Womadelaide 2004 Intro

• WOMAD, the World Of Music, Arts & Dance
• Community and WOMADelaide
• Community & Volunteer Involvement
• Representation and Respect for Indigenous Culture.
• History of WOMAD
• More Information about WOMADelaide

  WOMAD, the World Of Music, Arts & Dance

WOMADelaide 2004 - Main Stage Crowd

One of the most significant events on the South Australian arts calendar, WOMADelaide is a three-day day world music, arts and dance festival held in Adelaide's Botanic Park.

It was held every two years until confirmation in mid-2002 by the South Australian Premier and Minister for the Arts, Mike Rann, that it had been secured as an annual event 2009. The 10th anniversary festival was held in 2003 and in 2004 the festival was part of the Adelaide Festival of Arts program, as it had been when it began in 1992.

In 2004 WOMADelaide attracted a record 70,000 attendances (with more than 40% from interstate and overseas) and featured 30 performance groups from 20 countries.

International groups in 2004 included Youssou N'Dour (Senegal), Abdullah Ibrahim Trio (South Africa), Gilberto Gil (Brazil), Savina Yannatou (Greece), Oki Kano & the Far East Band (Japan) and Zakir Hussein (India). Australians include Dirty Lucy, the Cat Empire, Mark Atkins, Monsieur Camembert and Yilila.

Past artists have included Peter Gabriel (UK), Ernest Ranglin (Jamaica), Los de Abajo (Mexico), Toto La Momposina (Colombia), Baaba Maal (Senegal), the Drummers of Burundi, Youssou N'Dour (Senegal), Sheila Chandra (India & UK), Guo Ye and Guo Yi (China), Christine Anu (Australia - Torres Strait), Fun Da Mental (UK&Pakistan), Justin Vali Trio (Madagascar), Radio Tarifa (Spain), Salif Keita (Mali), Joji Hirota (Japan), Shooglenifty (Scotland) and the late, great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (Pakistan).

WOMADelaide appeals to an audience that encompasses almost all ages and backgrounds; its uniquely friendly ambience and message of cultural discovery and understanding makes it one of the nation's most popular and successful festivals.

Set in the magnificent inner-city Botanic Park, the action on six outdoor stages comprises performances and workshop activities and is complemented by a strong visual arts program, a roving artists program, KidZone, over 100 international food, arts, crafts and display stalls and three bars. The evenings are balmy and each artist is an exotic delight; many of them are number one in the charts in their own countries but yet to be discovered here. Night owls can go to WoZone, the WOMADelaide club, introduced in 1999, which runs on the Fri and Sat night from 11pm til late. In 2004 it was held at the Adelaide Festival of Arts' Universal Playground club on the Torrens Parade Grounds and featured Salmonella Dub (NZ) and DJ Russ Jones (Future World Funk, UK), amongst others. In 2005 Wozone will be taking a siesta.

The festival highlights program was released for November, and the full program including who's on when will be released January 13. Weekend tickets are on sale now and night only, and day+night tickets go on sale from January 13.

See www.womadelaide.com.au for more information or to join the mailing list. All enquiries should be directed to the event manager, Arts Projects Australia tel +61 8 8271 4088, fax +61 8 8271 9905 or email WOMADelaide is produced by the WOMADelaide Foundation and managed by Arts Projects Australia and WOMAD Ltd.

  Community and WOMADelaide

WOMADelaide 2005 - Carclew Kids Workshops

ccd.net and WOMADelaide event manager APA (Arts Projects Australia) wanted to take a look at the community aspect of the festival, as without the generosity, spirit and inclusiveness of the local community, the festival would surely be different.

WOMADelaide has been classified as a 'major event'. Community events include workshops run by Carclew for 5-16 year olds on site; workshops led by WOMADelaide artists for adults on site and as well as those led by WOMADelaide artists in advance for schoolchildren. These are great examples of only part of the constantly-developing WOMADelaide program

Historical community arts events include Angus Watt's silk flag installation at the 2001 festival, which was the result of an extensive crossover project in development since 1999 with the Anangu Pitjantjatjara community in far north South Australia and another for the Melbourne Museum in 2000.

The festival opens up business opportunities for APA (as the event manager/producer), for the artists (who have the opportunity to develop collaborative works with other artists), for the artists' record labels, companies and management, for the stallholders (catering, crafts, information), for the media who are represented there, for the city and its restaurants and tourist attractions ... everyone benefits.

  Community & Volunteer Involvement

Facepainting at WOMADelaide 2004

Community involvement and volunteer work assist in the organisation, planning and running of the festival.

The event is a community event and is highly anticipated and embraced as such (the audience grows each festival). APA works with the Adelaide City Council to achieve this and conduct a major marketing campaign to assist this. The administration, marketing and technical staff are paid, and some tertiary students do secondments and placements for the festival to gain experience eg. AIT, NIDA, VCA, Flinders University Cultural Tourism, Adelaide Hospitality School.

Until 2001 the only volunteers used were the artist 'minders' - about 15 of them - who look after the visiting interstate and international groups while they're here. They are responsible, trusted arts industry colleagues who know the festival and Adelaide well and who usually speak a second language fluently.

In 2001, in celebration of the United Nations International Year of Volunteers, 18 volunteers operated the festival's first ever information booth in Botanic Park. In 2004 this expanded to about 80 volunteers. Volunteers now work across many areas of the festival; merchandising, specials projects, visual arts etc.

  Representation and Respect for Indigenous Culture.

WOMADelaide has always presented a strong program of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) artists. Since 1992 it has featured 31 ATSI artists and groups at the 10 festivals and events it has presented; including interstate artists Mark Atkins, Waak Waak Jungi, Kerrianne Cox, Archie Roach, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Christine Anu, Coloured Stone, Jimmy Little, Kev Carmody, the Mornington Island Dancers, Ruby Hunter, Stiff Gins and Yothu Yindi.

Statewide, the 2001 festival poster artwork was by the Aboriginal woman artist Lexie Michaels from the Anangu Pitjantatjara (AP) lands in the north of South Australia. It was commissioned by the then Marketing Director for use on all of the festival's promotional materials. A group of artists from a number of AP communities travelled to the 2001 festival to present visual arts workshops and an 'inma' (dance ceremony). Additionally, the British visual artist & flagmaker Angus Watt did a six-week residency in the AP lands in mid 2000; Angus and the local artists produced a number of stunning handpainted silk flags and banners that were displayed at the 2001 festival and then taken back to the AP lands. A different group of women from other AP communities were invited to the 2003 festival as visual artists, and a number of them also performed an 'inma'.

The local Kaurna community and culture has been becoming more involved each festival. At the 99, 01, 03 and 04 festivals, an official 'Kaurna Welcome' has happened as the first thing on stage 1 on the opening night of WOMADelaide. Additionally, in 99, in association with Tandanya, the National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, an Kaurna Welcome for Artists was held the night before the festival opened.

At all festivals since 99, a local Kaurna group (Paitya Dance Group) has done dance and storytelling workshops for children in KidZone. At all festivals since 99, a number of free weekend festival passes have been provided to Kaurna community Elders.

In 2003 the Kaurna Welcome - traditionally one or two Elders doing a bilingual welcome - was lengthened into a 10-minute performance with six performers. In 2004 this grew to a 20-minute performance featuring nine performers. The 2005 program will include a Kaurna Welcome for Artists at Tandanya the night before the festival opens, a Kaurna Welcome on Stage 1 on the opening night of the festival and a 'wodoli knowledge house' hosted by people from the Kaurna community. A Kaurna 'information sheet' will be included in the artist kits distributed to over 300 artists upon arrival

  History of WOMAD

WOMADelaide 2004 - Opening Parade

Pure enthusiasm for music from around the world led Peter Gabriel, Thomas Brooman, and Bob Hooton to the idea of WOMAD in 1980. It was founded on the basis that many others would share their enthusiasm if only they had the opportunity to listen to some of the global sounds.

The idea for WOMAD (World Of Music, Arts & Dance) evolved from an idea Gabriel had at a concert involving an African group. This then developed into a much larger event incorporating music from all over the world. Despite a considerable lack of enthusiasm from most of the music business, the team gathered together a group of people who could create an event which would present music and dance from all over the world together with rock, jazz, and folk music from the West.

The financial realities of an event of this scale meant that a one off event was unreasonable, so the team started considering alternatives and thus the idea for a festival was born. The first festival took place in 1982 in Shepton Mallet in the UK.

WOMAD festivals are renowned for their unique mix of artists and distinctive, family-friendly atmosphere. The festivals are often weekend long events with artists programmed on several stages. Another distinctive element of a WOMAD festival is the program for workshops; the audience is encouraged to participate in, as well as watch and appreciate the action. Equally popular is the 'global village' of stalls where you can buy food for the body and soul; music, instruments, clothes jewelry and delicious meals.

Thomas Brooman remains the Artistic Director of the organisation.

  More Information about WOMADelaide

Contact

ARTS PROJECTS AUSTRALIA (EVENT MANAGER)
12 KING WILLIAM ROAD
UNLEY 5061 SOUTH AUSTRALIA

TEL +61 8 8271 1488
FAX +61 8 8271 9905

Or visit
Arts Projects Australia
WOMADelaide
www.womad.org