Babel Med 2009 under mistral

We arrived in Marseille with 4 Beaufort but the sun was shining and the people were braving the wind drinking Ricard at the Vieux Port. 

Approximately 20 members attended our member meeting and annual general meeting where budgets were accepted and a new board was elected for the next year. Mrs. Hilde Bjorkum, Mr. Patrick De Groote and Mr. Erasmo Treglia will serve for another two year term on the board, which will benefit efficiency and communication of the working board.

Four new festivals have joined us officially at the AGM 2009. Vidor Festival in Nyíregyháza, Hungary, Le Voci dell Anima in Bari, Italy, Glatt & Verkehrt in Krems an der Donau, Austria and the Ulsan World Music Festival in Ulsan, South Korea. We happily welcome these 4 new members which will be presented in the next item on this blog.  

The EFWMF is also seeking to facilitate and intensify links to non-European festivals and other networks within the world music community. We organized an informal get-together with the members of Equation Musique (http://www.culturesfrance.com/programme/Equation-musique/ev2pg111.html). Culturesfrance and l’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie support the musical link with the African continent: backing up of festivals, networks, artists and the access to the international markets. Launched at Babel Med 2008 the purpose is to create the possibility for African professionals to meet their colleagues in other countries, to present their activities and to work out musical productions and international collaborations.  

On Thursday the 5^th edition of Babel Med Music kicked off with over 1500 music industry professionals spanning the five continents. Three nights we could enjoy 30 concerts over 20 countries. Kamel El Harrachi from Algeria enchanted us with his suave voice and Les Bantous de la Capitale played Congolese Rumba with so much passion that even the hardest dancer shaked his foot. The graceful African Amazon Sayon Bamba, originally from Conakry (Guinea) but adopted by Marseille, sings with a unique voice on the African women of the 21^st century. And the mystical women of the Mahoran culture of Mayotte DEBA created a great Sufi ceremony in which centuries-old chants and gracious dances celebrate the birth of Mohamed.  

We would like to thank the Babel Med team to invite us to their tradefair where we had the opportunity to network, develop new activities, detect new trends and exchange ideas and views in a good and warm atmosphere. We are looking forward to the 6^th edition.  

Next EFWMF meeting at Les Rencontres de Chants polyphoniques de Calvi, Corsica from September 17 till 20, 2009.  

EFWMF at Babel Med 2009

A large number of our members will be in Marseille to attend our annual general meeting and to be present at our stand n° 12 at the Babel Med tradefair. Please come and visit us if you need more info of our network or the various festival members. And don't forget our daily drinks at 5PM!

Babel Med 2009

MARSEILLE LISTENS TO THE SOUNDS OF THE WORLD!

From March 26 to 28, BABEL MED MUSIC makes Marseille the capital of the world music sound. As a forum of the music industry with a selection of concerts open to the general public, BABEL MED MUSIC has established itself as a unique World Music event since 2005.

For 3 days, artists and professionals from the four corners of the world shall gather to develop their activities, detect new trends and exchange ideas and views within the scope of meetings, conferences and debates.
The artists selected to take part in this trade show will perform in front of international festival directors and programming managers, artistic agents, current label corporations, as well as a curious public avid to discover new musical talents (12.000 people). 30 concerts in total with high quality listening conditions.

Building on its ever-increasing success, Babel Med Music positions itself as a professional marketplace adapted to the expectations of the various industry actors:

- presence of the EFWMF (European Forum of World Music Festivals)
- invitation of over 4000 festival representatives and programming managers from Europe & elsewhere
- marketplace forum: 130 organizations promoted through stands,
- approximately 1500 professionals from around 60 countries
- organization of conferences, debates and projections
- festival with a 5000 m² area open to the public and including 3 different stages

More info: www.dock-des-suds.org 

Upcoming Festivals NOV - DEC

20 November - 4 December 2008

The Jerusalem International Oud Festival

This year the ninth edition of the Jerusalem International Oud Festival goes far back in time and to distant regions. The journey in quest of eastern musical traditions takes you to the ancient cultures of Persia and Iraq, to distant Rajasthan in northern India, and will also bring you pearls from the Sufi tradition. Alongside some of the finest and most exciting Jewish and Arab Israeli performers, the festival is hosting musicians from Turkey, Greece, France and Italy this year, once more offering tribute to the Jewish poets of the Golden Age in Spain, alongside the great artists of Arabic art and popular song.

21 November - 24 December 2008

AFRICOLOR 's 20th anniversary

This 20th edition is placed under the fidelity sign towards artistes that played at the festival. Whether it is Nahawa Doumbia, who, from the first edition of Africolor in 1989, opened the doors to the Malian community, Kettly Noël that has been cherished since her first steps outside Haiti or Danyel Waro whose artistic exhanges keep on bringing light and renewance for the last 15 years.  Programming artists from the African continent, those who make our musical universe and our wordly perception more rich, has always been the festivals ambition. Their music has so much impregnated our identity that a new generation of musicians have been influenced to continue on this same road. This 20th edition is the party of all these encounters. 

Womex 2008 report

We are back from the lovely city of Seville where the food is excellent and the wine exquisite. The old city was again a labyrinth, especially at night, and the taxis sometimes hard to get.  We had 3 stands in hall 1 and it proved to be a good choice. Close to the outdoor corridor between hall 1 and 2 on one side and the internet access tables on the other side.

It was a very succesfull year with lots of members present and lots of visitors at our stand. And not only during the 5 o'clock drinks.  Almost 30 members flew to the trade fair to be at our stand, meet colleagues and business partners and network for 3 whole days. 

The drinks were a big success and even non-members brought us their favourite liquor or snack to enjoy and share.

On top of that, we are very pleased that so many new festivals from other continents showed interest in our network and consider strongly to become a member.  We will keep in touch with them in the near future.

Next edition will be in colder environments but not too worry we will be there again with our European delicacies and our inviting atmosphere. See you in Copenhagen!