Womad’s ready to rock!
The Womad festival of music and arts will return to New Plymouth’s Brooklands Park next year with 29 acts over three days, organisers have announced. Tara Shaskey was at yesterday’s launch in Wellington.
Nano Stern is known for his passionate stage performances, largely driven by political purpose. The South American artist has been known to bring his audience not only to their feet, but also to tears with his soulful lyrics, melodies and message - as Womad audiences will discover when he takes to the stage in Brooklands Park next March.
Last night Stern was announced as one of 29 acts for the three-day arts celebration, which was recently named Best National Event of the Year 2017 at the New Zealand Event Awards.
Next year’s programme announcement came at a launch event at the Grand Hall in Wellington’s Parliament Buildings.
It revealed a line-up filled with fresh and diverse artists from across the globe.
About 200 key sponsors and dignitaries attended the event, which rang out with applause as the acts were revealed over a big screen.
Next year’s programme boasts acts from far-flung places around the world, including Ghana, Cuba, Jamaica, Iraq, India, Sweden and Mali.
Among the talent pool is Jojo Abot, a Ghanaian artist who blends electronica, indie-soul, reggae and hip hop.
Israel’s vocal hip hop star Victoria Hanna, who performs Aramaic hip hop and wild, hypnotic and rhythmic raps on ancient Hebrew texts, is said to be an experimentalist who is both unpredictable and bewitching.
Also in the mix is a trio of musicians from Mongolia, France and Bulgaria who perform under the moniker of Violons Barbares.
Using the Mongolian violin, the Morin Khur, the Bulgarian Gadulka and percussion, they are said to create an irresistible fusion of energetic rhythms and harmonies.
Womad New Zealand programme manager Emere Wano named Violons Barbares as one of her festival picks.
‘‘The mix of Mongolian violin, throat singing mixed with Bulgarian percussion is a potent fusion which we don’t get to see much of here in New Zealand,’’ she said.
Milly Tabak, vocalist and guitarist from New Zealand act The Miltones said being selected to play Womad was a ‘‘dream come true’’ for the quintet who formed less than two years ago.
‘‘I’ve always wanted to go to Womad, and now I get to play it,’’ Tabak said.
‘‘It’s right up our alley. It’s probably the only festival to best suit our music.’’
Other acts from Aotearoa include folk singer Aldous Harding, Taranaki’s The Slacks , and already announced classic Kiwi band Dragon.
Los Angeles saxophonist, composer and jazz superstar Kamasi Washington and Indian classical and progressive sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar are also in the line-up.
While programming for Womad was generally carried out between April and August of every year, Wano said it never really stopped.
‘‘I basically don’t stop looking for artists for the programme,’’ she said.
‘‘Some of the international artists have been on our wish list for four or more years.’’
When picking the acts diversity was king, she said.
This was tempered with a balance across the programme in terms of what acts will enhance or contrast the overall line-up. For New Zealand artists, the same principles are applied.
‘‘Sometimes an artist won’t be programmed, not so much on artistic ability or stage presence but more on their overall fit within the programme.’’
In addition to the live acts, the event also features cooking demonstrations, music workshops, a Kidzone, food from around the world, a global village and a living library.
Guest speaker Jonathan Young, New Plymouth MP, told those gathered at the launch event that in 14 years Womad New Zealand had seen more than 150,000 people and had created many revenue and economic opportunities for the country while enhancing New Zealand’s social fabric.
‘‘The core bearing of Womad is to create awareness of the work and potential of a multicultural society,’’ he said.
But it was Charles Duke, deputy CEO of TSB Bank and another of last night’s speakers, who best summed-up the festival.
‘‘Womad is a delightful experience and should be on everyone’s bucket list.’’