A World of Music, WOMAD Festival Abu Dhabi

I used to be really in to the Putumayo world music albums and listened to everything from “French Cafe” to “North African Groove.” These albums allowed me to close my eyes and get far away from my actual self, not yet traveled, and live an imagined life where I was changing the world, jumping off waterfalls, and dancing to a hole in the wall Cuban band fueled by never ending sangria. These day dreams would last for at least the 3 minutes and forty five second duration of the song, when I would wake to the realization that I had dreamt right through my bus stop and was going to have to walk up sehome hill if I wanted to make it to my Geology lab.

Years after passing Geology class and leaving my home town, I still love these albums. Now, instead of providing the soundtrack to an infinite list of imagined adventures, they are reminiscent of places I have actually seen, people I have salsa danced with, and exotic cuisine I have helped prepare. Our auditory sense has the ability to transport the mind to a re-lived memory or to create a whole new, imagined experience. The world music genre is especially intriguing because it can do both of these things at once: remind and inspire. This rang and sang true for me last month when I attended World Of Music Arts and Dance WOMAD located on Abu Dhabi’s corniche, during one of those perfectly breezy Middle Eastern Spring evenings. In one sitting I heard French folk, reggae, Iraqi jazz, African drumming and a very unique hybrid of Celtic trans…River Trans? This festival was like the ultimate mix CD with the mixed crowd of world music patrons to match.

The corniche is a prime strip of waterfront property extending four kilometers with a public beach, picnic spots, and facilities for athletes. Event planners set up two stages on opposite ends of the beach utilizing that old party trick where you space out your seating throughout the venue to encourage guests to move about and mingle. Fitting with the multi-cultural theme there were booths set up selling traditional abayas, Indian bead work and African drums.

After an inspiring performance by West African Kora harp master Toumani Diabate, music patrons migrated toward the bohemian sound of the eleven stringed Oud. Hungarian born musician Omar Bashir, best known for his mastery of the Oud was inspired at the age of five by his father musician Munir Bashir. Omar’s sound, best described as Arabic Jazz provided an intoxicating and peaceful lullaby to woo even the wildest WOMAD crowd. As I drifted off into a day dream world I couldn’t help but notice the colorful crowd illuminated by a fat and silvery moon. Rastas slowed danced with Arabian beauties and I cozied into the sand with new friends and mad appreciation for a festival that epitomizes world music.