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.