Four generations head to festival
At Womad this year there will be four generations of one whanau enjoying a ‘‘holiday in our backyard’’.
Nikau Kopu, 9, his mum, Bry, 46, his grandmother Mary SweneyBlack, 64, and his greatgrandmother Jean Black, 87, are all fans of the three-day cultural festival.
Jean has been to WOMAD a few times and enjoys everything about it. The TSB Over-65s Stands are a godsend to her.
‘‘I like to sit down – I get a bit tired – and you get a good view.’’
There are three stands on site; one overlooking the TSB Bowl of Brooklands Stage, one by the Todd Energy Brooklands Stage and one by The Gables Stage. Volunteers from the TSB look after the stands for the whole weekend.
She’s also impressed by the cleanliness of the site and, as the organist at Brooklands Cooperative Church, she appreciates the music on offer. At this year’s festival, on from March 16 to 18, she is keen on seeing the Lemon Bucket Orkestra from Canada, and Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band from Ghana. Granddaughter Bry’s picks are Dayme Arocena from Cuba and NZ’s own Hopetoun Brown.
Nikau is also a WOMAD fan. He has been to every festival since he was born. The Central School student loves the flags, the music, catching up with friends and taking part in workshops. But there’s something else this youngster is a big fan of at WOMAD: ‘‘The food.’’
The Global Village has a wide variety of ethnic food available and Nikau has a weakness for dumplings. ‘‘I ate 17 last year,’’ he says.
‘‘They gave him some free ones because he was their most happy customer,’’ Bry says.Mary says she and husband Robert Sweney relish the atmosphere.
‘‘What I love about it is the fact that it’s action-packed and there’s a feeling like it’s just a happy family with different cultures there as one, mingling.’’
She enjoys getting the programme early, so she can peruse the acts to choose who to see.
This year, she’s keen on Jojo Abot from Ghana, Maisey Rika and Friends from Aotearoa, and Australia’s Spooky Men’s Chorale.
One of the most stand out moments was watching blind Aboriginal singer Gurrumul perform.
‘‘It was the most breath-taking night, the stars were in the sky, Bry and I were together, and his voice was like an angel. That will stay with me forever.’’
He died in July last year. ‘‘For us to have world-class artists in our backyard is amazing,’’ Mary says.