WOMAD ( ; World of Music, Arts and Dance) is an international

arts festival An arts festival is a festival that can encompass a wide range of art forms including music, dance, film, fine art, literature, poetry and isn't solely focused on visual arts. Arts festivals may feature a mixed program that include music, lit ...

. The central aim of WOMAD is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance.

History

WOMAD was founded in 1980 by English rock musician

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

, with

Thomas Brooman Thomas Brooman (b. 1 April 1954) is a festival organiser and promoter of music, best known for his role as co-founder and artistic director of the WOMAD (World of Music Arts & Dance) festival organisation. Early life Born in Bristol in 1954, he ...

, Bob Hooton,

Mark Kidel Mark Kidel (born 6 July 1947) is a documentary filmmaker, writer and critic, working mostly in France and the UK. His award-winning films include portraits of Cary Grant, John Adams (composer), Elvis Costello, Boy George, Ravi Shankar, Rod Stew ...

, Stephen Pritchard,

Martin Elbourne Martin Elbourne (born 19 January 1957 in Carlisle, Cumberland) is an English performing arts promoter. Elbourne was brought up near the village of Knebworth, Hertfordshire. His first job, at age fifteen, was working for the local stately hom ...

and Jonathan Arthur. Original designers were Steve Byrne and Valerie Hawthorn. The first WOMAD festival was in

Shepton Mallet Shepton Mallet is a market town and civil parish in the Mendip District of Somerset, England, some south-west of Bath, south of Bristol and east of Wells. It had an estimated population of 10,810 in 2019. Mendip District Council is based ...

, UK in 1982. The audience saw

, Don Cherry, The Beat,

Drummers of Burundi The Royal Drummers of Burundi, commonly known in recordings as The Drummers of Burundi, is a percussion ensemble originally from Burundi. Their performances are a part of ceremonies such as births, funerals, and coronations of ''mwami'' (Kings). ...

, Echo & The Bunnymen,

Imrat Khan Imrat Khan (17 November 1935 – 22 November 2018) was an Indian sitar and surbahar player and composer. He was the younger brother of sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan.Farrell, Gerry (2001)"Khan, Imrat" ''Grove Music Online''. (subscription ...

, Prince Nico Mbarga, Peter Hammill,

Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for " Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United ...

, Suns of Arqa, The Chieftains and Ekome National Dance Company, founded by Barrington, Angie, Pauline and Lorna Anderson, the pioneering African arts company in the UK amongst others performing. Gabriel and his company, which had funded WOMAD, faced financial ruin from high costs of the festival in its very first year, worsened by the lack of suitable transport to the venue (Shepton Mallet Showground) and a lack of publicity. At the suggestion of Tony Smith, the manager of Gabriel and

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

, he and the remaining members of Genesis agreed to play together for a single show under the name ' Six of the Best' at Milton Keynes. This performance included a dynamic inclusion of Ekome National Dance Company, fusing live African Drum on Peter Gabriel's track 'Rhythm Of The Heat'. The show rescued the company and made it possible for further WOMAD events to take place. Since 1982, WOMAD Festivals have travelled all over the world, bringing artists to 27 countries and entertaining over one million people. The main UK event settled at Rivermead in

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, southeast England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers Thames and Kennet, the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway serve the town. Reading is east ...

, from 1990 until 2006. Before moving to its present home in Charlton Park, Wiltshire from 2007. In 2017 WOMAD UK marked its 35th anniversary. Headliners

Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and musician. He also has French citizenship.http://www.serbia.com/emir-kusturica-artist-builder-and-anti-glo ...

The No Smoking Orchestra The No Smoking Orchestra, frequently credited as Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra, is a Serbian garage rock band formed in Belgrade in 1993. The band was formed in 1993 by Nele Karajlić who, after relocating to Belgrade from Sarajevo, ...

Toots and The Maytals The Maytals, known from 1972 to 2020 as Toots and the Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group, one of the best known ska and rocksteady vocal groups. The Maytals were formed in the early 1960s and were key figures in popularizing reggae music. ...

, and

Roy Ayers Roy Ayers (born September 10, 1940) is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player, and music producer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at ...

Seun Kuti Oluseun Anikulapo Kuti (born 11 January 1983), who is called by the name Seun Kuti, is a Nigerian musician, singer and the youngest son of the famous Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Kuti. Seun leads his father's former band Egypt 80. Biography The y ...

Egypt 80 Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997), also known as Abami Eda, was a Nigerian musician, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist. He is regarded as the p ...

along with 30 other artists performed for a record-setting audience for the festival of 40,000 people. In 2022, after two forced cancellations due to the

Covid-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

pandemic the UK festival returned for its 40th anniversary.

appeared on stage with Friday night headliner

Angelique Kidjo Angelique or Angélique may refer to: * Angélique (given name), a French feminine name Arts and entertainment Music * Angélique (instrument), a string instrument of the lute family * ''Angélique'', a 1927 opéra bouffe by Jacques Ibert * ...

as well as introducing

Osibisa Osibisa are a Ghanaian-British Afro-Rock band founded in London in the late 1960s by four expatriate West African and three London based Caribbean musicians. Osibisa were the most successful and longest lived of the African-heritage bands in ...

on stage on Saturday afternoon. Other headliners included

The Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (k ...

, Fatoumata Diawara &

Lianne La Havas Lianne Charlotte Barnes (born 23 August 1989), known professionally as Lianne La Havas ( ), is a British singer-songwriter and record producer. Her career began after being introduced to various musicians, including singer Paloma Faith, for who ...

. Other keys acts across the weekend on other stages included

Kae Tempest Kae Tempest (formerly Kate Tempest; born 22 December 1985) is an English spoken word performer, poet, recording artist, novelist and playwright. At the age of 16, Tempest was accepted into the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in ...

Kanda Bongo Man Kanda Bongo Man (born Bongo Kanda; 1955) is a Congolese soukous musician. Kanda Bongo Man was born in Inongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He became the singer for Orchestra Belle Mambo in 1973, developing a sound influenced by Tabu Ley. ...

Gilberto Gil Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (; born 26 June 1942), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician, known for both his musical innovation and political activism. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Minister of Culture in the administration ...

The Selector ''Selector Radio'' is a weekly two-hour radio show produced by Folded Wing for the British Council. It covers a variety of music genres, ranging from grime, indie, soul, and dance and features live sessions and DJ mixes. Launched in 2001, as ...

and Les Amazones d'Afrique.

Festival recordings

A triple album was released in 2007 to make the 35th anniversary of WOMAD featuring recordings from many of the festivals in the UK and other sites across the world. Various other

Real World Records Real World Records is a British record label specializing in world music. It was founded in 1989 by English musician Peter Gabriel and original members of WOMAD. A majority of the works released on Real World Records feature music recorded ...

albums feature recordings from the 1982, 1988, 1996 and 2002 UK festivals. Artists such as 23 Skidoo,

Sons of Arqa A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current co ...

, Echo & The Bunnymen and

Tankus The Henge Tankus the Henge are a British band based in London. Initially based around the songwriting of Jaz Delorean, the band has developed a style of music which they term " gonzo rock 'n' roll", with influences from New Orleans jazz, psychedelic rock ...

have released recordings from the UK festivals. For the 40th anniversary of the first UK festival in 2022

released the "Live at WOMAD 1982" double album on CD, Vinyl and download featuring mostly previously unreleased recordings from the very first UK festival. The CD included two bonus songs. The vinyl included a replica of the original poster.

Ethos

From the outset, the WOMAD name has reflected the festival's idea; to be embracing but non-definitive, inspiring and outward looking; and more than anything, enthusiastic about a world that has no boundaries in its ability to communicate through music and movement.

Programming

WOMAD has always presented music that they felt to be of excellence, passion and individuality, regardless of musical genre or geographical origin. WOMAD encourages collaboration amongst the artists they invite to perform. The first WOMAD Festival in 1982 had Echo and the Bunnymen join forces with the

, and WOMAD Abu Dhabi 2010, saw a collaboration between Tinariwen, TV on the Radio members

Kyp Malone David Kyp Joel Malone (born February 27, 1973) is an American multi-instrumentalist and member of the bands TV on the Radio, Iran, Rain Machine, and Ice Balloons. Biography Malone grew up in Moon Township, Pennsylvania and moved to New Jersey for ...

and Tunde Adebimpe, Grammy-winning producer Ian Brennan (music producer, author), and the French Algerian Mehdi from Speed Caravan. *Workshops. Adult workshops are taken by the musicians and will involve dance, musical instruments and discussions. Children's workshops involve painting, circus skills, graffiti, modelling, story telling and more. *Taste The World. Musicians cook a choice of dish from their home country in front of an audience. *Global Market. The Global Market sells international food and wares.

UK Location

WOMAD in the UK takes place in the grounds of Charlton Park, a stately home in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

. The arena holds at least 5 main stages with a further one in the Arboretum. An old fashioned steam fair, global market, children's area, wellbeing section is also found on the WOMAD UK festival site. WOMAD Charlton Park falls on the last complete weekend in July. In 2019 the capacity of the festival was 40,000.

Previous UK Locations

After the debut 1982 performance at the Bath & West Showground the festival took a sabbatical. There were some WOMAD events in 1983 at the ICA in London as part of a collaboration with Capital Radio Festival to see if there was still an audience for the brand. 1985 saw the festival move to Mersea Island in Essex with New Order, The Fall, Toots & The Maytals,

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan ( pa, ; born Pervez Fateh Ali Khan; 13 October 1948 – 16 August 1997) was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. He was primarily a singer of qawwali — a form of Sufi devotional music. Sometimes ...

The Pogues The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse" ...

A Certain Ratio A Certain Ratio (abbreviated as ACR) are an English post-punk band formed in 1977 in Flixton, Greater Manchester by Peter Terrell (guitar, electronics) and Simon Topping (vocals, trumpet), with additional members Jez Kerr (bass, vocals), Martin ...

and

Penguin Cafe Orchestra The Penguin Cafe Orchestra (PCO) were an avant-pop band led by English guitarist Simon Jeffes. Co-founded with cellist Helen Liebmann, it toured extensively during the 1980s and 1990s. The band's sound is not easily categorized, having elemen ...

performing amongst others. (A section of Nusrat's performance was released on CD in 2019). 1986 the festival moved to Kenn Pier Farm, Clevedon, Somerset and saw performances from

Gil Scott-Heron Gilbert Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) was an American jazz poet, singer, musician, and author, known primarily for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician Brian Ja ...

, Misty In Roots, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Housemartins,

Youssou N'Dour Youssou N'Dour (, wo, Yuusu Nduur; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine describe ...

, The Bhundu Boys,

Aswad Aswad are a British reggae group, noted for adding strong R&B and soul influences to the reggae sound. They have been performing since the mid-1970s, having released a total of 21 albums. Their UK hit singles include the number one " Don't ...

Hugh Masekela Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and for ...

, 23 Skidoo and The Blue Aeroplanes amongst many others 19–20 July. In 1987 WOMAD hosted the new world-music-focused third stage at

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

that went on to be called The Jazz World (and later, West Holts) stage. 1987 also saw the first of the WOMAD weekenders in Carlyon Bay, Cornwall (The Coliseum) that ran annually until 1993. ( The Durutti Column released recordings from their performance here in the late 1980s). There was a folk & blues WOMAD event in 1988 at the South Hill Park Arts Centre in Bracknell. (A recording from this event was later released on CD). 1989 to 1997 WOMAD weekender events were held in Morecambe Bay, Lancashire so that the brand weren't accused of being "southern-centric". 1990-2006 The Rivermead Centre (and later Little John's Farm),

was the permanent WOMAD UK festival home before the festival moved to its current home in Wiltshire due to needing to expand, by the time the festival had expanded and needed to move there were three stages: The Open Air, Siam and Village. (Recordings exist from several of the events). 1988 saw the Siam Tent first introduced. 2003-2005 saw additional events at

The Eden Project The Eden Project ( kw, Edenva) is a visitor attraction in Cornwall, England, UK. The project is located in a reclaimed china clay pit, located from the town of St Blazey and from the larger town of St Austell.Ordnance Survey (2005). ''OS ...

, including a special Live 8 performance (released on CD & DVD). Fri 22/08/2003: Eden Arena: Afro Celt Sound System Los De Abajo Chico Cesar Humid & Tropical Biomes & The Indigo Tent: The Patrick Duff Band Madosini & Vuyo Patrick Duff, Madosini & Vuyo The Dhol Foundation Chartwell Dutiro Gwenno The Link Building: 1 Giant Leap Pathaan DJ Desperado Fri 27/08/2003: "A SUMMERS NIGHT OF MUSIC" SHOW OF HANDS (UK) SUSANA BACA (Peru), THE CAT EMPIRE (Australia) ASERE (Cuba) LAYE SOW (Senegal) DREAMCATCHER (UK) DREADZONE SOUND SYSTEM (UK) CHARLIE GILLETT (UK) Sat 02/07/2005 "Live 8 - Africa Calling" Hosted by Peter Gabriel and Youssou N'dour Angelique Kidjo Maryam Mursal Salif Keita Thomas Mapfumo & the Blacks Unlimited Tinariwen Daara J Akim El Sikameya Shikisha Ayub Ogada Modou Diouf & O Fogum WOMAD came to

Bristol Zoo Bristol Zoo was a zoo in the city of Bristol in South West England. The zoo's stated mission was to "maintain and defend” biodiversity through breeding endangered species, conserving threatened species and habitats and promoting a wider unders ...

in 2011, with a subsequent event in 2012. A boycott of the 2012 event was called for by the

Captive Animals Protection Society Freedom for Animals (FFA) is the working name of the Captive Animals' Protection Society, a charity registered in England campaigning to end the display of animals in zoos, and the use of animals in entertainment, such as circuses, the exotic ...

because of concerns that noise from the festival could affect the animals' welfare. 2011 event (£20 adults over 15, children 3-14 £5, under 3 free): Biram Seck, Gabby Young and Other Animals, Muntu Valdo, Rua MacMillan, Siyaya, The Magic Tombolinos 2012 event (same prices): Ballet Nimba, Jaipur Kawa Brass Band, Perunika, Ska Cubano, Spiro, The Boxettes 2013 event (£17.50 for adults this year): Diabel Cissokho, Katy Carr & the Aviators, Sarah Savoy and the Francadians, The Dhol Foundation, The Barons of Tang. (Radio Womad were also present at all three Bristol Zoo events). 2022 saw a free WOMAD commissioned event at the South Bank Centre featuring an hour long performance by

Yazz Ahmed Yazz Ahmed (born 1983) is a British- Bahraini trumpeter, flugelhornist and composer. Her music mixes Arabic and Western influences. She has worked with Toshiko Akiyoshi, Rufus Reid, John Zorn, Ash Walker, the London Jazz Orchestra, and also ...

Reading Highlights

2001

Friday - Soweto String Quartet (South Africa) - Kazufumi 'Echo' Kodama (Japan) - Mabulu (Mozambique) - Asian Dub Foundation (UK) - Ballet Folklorico Cutumba (Santiago de Cuba) - Rachid Taha (Algeria) - Joji Hirota & the London Metropolitan Ensemble (Japan/UK) - Dounia (Sicily) - Paul James & Mark Hawkins (UK) Saturday - Siyaya (Zimbabwe) - Tarras (UK) - Hamid Baroudi (Algeria) - Oliver Mutukudzi & The Black Spirits (Zimbabwe) - Kazufumi 'Echo' Kodama (Japan) - Imbizo with special guests Nuclearte (Zimbabwe/Sicily) - Cecile Kayirebwa (Rwanda) - Jose Merce (Spain) - Juan de Marcos' Afro-Cuban All Stars (Cuba) - Modou Diouf & Beugue Djamm (Senegal) - Cachaito Lopez (Cuba) - Cheikh Lo (Senegal) - Dounia (Sicily) - Whirl-Y-Gig Sunday - Regis Gizavo (Madagascar) - Orchestre National de Barbes (Magreb/France) - Shilpi Baruri - Badenya les Freres Coulibaly (Burkina Faso) - Danza Libre (Cuba) - Hamid Baroudi (Algeria) - Badejo Arts (Nigeria) - Trilok Gurtu (India) - Oliver Mutukudzi & The Black Spirits (Zimbabwe) - Siyaya (Zimbabwe) - Mushtaq (UK) - Whirl-Y-Gig

2002

Abdelkader Saadoun (Algeria/UK); Anouskha Shankar (India); Bob Brozman/Rene Lacaille/Takashi Hirayasu (USA/New Guinea Islands/Japan); Cara Dillon (UK); Ernest Ranglin (Jamaica); Francis Dunnery (UK); Gigi (Ethiopia); Issa Bagayogo (Mali); Lokua Kanza (Zaire); Los De Abajo (Mexico); Pina (Austria); Rachid Taha (Algeria); Rebecca Malope (South Africa); Ronu Majumdar Trio with special guest Trilok Gurtu (India); Souad Massi (Algeria); Tartit Ensemble (Mali) and Trio Mocoto (Brazil); Adrian Sherwood (UK); Bill Cobham (USA); Asere (Cuba); The Bisserov Sisters (Bulgaria); Misty In Roots (UK); Orchestra Baobab (Senegal); Papa Noel & Papi Oviedo (Congo); King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall (Nigeria); Kanda Bongo Man (Congo); The Walkabouts (USA); and The Shrine (UK); System 7 (UK)

2003

Friday 25 July 1 Giant Leap (UK) with special guest appearances from Baaba Maal (Senegal) and Maxi Jazz (UK); Amampondo (South Africa), Amjad Ali Khan (India); Bembeya Jazz (Guinea); Celloman (UK); Chico César (Brazil); Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks (USA); Eliza Carthy Big Band (England); Joji Hirota and Taiko Drummers (Japan/UK); Julien Jacob (Benin/West Indies/France); McKay (USA); Modeste Hugues (Madagascar); Pape & Cheikh (Senegal); Sevara Nazarkhan (Uzbekistan); Sotho Sounds (Lesotho) and The Suspects - Soul 'n' Rhythm Revue (UK). CLUB WOMAD - DJ Gilles Peterson (UK); The Cat Empire (Australia) and DJ Desperado (UK). KITTY CANDLE'S CABARET - Clive Andrews (Australia); Stretch People (UK); Heir of Insanity (UK); Martinez and Fabriga(UK); Woody Bop Muddy (UK) and Les Goulus (France). Saturday 26 July Ali Slimani (Algeria/UK); Amampondo (South Africa); Asad Qizilbash (Pakistan); Clave y Guaguancó (Cuba); Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks (USA); Jimmy Cliff (Jamaica); JJC and the 419 Squad (UK/Nigeria); Julien Jacob (Benin/WestIndies/France); Liam Gerner (Australia); Lo'Jo (France); Nitin Sawhney (UK); Pape & Cheikh (Senegal); Samba Sunda (Java); Super Rail Band of Bamako (Mali); Temple of Sound (UK): Teofilo Chantre (Cap Verde) and The Cat Empire (Australia). CLUB WOMAD - DJ Mr Scruff (UK) and Homelife (UK). KITTY CANDLE'S CABARET - Clive Andrews (Australia); Stretch People (UK); Heir of Insanity (UK); Martinez & Fabriga (UK); Woody Bop Muddy (UK)and Les Goulus (France). Sunday 27 July Asad Qizilbash (Pakistan); Claude Chaloub & special guest Ronu Majumdar (Lebanon/India); Ensemble Kaboul (Afghanistan); Errol Linton's Blues Vibe (UK); Kad Achouri (France/Spain/Algeria); Khaled (Algeria); Manecas Costa (Guinea Bissau); Manu Dibango & Ray Lema (Cameroon/Democratic Republic of Congo); Ojos de Brujo (Spain); Oumou Sangare (Mali); Rodrigo and Gabriela (Mexico); Sevara Nazarkhan (Uzbekistan); Sierra Maestra (Cuba); Super Rail Band of Bamako (Mali); The Angel Brothers & Satnam Singh (UK/India); The Proclaimers (Scotland) and Totonho y Os Cabra (Brazil). CLUB WOMAD - Future World Funk (UK); Pardesi Music Machine (UK) and Pathaan (UK). KITTY CANDLE'S CABARET - Clive Andrews (Australia); Stretch People (UK); Heir of Insanity (UK); Martinez & Fabriga (UK); Woody Bop Muddy (UK) and Les Goulus (France).

2004

FRIDAY 23 JULY Andrea Echeverry de Aterciopelados (Colombia); Ceilidh featuring Tiger Moth (UK); David Byrne featuring The Tosca Strings (USA); Dhol Foundation (UK); Fawzy Al-Aiedy (Iraq/France); Golden Pride Children's Choir (Tanzania); Izzi Dunn (UK); Laye Sow (Senegal); Patrick Duff and Alex Webb (UK); Radio Mundial (USA/Puerto Rico); Richard Bona (Cameroon); Sharon Shannon (Ireland); Souad Massi (Algeria); The Drummers of Burundi (Burundi); Yelemba d'Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) and Zaman Zaki (Pakistan). KITTY CANDLE'S CABARET - Les Têtes de Vainqueurs (France); Les Goulus (France); Mimbre (Italy/Sweden); Mr Dennis Teeth (UK); Stickleback Plasticus (UK). CLUB WOMAD - DJ Andy Kershaw (UK) and JJC & 419 Squad (Nigeria/UK). SATURDAY 24 JULY Culture Musical Club - Grand Orchestre Taarab de Zanzibar (Tanzania); Daara J (Senegal); Damien Dempsey (Ireland); Drum Drum (Australia/Papua New Guinea); Golden Pride Children's Choir (Tanzania); Hot Tuna (USA); Imbongi & Albert Nyathi (Zimbabwe); Kila (Ireland); Malouma (Mauritania); Marsada (Sumatra); Michael Messer (UK); Moon Dogs (UK); N'faly Kouyate & Dunyakan (Guinea); Nigel Kennedy and Kroke (UK/Poland); Rokia Traore (Mali); Sidestepper (Colombia/UK); The Drummers of Burundi (Burundi); Tinariwen (Mali); Yair Dalal (Israel); Yelemba d'Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) and Zaman Zaki (Pakistan). KITTY CANDLE'S CABARET - Les Têtes de Vainqueurs (France); Les Goulus (France); Mimbre (Italy/Sweden); Mr Dennis Teeth (UK); Stickleback Plasticus (UK). CLUB WOMAD - The Bays (UK), Future World Funk (UK) and Resin Dogs (Australia). SUNDAY 25 JULY Aayjemaal (Turkmenistan); Amparanoia (Spain); Antonio Forcione & Ronu Majumdar (Italy/India); Ba Cissoko (Guinea); Daby Toure (Mauritania); DJ Dolores & Aparelhagem (Brazil); Enzo Avitabile & Bottari (Italy); Jim Moray (England); Liu Fang (China); Ljiljana Buttler & Mostar Sevdah Reunion (Bosnia); Luciano (Jamaica); Señor Coconut (Germany/Denmark/Venezuela); The Suspects Soul 'n' Rhythm Revue (UK); Wire Daisies (UK) and a Gala performance with Yair Dalal featuring Jim Moray, Liu Fang, N'faly Kouyate with Dunyakan, Chris Difford, Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady & Barry Mitterhof. KITTY CANDLE'S CABARET - Les Têtes de Vainqueurs (France); Les Goulus (France); Mr Dennis Teeth (UK); Stickleback Plasticus (UK); Tuyo (Cuba/UK). CLUB WOMAD - artists soon to be announced. KID'S PROCESSION - including work by WOMAD's 2004 resident visual artists The Mora Brothers from Cuba.

Charlton Park Highlights

2007

The first year on the new site was also a very rainy and muddy year with festival goers nicknaming the site "WOMUD".

2008

Due to the previous year's flooding and some inaccessibility, the site was moved around and expanded. Stages included: Open Air, Siam Tent, Big Red Tent, Little Sicily, Dance Tent, Drum Tent, BBC Radio 3 Stages & Taste The World Stage. Also, the first year Radio Womad broadcast was launched.

2012

Capacity is nearly doubled to 40,000

2013

The headliners appearing on the Open Air and Siam Tent were Gilberto Gil, Rokia Traore, Seun Kuti and Lee "Scratch" Perry with Max Romeo (replaced Toots and the Maytals) Arrested Development were also added to the line-up later on Adjágas (Norway) Alice Russell (dropped out) Replaced by DJ Cheeba (UK) Amesmalua (Spain) Asif Ali Khan (Pakistan) Bwani Junction (UK) Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino (Italy) Carminho (Portugal) Christine Salem (Reunion) David Rodigan MBE (UK) David Wax Museum (USA) Debapriya & Samanwaya (India) Dizu Plaatjies and the Ibuyambo Ensemble (South Africa) Dub Inc (France) Emel Mathlouthi (Tunisia) Fanfare Ciocarlia (Romania) Fimber Bravo (Trinidad & Tobago) Flavia Coelho( Brazil) Fredy Massamba (Congo) GOCOO (Japan) Hidden Orchestra (UK) Huun-Huur-Tu (Russia) Iadoni (Georgia) Jagwa Music (Tanzania) Jesca Hoop (USA) Katy Carr & The Aviators (UK/Poland) Kissmet (India) La Chiva Gantiva (Colombia/Belgium/Vietnam/France) Le Vent Du Nord (Canada) Lévon Minassian (Armenia) Mala in Cuba (UK) Malawi Mouse Boys (Malawi) Malouma (Mauritania) Mohammad Reza Mortazavi (Iran) Mokoomba (Zimbabwe) Nano Stern (Chile) Ondatrópica (Colombia) Parov Stelar Band (Austria) Riot Jazz Brass Band (UK) Sam Lee and Friends (UK) Schlachthofbronx (Germany) Spoek Mathambo (South Africa) Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys (USA) Syd Arthur (UK) Tamikrest (Mali) The Bombay Royale (India/Australia) The Heavy (UK) Urna & Kroke (Mongolia/Poland) BBC Radio 3 Stage: Mavrika (Greece) Barrule (Isle of Man) Family Atlantica (Ghana) Lucas Santtana (Brazil) Zykopops (Croatia) Roopa Panesar (United Kingdom) Imperial Tiger Orchestra (Switzerland) Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band (United States) DJ Tudo e sua gente de todo lugar (Brazil) La Pegatina (Spain) Fidan Hajieva (Azerbaijan) Guy Schalom & The Baladi Blues (Egypt) DaWangGang (China (People's Republic)) KonKoma (Ghana) Red Hot Chilli Pipers (Scotland)

2014

The 2014 headliners included Youssou N'Dour, Sinead O'Connor, Manu Dibango and Les Ambassadeurs. Sinead O'Connor replaced Bobby Womack, who had died a handful of weeks before the festival. She dedicated her performance to him.

2020

WOMAD UK cancelled due to the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

pandemic. The festival, Radio Womad and BBC Radio 3 run a free on-line only "WOMAD at Home" event the same weekend with exclusive and archive performances. Also, Will Lawton and the Alchemists gain permission to access the site and recorded a short two song set and are "The only band to play WOMAD 2020", with the video and images being released via their Facebook and Instagram accounts. "WOMAD at Home" T-shirts are sold to help raise funds for the festival crews affected by the forced unemployment.

2021

WOMAD UK cancelled again. Radio WOMAD again broadcast exclusive live shows from the presenters respective homes over the weekend.

2022

40th anniversary festival. *

Abel Selaocoe Abel ''Hábel''; ar, هابيل, Hābīl is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He was the younger brother of Cain, and the younger son of Adam and Eve, the first couple in Biblical history. He was a shepherd ...

* Adg7 *

Alban Claudin Alban may refer to: *Alban (surname) *Alban (given name) *Alban people, Latin people from the city of Alba Longa. *Things or people from or related to Alba (Gaelic for 'Scotland') * Alban wine, a wine of Ancient Rome from Colli Albani * Alban Vin ...

(Peter Gabriel performed on the encore with her) * B.Dance * Bab'bluz *

Barmer Boys Barmer Boys is an Indian musical group produced by Amarrass Records. They belong to the Manganiyar Sufi Muslims community from Rajasthan History It formed in 2011 at the Amarrass Desert Music Festival. The group performed in India, Asia, Eur ...

* Bess Atwell *

Cimafunk Erik Alejandro Iglesias Rodríguez (born 1989), known professionally as Cimafunk, is a Cuban musician known for mixing funk and hip hop with Cuban and Afro-Caribbean music. His most recent album ''El Alimento'' was released in October 2021. B ...

Dizraeli Rowan Alexander Sawday, better known by his stage name Dizraeli, is a British rapper, poet and musician from Bristol, England. Though rooted strongly in hip-hop traditions, his work draws inspiration from old folk music, recognising the common ...

* DJ Alikat *DJ

Chris Tofu Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name *Chris Abani (born 1966), Nig ...

And

Fizzy Gillespie Effervescence is the escape of gas from an aqueous solution and the foaming or fizzing that results from that release. The word effervescence is derived from the Latin verb ''fervere'' (to boil), preceded by the adverb ''ex''. It has the same lin ...

*DJ

Sacha Dieu Sasha is a unisex name which originated in Eastern and Southern European countries as the shortened version of Alexander and Alexandra. It is also used as a surname, although very rarely. Alternative spellings include: ( – Russian, Ukrainian ...

Dudu Tassa David "Dudu" Tassa ( he, דודו טסה; born February 10, 1977) is an Israeli rock musician, singer, songwriter and record producer of Mizrahi Jewish descent. Besides having had a successful solo career in Israel, Tassa has been the leader of t ...

And The Kuwaits *

Elaha Soroor Elaha Soroor also spelled as Elaha Sorur ( prs, الهه سرور); (born in 1988) is a pop singer from Afghanistan. She participated in the musical reality show ''Afghan Star'', a television program similar to the ''Idol'' franchise. She is a m ...

And Kefaya Electric Jalaba * Fantastic Negrito *

Father of Mylo A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...

* Fatoumata Diawara *

Fulu Miziki Kollectiv (), is a term for Taoist incantations and magic symbols, written or painted as talisman or () by Taoist practitioners. These practitioners are also called () or the sect, an informal group made up of priests from different schools of Ta ...

Future Shape of Sound The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currentl ...

& Family *

Gonne Choi Gonne may refer to: * A medieval hand cannon * Maud Gonne (1866–1953), English-born Irish revolutionary * Iseult Gonne Iseult Lucille Germaine Gonne (6 August 1894 – 22 March 1954) was the daughter of the Irish republican revolutionary ...

Greentea Peng Aria Wells, known professionally as Greentea Peng, is a neo-soul and self-described 'psychedelic R'n'B' singer and songwriter from south east London, UK. Her musical influences include Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Miss Dynamite and Lily Allen. Her ...

(cancelled just prior to the festival) * Grupo Lokito *Guo Yue & Joji Hirota & members of the London

Taiko are a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called and to the form of ensemble drumming ...

Drummers * Gwenifer Raymond *

Hatis Noit Hatis ( hy, Հատիս), formerly known as Kyankyan, is a village in the Kotayk Province of Armenia. The village is populated by mostly Armenians with Kurds being a minority (about 8%). See also *Kotayk Province Kotayk ( hy, Կոտայք, ...

* Hollie Cook *

Isona job artgheh Isona is a locality located in the municipality of Isona i Conca Dellà, in Province of Lleida province, Catalonia, Spain. As of 2020, it has a population of 570. Isona is the capital of the municipality of Isona i Conca Dellà Isona i Conca ...

* Jack Baldus * Jali Bakary Konteh & The Minyanta Band *

Joe Armon-Jones Joseph Armon-Jones (born February 1993) is a British musician, keyboardist, composer, producer and bandleader. His debut album, ''Starting Today'', was released in May 2018 and his second album, ''Turn To Clear View'', was released in September ...

Joseph Tawadros Joseph Tawadros (born 6 October 1983) is an Egyptian-born Coptic Australian multi-instrumentalist and oud virtuoso. Tawadros has won the ARIA Award for Best World Music Album five times: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2020. and 2021. Biography His fami ...

Johanna Juhola Reaktori Johanna is a feminine name, a variant form of Joanna that originated in Latin in the Middle Ages, including an -h- by analogy with the Latin masculine name Johannes. The original Greek form ''Iōanna'' lacks a medial /h/ because in Greek /h/ c ...

* JSSO Project *

* Kampire *

* Khiyo *

King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the t ...

(cancelled during the festival) * Lazy Habits * Les Amazones d'Afrique *

* Mariachi Las Adelitas *

Mazaher Mazaher is an ensemble in which women play a leading role. The musicians of Mazaher, Umm Sameh, Umm Hassan, Nour el Sabah, are among the last remaining Zār In the cultures of the Horn of Africa and adjacent regions of the Middle East, ''Zār ...

* Minyo Crusaders * Mister Tooley (DJ şet) *

Mr Bruce ''Mister'', usually written in its contracted form ''Mr.'' or ''Mr'', is a commonly used English honorific for men without a higher honorific, or professional title, or any of various designations of office. The title 'Mr' derived from earlier ...

* Nabiyah Iqbal (DJ set) * Nihiloxica * Nitin Sawhney (also hosted a Q&A the day prior) * Nubiyan Twist *

Olcay Bayir Olcay is a common unisex Turkish given name A Turkish name consists of an ''ad'' or an ''isim'' (given name; plural ''adlar'' and ''isimler'') and a ''soyadı'' or ''soyisim'' (surname). Turkish names exist in a "full name" format. While there is ...

* Onipa *

(introduced on stage by Peter Gabriel) *

Paolo Tossio Paolo is both a given name and a surname, the Italian form of the name Paul. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Paolo Art *Paolo Alboni (1671–1734), Italian painter *Paolo Abbate (1884–1973), Italian-American s ...

Project Smok A project is any undertaking, carried out individually or collaboratively and possibly involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular goal. An alternative view sees a project managerially as a sequence of even ...

* Ram *

Ramy Essam Ramy Essam ( ar, رامي عصام, ; born 1987 in Mansoura) is an Egyptian musician. He is best known for his appearances in Tahrir Square in Cairo during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. Ramy is one of the few singers in Middle East to sing ha ...

* Said Muti * Sam Amidon * Sarathy Korwar *

Seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosper ...

. *

Sona Jobarteh Sona Jobarteh (born 1983) is a Gambian multi-instrumentalist, singer and composer. She is from one of the five principal kora-playing griot families of West Africa, and is the first female professional kora player to come from a griot family. S ...

Son Rompe Pera Son Rompe Pera is a Mexican fusion band based in Naucalpan, a suburb of Mexico City. Primarily based on cumbia they integrate to their concept the use of Mexican marimba music traditional in the folkloric of their country and such other genres as ...

Soul Professor In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest at ...

Stornoway Stornoway (; gd, Steòrnabhagh; sco, Stornowa) is the main town of the Western Isles and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it by far the largest town in the Outer Hebrides, as well ...

* Sugarhill Gang & The Furious Five (cancelled prior to the festival) *

Taraf De Caliu ''Taraf'' ("Side" in Turkish) was a liberal newspaper in Turkey. It had distinguished itself by opposing interference by the Turkish military in the country's social and political affairs. It was distributed nationwide, and had been in circulati ...

The Bandit A bandit is a person who engages in banditry. Bandit, The Bandit or Bandits may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * '' A Bandit'', a 1913 short film starring Fatty Arbuckle * ''The Bandit'' (1946 film), an Italian drama ...

The Dhol Foundation The Dhol Foundation is both a dhol drum institute in London and a musical group playing bhangra music. The dhol school was founded in 1989 by former Alaap member Johnny Kalsi when several musicians asked him to be their teacher, and a first alb ...

The Fontanas ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

The Garifuna Collective Danny Michel is a Canadian songwriter and producer. Highlights Between 2006 & 2015 Michel performed over 70 times as the musical guest on Stuart McLean's ''The Vinyl Cafe''. In 2008 "''Feather, Fur & Fin''" landed on the ''Playlist for the Pl ...

(cancelled last minute and were replaced by a 2nd performance by Mr. Bruce) *

The Hempolics ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

* The Malmesbury Project With Amaraterra *The Mauskovic Dance Band * The Selecter * Too Many T's *

Vision Collective Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...

Voka Gentle The Vlaams Economisch Verbond (VEV) is a Flemish employers' organization and lobbying group. The main objectives of the organization were the development of the Flemish economy and to improve the status of Flemish as a business language in Flan ...

* Zed Bias

Worldwide locations

* WOMADelaide,

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, South Australia *WOMAD New Plymouth, Taranaki,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

*WOMAD Abu Dhabi,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dha ...

, UAE *WOMAD Cáceres,

Extremadura Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, it ...

, Spain *WOMAD Sicily,

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, Italy *WOMAD Las Palmas de Gran Canaria,

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, :es:Canarias, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

*WOMAD

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

, Chile WOMAD New Plymouth 2021 was cancelled in 2020 due to

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

complications; because of New Zealand's social distancing regulations during the emergence of COVID, its local organizing committee argued that the financial risk was too high if restrictions were to potentially be reinstated in close proximity to the event.

Previous Worldwide Locations

*WOMAD USA (recordings from this event were released on CD) *WOMAD Finland *WOMAD Portugal *WOMAD South Africa *WOMAD Athens *WOMAD Austria *WOMAD Germany *WOMAD Japan *WOMAD Canada *WOMAD Denmark *WOMAD Russia *WOMAD Turkey *WOMAD Italy *WOMAD Singapore (recordings from these events were released on CD) *WOMAD at the Venice Carnival (recordings from this event were released on CD)

Radio WOMAD

Based on Charlton Park every year since the second year (2008) the UK festival moved there, the official festival radio station is broadcast on a temporary FM licence (usually on 87.7FM) just prior to the festival opening its gates to the public and broadcasts 24 hours a day every day until late Monday after the public gates have closed. Each year the station hosts several exclusive live sessions and interviews from artists playing at the festival across the weekend. The FM signal reaches about ten miles away from the festival site. During the forced cancellations of the festival in 2020 and 2021 the radio station was set up to broadcast remotely from several of the presenter's homes across the UK and was broadcast live via

Mixcloud Mixcloud is a popular British online music streaming service that allows for the listening and distribution of radio shows, DJ mixes and podcasts, which are crowdsourced by its registered users. In April 2018, Mixcloud announced that it raised $ ...

where listeners could also interact with other listeners and the presenters for the "WOMAD at home" events. The shows showcased several highlights of previous live sessions from their archives. There was also a special live x-mas show in 2021 and two special live announcement shows in early 2022, to tie in with the line-up announcement from the festival, broadcast from station manager Steve Satan's kitchen.

References

External links

Official WOMAD websiteOfficial WOMADelaide websiteOfficial WOMAD New Zealand websiteOfficial WOMAD Abu Dhabi website
{{DEFAULTSORT:World Of Music, Arts And Dance World music festivals Peter Gabriel Music festivals established in 1986