THURSDAY
NORTH STAGE
7.35pm-8.15pm Khaira Arby
9.25pm-10.10pm LA-33
11.20pm-12.20am The Manganiyar Seduction by Roysten Abel
SOUTH STAGE
7.00pm-7.30pm The Dhol foundation
8.35pm-9.20pm Orchestre National de Barbes
10.15pm-11.15pm Paloma Faith
12.25am-1.30am Baaba Maal
TRISPAN TENT
7.35pm-8.15pm Workshop with Baaba Maal
9.15pm-10.15pm Taste The World session with Khyam Allami
11.20pm-12.20am Workshop with LA-33
FRIDAY
NORTH STAGE
8.25pm-9.10pm Aurelio Martinez
10.10pm-11pm Omar Bashir
12.10am-1.10am Jimmy Cliff
SOUTH STAGE
7.15pm-8.15pm Terem Quartet
9.15pm-10.05pm Toumani Diabate
11.05pm-12.05am Afro Celt Sound System
TRISPAN TENT
7pm-8.10pm Taste the World session with Afro Celt Sound System
8.25pm-9.15pm Workshop with Muntu Valdo
10pm-11pm Taste The World session with El Tanbura
12.05am-12.50am Workshop with Speed Caravan
SATURDAY
NORTH STAGE
6.30pm-7.15pm Sain Zahoor
8.25pm-9.25pm El Tanbura with Hindi Zahra
10.30pm-11.30pm Goran Bregovic
SOUTH STAGE
7.30pm-815pm Tarab Al Emarat with Omar Bashir
9.30pm-10.25pm Speed Caravan
TRISPAN TENT
6.15pm-7.15pm Taste the World session with Khaira Arby
8.25pm-9.25pm Workshop with Ripton Lindsay
10.30pm-11.15pm Workshop with Aurelio Martinez
Boasting another killer roster of international superstars, Abu Dhabi’s third Womad weekend is shaping up to be one of the biggest parties of the year. For the uninitiated, Womad (World of Music, Arts and Dance) is a two-day celebration of culturally diverse entertainment, with musicians from across the globe jetting in to lay down some genre-transcending tunes.
This year’s show, taking place from April 7-9, looks certain to top the successes of the past two years’ events, each of which saw more than 80,000 people flock to the Corniche to see top international artists do incredible things with musical instruments they never even knew existed. Best of all, though, it’s completely free. Which just leaves you to slap on some sunscreen, pick your performers and dance up a sweat…
Jimmy Cliff (Jamaica)
Which other Womad shows have you played?
I’ve done the one in England, two others I think as well. One in the Far East somewhere and one in Australia. Singapore, that’s it. It was in Singapore.
How do you think the experience will differ in Abu Dhabi?
I’ve not been to Abu Dhabi before, and I just really expect people to enjoy the music the same as everywhere else, I don’t really have any expectation other than that.
What can people expect from your show?
In terms of my music I’ll be playing some of the Jimmy Cliff classics, and I’ll play some of the current music that I’m now creating, that I’ll be putting on my new album. The show itself is very uplifting and communicative. I am a creative artist, I am innovative, trying to come up with something fresh and new always. At the same time trying to maintain the traditional sound, what people expect. So I’m trying to bridge the gap between those two things. I do accept the new technology but I still love the traditional, acoustic way of recording. When people hear the name Jimmy Cliff, they expect to hear certain songs, so I have to play stuff they recognise.
Which artists are you looking forward to seeing?
When I do festivals I try to see whoever I can. I like to stay current with what’s going on and see people who inspire. Would I consider collaborating with anyone I see? If the feeling is right. If the feeling is there and I can feel like they feel it then yeah, it’s always a good blast to do that.
What do you miss most about home when you’re on the road?
Well, I spend most of my life in the country, so I love the rivers in Jamaica. I miss the bars! Sitting with my friends and having a nice little drink with them, just being James, the one they knew growing up with. But you know, it’s my life so I accept both sides.
Do you pick up musical inspiration from the places you travel to?
I definitely do, that’s how I create a lot of my songs. The ideas come along the way, and I may not be able to shape the ideas into a song, but when I get home then I can put them all together. When I’m in Africa, for instance, just the continent alone, doesn’t matter what country, it’s a happy feeling. So I wouldn’t write a song like ‘Many Rivers to Cross’ when I’m in Africa, I’d write a happy song. If I’m somewhere like Brazil, maybe I’d write an optimistic song. And somewhere like Europe, or North America I’d write a more… complicated song! Like ‘Many Rivers to Cross’.
Johnny Kalsi Of Dhol Foundation And Afro Celt Sound System (UK/India)
Which other Womad shows have you played?
Crikey…. most of them, I think. We haven’t done Cáceras… that’s probably the only one actually. We’ve been involved every year for the past 17 years now. We always get the best reception in the UK, it’s our hometown. Abu Dhabi is a real special one as well, it’s reminiscent of Las Palmas because they put the stages up on the beach there too.
How does the experience differ in Abu Dhabi?
It’s kind of unique because most of the people who come are expats. It’s rather bizarre. When the Dhol Foundation played it was mainly Indians who turned up. It’s nice to see so many different cultures come together to support their own – Womad Abu Dhabi is special in that aspect. And the fact that it’s free too, there’s an amazing amount of help from the tourist board.
What can people expect from your show?
My boys from the Dhol Foundation will be there for the workshops, then I’m turning up on the seventh with Afro Celt Sound System. We’ll be playing more of the same really – we’ve just released a new album called Capture, which is the best of the best; personally selected tracks that we hope our fans like to listen to the most.
How would you describe your style of music?
The first four numbers on the album give away exactly what we are – it’s African and it’s Celtic. There are vocals from Guinea as well, sung in Mandinka.
Which artists are you looking forward to seeing?
Jimmy Cliff is great, we did a festival with him back in 2001, I think, in Toronto, he was on straight after us. Baaba Maal is great too. He’s partly responsible for the Afro Celts getting together in the first place. He loves us too, and enjoys what we do.
What do you miss most about home when you’re on the road?
Home-cooked food! There are hundreds of versions of chicken curries available around the world, but when you’re at home you can do things just the way you like them.
Do you pick up musical inspiration from the places you travel to?
Yeah, definitely. Last time I was in Abu Dhabi we met another band, collaborated with them. Since then we’ve recorded with them, and they’re on the new album. In New Zealand we worked with a group of Maoris and a group of Samoans, hip hop was the common ground so we got them in the studio and got them to record together. It’s great when you can bring communities together. There’s a great sense of peace that comes with it. It’s from the heart, and it’s as real as you can get it.
Muntu Valdo (Cameroon)
Which other Womad shows have you played?
I’ve played in Spain twice, in Las Palmas and Cáceras, in the UK twice and in Singapore, in 2007. So I’ve done Womad five times already. They’re very different to each other, but I enjoy all of them, the music is always great.
How do you think the experience will be different in Abu Dhabi?
I don’t know really. But I’m looking forward to the workshops, it’s always good to talk about my music and do demonstrations, because sometimes people see you play, but they don’t understand where the music’s coming from, so it’s an opportunity to introduce your music in a better way.
What can people expect from your show?
I will be on my own on stage, but it will sound like a band. This is my formula. That’s why my new album is called The One & The Many, I record all the instruments and the vocals myself live on stage. Nothing is pre-recorded.
How would you describe your style of music?
A journalist in France said that my music sounded like blues, so they asked me where I was from and I told them the Sawa region of Cameroon. So they said can we call it Sawa blues? And I said yeah why not, I like how that sounds!
Which artists are you looking forward to seeing?
I’ve been listening to Jimmy Cliff since I was a baby in Cameroon. My dad used to have his version of ‘No Woman No Cry’, which was the one I knew for 10 years.
What do you miss most about home when you’re on the road?
I miss the freedom to do exactly what I want. When you’re touring you have to focus on what you’re going to do on stage the next day. I miss my family too, and my friends. I really love being on stage though. When I’m playing music, I’m happy. This is my happiness.
Do you pick up musical inspiration from the places you travel to?
Yes of course. Directly or indirectly. Even when you stay at home, listening to music from different parts of the world feeds our soul. And one day you play a song and you discover you have maybe some Arabic tone. Sometimes you don’t even remember where it comes from.
Baaba Maal (Senegal)
Which Womad shows have you played?
When they were celebrating the 25th year of Womad I was there, in the UK. I did Womadelaide in Australia, I’ve been to South Africa, so I don’t know how many now!
How do you think the experience will be different in Abu Dhabi?
I hope it’ll be similar to the Australian festival, with open-minded people coming to see the show. It’s my first time in Abu Dhabi, so I’m looking forward to presenting African music to people. Womad is a great festival and I enjoy seeing the people who are getting into the mood. Not just the music, but everything else too, walking around, sharing ideas.
What can people expect from your show?
A very strong show, lots of dancing. Since it is spring, you have to be uplifting with your music, you know. We have some traditional music but also some things that are connected to the sort of music people know – hip hop, electronic sounds and all of that.
How would you describe your style of music?
It’s modern African music, based on traditional African instruments and influences. But it’s open to the rest of the world too, even the younger flavours of music. The song ‘International’ from the album Television or the song ‘Television’ itself are two tracks that I think are the best examples of what I do.
Which artists are you looking forward to seeing?
Toumani Diabate is a friend of mine, we knew each other when we were very young. Not a long time ago I went to Mali to do something with his brother who plays calabash. It’s always a pleasure to see what he is doing for Africa. Also I’m looking forward to discovering some other flavours of music. I want the surprises!
What do you miss most about home when you’re on the road?
My people, of course. My family, my friends. The African food also. In Senegal, when we jump on the stage, we always say it’s because of the food that we eat in the middle of the day. It’s spicy, with peppers and vegetables, it’s so exciting. I’m going to bring some peppers with me, if they allow me to do that.
Do you pick up inspiration from your music from the places you travel to?
Oh yeah, definitely. I’m very interested to meet people who can inspire me and say, ‘Yes, life is full of good opportunities.’ When you don’t travel you can’t do that. It’s hard to feel that when you look at the TV, but if you witness it yourself, it’s much stronger.
Paloma Faith (UK)
A soulful songstress from the UK, known for her powerful, banshee-esque vocal ability and some eyebrow-raising stage costumes (think Amy Winehouse, minus the staggering and prison tattoos). She’s become something of a hit in her homeland, standing out from the recent crop of jazzily inclined vocalists clogging up London’s performance spaces, thanks to an arsenal of chart-storming tracks including ‘Stone-Cold Sober’ and ‘New York’. Undoubtedly one of the more mainstream acts on the bill, we’d expect the 25-year-old to adopt a folkier sound for her Womad appearance.
Khaira Arby (MALI)
Sporting the sort of booming voice that can be heard from the next village, this charismatic singer has spent the past decade warbling her way to the forefront of her country’s musical identity. But it’s Khaira’s six-piece backing band, who give performances in traditional Malian dress, that really make her shows stand out, fusing traditional and modern instrumentation with the sort of dexterity that’ would put most of the MTV crowd to shame. Better still, with new album Timbuktu Tarab to promote, expect the North Africans to rise to the occasion and deliver a memorable set. And even if they don’t, at least you’ll finally get to find out what a calabash sounds like.
Terem Quartet (RUSSIA)
As Russian folk music’s most celebrated ambassadors, this St Petersburg-based group can count the Pope and the Prince of Wales among those to have experienced their genre-hopping performances. Staggeringly, the band’s repertoire of material includes more than 500 songs, on a number of culturally rooted styles from their furry hat-loving motherland. And if Soviet-influenced beats aren’t really your thing, if nothing else this could be the only chance you’ll ever get to see someone grapple with a balalaika – a guitar-esque instrument with three strings and a gigantic triangular body. Trust us, it’s a sight to behold.
Tarab Al Emarat (UAE)
Unless you’ve spent your time in the city walking around with your hands clamped over your ears, you’ll already be well aware of the fantastic sounds a quick-fingered Arabian gent can make with an oud. Put eight of them together, then, throw in a saxophone, a violin and some percussion and the result is really rather interesting. More fascinating still, the 6/8 rhythm in which the band play is designed to recall the beat of a running camel, which, as nods to cultural heritage go, is just about as inventive as they come. Expect plenty of local support when these guys step on stage.
Sain Zahoor (PAKISTAN)
When most musicians claim to have come from ‘humble backgrounds’, it usually means their parents would only stump up the cash for the first two of their three years at music school. This lute virtuoso, on the other hand, used to ply his trade on the streets of Pakistan in return for food and shelter, until a local TV personality discovered him by chance and set him on a path to stardom. He’s since picked up a BBC World Music Award, contributed to movie soundtracks and appeared at some of the most high-profile festivals in the world. Now in his seventies, Zahoor’s show may not be the weekend’s most energetic, but the story behind his success is easily the most unique.
The Story of Womad
1980: World of Music, Arts and Dance is founded by former Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel, who spots a gap in the market for a festival to showcase a breadth of international artists.
1982: The very first Womad festival takes place in Shepton Mallet, England, with Echo & The Bunnymen, Simple Minds and Gabriel himself headlining the show.
1989: With the festival growing in size and spreading across the world, Gabriel establishes Real World Records, a record label set up to promote world music.
1993: Around 98,000 attend Womad in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park – the highest ticketed outdoor event ever at the time.
1996: Womad’s Great Musical Rail Journey of Australia runs from Perth to Adelaide, stopping to host a concert in the middle of the Australian outback.
2001: Womad enters the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s biggest international music festival.
2009: Abu Dhabi joins the group of 27 countries to have hosted Womad festivals, with Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant entertaining an 80,000-strong crowd on the Corniche.
Festival Fringes
Had your fill of live music? Here’s what else is going on at this year’s fest…
Taste world cuisines
Throughout the weekend, performers will be treating festival-goers to their favourite national dishes in a series of ‘Taste The World’ live cooking demonstrations. So look out for jerk chicken, borscht and maybe even some classic British chicken tikka masala.
Learn about other cultures
The festival also includes a series of workshops taking place in the Tri-Span tent, where you can hear artists discussing inspiration, influences and share advice for those looking to break into the industry themselves.
Get creative
In the lead-up to the festival, artists from Egypt, Cameroon, South Africa, Jamaica, India, Guinea, Australia and UK will be conducting a series of creative workshops as part of the Womad Beyond outreach program. Young musicians in schools, colleges and universities in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain will be given the opportunity to meet artists in an informal setting and pick up some expert tips on music and visual arts.
