Walking Away With the Music - ACE445.2

Spinning globe. Notices for WOMAD festival, 1988. The site. Caption: "Carlyon Bay, 1988." Crowds. Kwesi Owusu, Writer and Musician, says that WOMAD is "a rip-off" because it doesn’t recognise African culture on its own terms, but "appropriates it". Camping on the beach; musicians; dancers. Caption over: "W.O.M.A.D. – a world of music, arts and dance – is an organisation based in Bristol which promotes world music and dance. They release records, run an agency for bands, arrange tours, produce educational material and organise world music festivals. This year’s event at Carlyon Bay lasted 3 days. 6,000 people came and camped for the duration. W.O.M.A.D. brought in hundreds of musicians from all over the world to perform at this event. Kathakali Dancers; Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Pakistan; people in the campsite. Thomas Brooman, Artistic Director, W.O.M.A.D., talking about the background to the organisation. Globe. Eighteenth century painting of black military drummer. Two young white women explain why they’ve come to the festival. Pa Jobarteh, Gambia, playing the kora (harp-lute) and singing. Andy Kershaw, D.J., says WOMAD offers "new sounds for a bored culture". Jobarteh performing. Kershaw talking about disaffection with music played on radio and television. Owusu talking about the colonial resonances of the term "world music", now widely used to categorise non-Western music. Paintings of white aristocrats with black servants. Fatala,Guinea, led by Bruno Camara, performing. The black drummer painting. A member of Misty in Roots, U.K., say that the Western music industry controls music all over the world, and African musicians can only become very widely known if they are" controlled by Europe". A member of Shalawambe, Zambia, says he won’t know whether or not their music will go well in Europe until he hears the audience reaction. Shalawambe performing. His VO talking about changing musical styles and the financial aspects of the music business. Engraving of black musician; 17th century painting. WOMAD market and food stalls. Amrit Wilson, South Asian Solidarity Group, saying that multiculturalism in Britain means that people’s culture can be put into "little boxes, separated from their lives", which means that issues like racism and struggle are not dealt with as part of the culture.