WOMAD in Abu Dhabi

WOMAD was in town, and kudos to the Abu Dhabi government for making it a free for all event. I went for 2 of the 3 nights, and probably a good idea I dd not go on the 3rd night because sandstorms were in order. This was my first WOMAD, and I loved it!

I listened with awe the drumming/singing Chemirani's family originally from Iran and was near hynotised by the repetitive repetoire of God praising verses from Pakistani Fariz Ali Fariz. Trudging along the Corniche between acts, I arrived to the playful sounds of Babylon Circus in a slight sweat, and danced to the fusion beats of Transurban Global. And as Abri sang his heart out forehead glistening, young ladies in abayas excitedly took photos of each other whilst some Germans grooved to moves that looked like the twist, though not quite.

The soundscape was as amazing as it was odd. Odd because in this ever connected globe, where one comes into contact with people from all kinds of backgrounds, the sounds from their homeland still feels like my little peek into a backyard scarcely mentioned but always there.

WOMAD by the way stands for World Of Music Arts and Dance.Today where people are familiar with the likes of J Lo, Madonna, Chistina A, etc., regional music gets relegated to "World Music" status, the sounds of the " other" perhaps not unlike the "Best Film in a Foreign Language" category at the Oscars.I wonder if the mainstream music industry operates by a similar paradigm to the food engineers of Mcdonalds who strive to an empirical base for the taste palette so as to increase market and operational efficiency. I wonder if globalization actually reduces the rich tapestry of beats and tunes to a base toolset from which popular music derives, or if a certain range of sounds dominate so much others are drowned out.

To have regional music brought to the centre stage in this very diverse city reminds one that behind the common denominator of "hello"s and "how do you do"s exchanged in English, lie the intricate threads of culture invisible to those who do not see.

The last act I saw was Sierra Maestra. Around me were Filipinos, Europeans, Africans, and South Americans dancing to the Cuban beats in their own way.  There was a group of young men, most of whom wore the national costume save for an African looking boy who was teaching his mates to dance.

Sadly I missed out on the band from China, but that's cool, I have good access to the chinese music scene being the wife of an ex-drummer (OK, W says one can never stop being a drummer, but he'll have to contend with chopsticks for now...) I certainly look forward to WOMAD next year, and in the meantime, I found out that Indians and Egyptians have their own radio station in Dubai..

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