fresh take on old English ballads, and a stand-up comedy patter between each song.
Sunday 27th July - 'The Middle East on your Street'
Sunday morning the sun came out, and we were treated to two rousing sets from the Kurdish musicians Azad Zahawy on percussion, Hussein Zahawy on santor and daf, and Caner Sahin on saz.
The Iraqi musician Ahmed Mukhtar had the whole tent drifting blissfully in the intricate sounds of the oud, and also joined the Kurdish musicians in a question and answer session about their instruments. Sadly the Palestinian singer Reem Kelani was unable to perform due to an inflamed vocal chord, but the Turkish group Nihavent stepped in at the last minute and had the tent clapping along to intricate rhythms.
Watch this space for musical highlights from the weekend coming soon.
World On Your Street performances were also heard on the Village Stage:
Modeste Hugues (Madagascar/UK) - Friday 2pm
Ali Slimani (Algeria/UK) - Saturday 5pm
Angel Brothers and Satnam Singh (UK) - Sunday 4pm
For their stories and music visit World on Your Street
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