WOMAD Sri Lanka Festival of Drums

Colombo, Sri Lanka – WOMAD (World of Music, Arts & Dance) and the Sri Lanka Tourist Board are the local presenters of WOMAD Sri Lanka Festival of Drums. The event will take place from Wednesday 21 until Sunday 25 September 2005 in the magical island setting of Sri Lanka, with indoor and outdoor concerts and workshops in Colombo and special acoustic performances in Kandy.

The Festival which was originally planned for the end of March has been rescheduled to the new dates in view of the ongoing recovery process following the Boxing Day Tsunami.

Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) Chairman, Mr. Udaya Nanayakkara, said that a major international festival of this kind needs to be held in a climate of total recovery: “For the Festival of Drums to be a true bounce back celebration, we need to ensure that we are showing our best face to the world again – with the guarantee to provide the unique style of Sri Lankan hospitality we are famous for.”

“And, as this is the inaugural WOMAD Sri Lanka Festival of Drums, it is even more important that we are fully recovered. This is primarily why we have decided to present the Festival on the later dates of 21 – 25 September,” he said.

The festival program features both live performances and workshops from an absolutely all-star line-up.

Cuba’s inventive and soulful seven–piece group Asere will collaborate with the world’s number one drummer, Billy Cobham; and Bill will also be featured in solo performance and master classes.

From Central Africa, direct from Burundi, the Drummers of Burundi bring their compelling and ground-shaking rhythms for what will certainly be one of the highlights of the whole festival.

From Asia, meditative Taiko drumming is brought to Sri Lanka by Japanese master Joji Hirota; and audiences will also be able to experience the deft mastery of the Chemirami Zarb Trio from Iran.

The festival also features Colombia’s Totó La Momposina; improvisational beats from hot UK dance act The Bays; and many more artists from all over the globe.

Sri Lanka will provide the most beguiling of settings for this great musical feast. Some of the island’s most outstanding percussion and dance artists are also contributing to this unique event designed to celebrate the WOMAD Festival spirit. Classical Kandyan dancer and renowned boundary-breaking choreographer Ravibandhu Vidyapathy will coordinate and direct performances of the percussion and dance of Sri Lanka, bringing distinct drumming and dance traditions to the festival, reflecting the huge cultural diversity to be found throughout the island.

“We are excited to share our unique Sri Lankan drum legacy with the world music lovers. This ancient artistry, dating back over 2,500 years, is an intrinsic part of our culture and heritage, and we are proud to have the opportunity to showcase our own talents on the international stage,” said Mr Nanayakkara.

“WOMAD Sri Lanka Festival of Drums is one of the highlights of our tourism calendar for 2005, and we look forward to this festival becoming a substantial, signature event of our country over the coming years,” he added.

Mr Nanayakkara said the event is designed to become an annual event, and will put Sri Lanka on the map among world music lovers internationally.

“A festival of this kind has the potential to attract music lovers from around the globe, and once here, I am sure they will relish the opportunity to stay on and take advantage of all that Sri Lanka has to offer. The WOMAD Sri Lanka Festival of Drums will become the Sri Lankan equivalent to the famous Glastonbury Festival.” he said.

The Chairman also stressed the importance of the Festival, not only to visitors to the island, but to the Sri Lankan people. “Music has a way of bringing people together, and unity is more important than ever at this time,” he said.

The WOMAD organization was created in 1981 by a group of individuals, including the English singer and artist Peter Gabriel and Thomas Brooman, Artistic Director of WOMAD. Since 1981, WOMAD has produced over 145 music events in more than 22 countries, always aiming to offer audiences an insight into cultures other than their own through the enjoyment of music.

“By showcasing performances drawn from different cultures, we hope that many festival visitors will feel there is a global connection at work in these rhythms, also the idea of a relationship with the natural world.”

“We are delighted to be given this opportunity to bring WOMAD and its unique festival magic to the island of Sri Lanka. It is also exciting that this is the first time in our twenty-two years of festival presentation that we’ve been able to present a festival of drums. WOMAD hopes always to work as an agent of discovery and as a gateway to the rich diversity of the world around us… we are inspired by the opportunity to explore this cultural territory in the rich and beautiful environment of Sri Lanka, ” said Mr Thomas Brooman, Artistic Director, WOMAD

“We are very proud to work with Sri Lanka Tourism in this positive way during September and we sincerely hope that many of our established festival audience will decide to visit this beautiful country as a result of the festival,” he added.

Flying the Festival Flags

In the WOMAD tradition, a celebratory set of Sri Lanka Festival Flags will be created for the event.

This initiative – which will be known as the Sri Lankan Tourism Community Project (working title) – will bring together local Sri Lankan visual artists in collaboration with UK visual artist and flag-maker Angus Watt. The result will be a unique installation of flags designed specially for the Festival field on Galle Face Green.

Angus Watt’s wonderful shimmering silken ‘flag-scapes’ have featured at WOMAD festivals all around the world. His work crosses traditional boundaries, using colour, scale and movement to transform and enhance the theatricality of a space. Responding to the elements, the flags become proud signifiers, gatherings of texture and color, animated by wind and light.

Angus’ previous WOMAD collaborations include a project with the Aboriginal Pitjantjatjara women of South Australia at the ‘WOMADelaide’ event, and his work with the Sri Lankan artists is set to take him in an exciting new creative direction.

Angus said: “Something very special seems to happen to the flags at WOMAD. When the music starts, the undulating cloth and floating sounds seem to blend together perfectly, taking us all on a wonderful journey, deep into the real world of the senses!”

What’s Happening and Where?

Bishop’s College Auditorium, Colombo
Four indoor concerts will take place in this atmospheric theatre – each evening’s performance featuring a selection of two artists drawn from the festival programme. Provisional themes are: Wednesday 21 September, Welcome Ceremony and Opening Concert; Thursday 22 September, Africa; Friday 23 September, Latin America; Saturday 24 September, Asia (matinee).

Festival Field
Colombo’s Galle Face Green will form the main outdoor area of the festival, with two full evenings of performances on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 September. This lavishly decorated space will also feature a Global Village of crafts, textiles and musical instruments, as well as an exciting selection of Sri Lankan, Asian and other international cuisine.

Club
Evening ‘club sessions’ will be held at The Gallery on Beira Lake, Colombo – an informal meeting place throughout the festival period for audience and artists, forming a unique venue for musical dialogue and exchange.

Workshops
The festival will also offer participatory and close-up sessions, giving opportunities to learn about the background and individual cultures of the international artists at the festival. Workshop sessions held at The Gallery on Beira Lake, Colombo will feature active opportunities to take part in both drumming and dance.

Acoustic Concert
The festival week will also feature one early evening, atmospheric acoustic concert with two performances, on Thursday 22 September at Royal Peradeniya Botanical Gardens in Kandy.

Tickets

‘Access All Areas’ Tickets

‘Access All Areas’ tickets grant entry to all of the festival’s activities over five days. AAA ticket holders will have priority entry to all of the festival’s indoor theatre shows at Bishop’s College Auditorium, VIP access to late night club sessions at the festival club hotel and priority listing for daytime workshops and master classes. AAA tickets also grant access to a priority viewing area at the outdoor weekend concerts.

Each AAA ticket holder will also receive a bumper WOMAD Sri Lanka goody bag – a quality WOMAD canvas bag will contain: festival programme, special free CD, tourist guide & map to Sri Lanka and of course the special AAA ticket pass.

Price: £80 each (approx. US $155, SL Rupee 16,000, Sing $252, Euros 116)
Available exclusively through www.womadshop.com while stocks last

Single Show Theatre Tickets

Advance tickets will also be available for each of the four theatre performances at Bishop’s College Auditorium.
Price: £15 each (approx. US $29, SL Rupee 3,000, Sing $47, Euros 22)
Available exclusively through www.womadshop.com while stocks last

Full ticket details and festival updates are available at
www.womad.org/srilanka.

For information on traveling to Sri Lanka go to
www.srilankatourism.org.