WOMAD 2022 celebrates 30th years of WOMADelaide and a return to Adelaide’s Botanic Park. It also sees a return to international programming and features a number of Francophone acts. Find out more below.
Ausecuma Beats – Saturday 4:30pm, Sunday 4pm
Playing at WOMAD 2022, are Ausecuma Beats, an Australian based 9-piece band from Senegal, Cuba, Mali, Guinea, Gambia & Australia. The name Ausecuma is a combination of the names of the countries and regions from which the band members come: Australia, the Senegambia region, Cuba, and Mali.
Expect catchy danceable beats provided by electric guitar and a West African rhythm section of doun doun, djembe, balafon and congas alongside sax, guitar, bass and drums
Workshop Sunday 1pm
In this WOMAD 2022 workshop, Ausecuma Beats will explore the different traditions of West African music and how this links to life in contemporary Australia.
All now residing in Melbourne, this ensemble of incredibly talented musicians will share their history, their teachings and their philosophy with audiences through this interactive workshop.
Farhan Shah & Sufi-Oz Sunday 6pm
Adelaide-based composer and Qawwali singer Farhan Shah brings together the Sufi traditional music of Pakistan and the contemporary music scene of Karachi. Dubbed the ‘Pakistani Pavarotti’ for his phenomenal voice, his talented band of Syrian, French, Japanese, Irish and Fijian heritage share an affinity for Sufi music.
They reflect 800-year traditions in a modern context, promoting peace, tolerance and respect in ecstatic live shows.
Workshop: On the Pathway of Sufi Mystics Saturday 2:30pm
Join Farhan Shah and band, and host Nadya Rahim (MA, Muslim Societies & Civilisations) for an interactive introduction to the famous Sufi Qawwali tradition, its poetry, philosophy and meanings. Get to know the musical instruments and the unique vocal style that is Qawwali. Immerse yourself in this mystic music as the musicians teach the audience vocal and clapping rhythms to one of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s most famous Sufi songs.
Grace Barbé Saturday 2pm, Monday 2pm
From the Seychelles, where a colourful history of slavery, pirates, coups d’état and coconuts have produced a unique Kreol culture, Grace Barbé fuses the tropical rhythms and dances of the slaves with psychedelic rock, Afrobeat, reggae and pop.
She creates a fascinatingly huge sound, singing over complex polyrhythmic bass lines, accompanied by island-style percussion and a dense layer of guitar sorcery.
Taste the World: Friday 8pm
Grace Barbé will also be part of a Taste the world session on Friday at 8pm. She will cook prawn curry, and creole papaya chutney with rice.
Yé-Yé 2.0 – Nadeah & Ali Barter Sunday 7:15pm, Monday 6:15pm
Exploding into 1960s pop culture, when youth, freedom and politics changed the world, the Yé-Yé movement set liberté, fraternité, égalité to a rock ‘n’ roll beat. Yé-Yé 2.0 celebrates the pinnacle of retro French cool for a different generation, with leading Australian women artists putting their own spin on the Yé-Yé sound for a series of So Frenchy So Chic EPs.
Having performed at So Frenchy So Chic 2022, Ali Barter joins Nadéah (Nouvelle Vague) and band for their SA premiere of Yé-Yé 2.0 at WOMAD 2022.
Jerome Farah – Friday 7pm (one show only)
Growing up in Melbourne as the son of a Lebanese father and Zimbabwean mother, Jerome Farah had an innate desire to tell stories of his journey navigating culture and identity.
Originally a dancer, he was thrust into the national spotlight as a gifted co-writer/producer of songs for the likes of Kian and Tash Sultana. His standout R&B-meets-funk solo work, including the politically-charged I Can’t Breathe and Concrete Jungle Fever, has now propelled him onto the world stage.
Gaby Moreno – Friday 6pm & Saturday 4:30pm (seated show)
Known for her breath-taking live performances, Guatemala-born Gaby Moreno seamlessly blends folk, soul and blues.
With a voice that can bring you to tears with a whispered lyric or a soaring note, she is a UNICEF ambassador, Latin Grammy winner and YouTube star with over a billion views. Gaby has written and performed songs for feature films and TV and sung duets with Jackson Browne and Andrea Bocelli.
Gaby Moreno sings in English, Spanish, and French and Portuguese.
Danse Carpe Diem/Emmanuel Jouthe, Maï(g)wenn et lesOrteils & Restless Dance Theatre: Écoute Pour Voir (Listen to See)
Roving performances daily at 4:30pm and 6:45pm
WOMADelaide isn’t only just music (it stands for World of Music and Dance for the unfamiliar). These two French acts have collaborated with Adelaide’s Restless Dance Theatre to create an interactive roving dance performance.
Écoute Pour Voir (Listen to See) is one duet and seven solos, scattered in space and dancing simultaneously, from Australia’s leading dance-theatre company working with dancers with and without disability. Equipped with headphones and MP3 player, one dancer and one audience member share a three-minute choreographic exchange. Audience members can experience different intimate performances by moving from one dancer to another, but can also enjoy the totality of a shifting and dynamic ensemble from a distance.
UNCONFIRMED FRENCH LINKS AT WOMADELAIDE 2022
The following are acts with links that have French speakers but that we have been unable to confirm are French speaking themselves.
Chikchika – Friday 10:30pm (one show only)
Formerly a duo known as Music Yared, from the Tigray region of Ethiopia, Chikchika has evolved into a five-piece band featuring renowned Oromo singer Muluu Baqqalaa.
On traditional instruments krar (five-string lyre) and masinko (single string violin), percussion, bass and drums, they sing about love, distance, separation and culture, evoking their heritage while embracing new sonic territories with a beautiful modesty and hypnotic grooves.
We have not been able to confirm if Chickchika are French speaking.
Jayda G Sunday 10pm (one show only)
An environmental toxicologist, Grammy-nominated producer and DJ, Canadian Jayda G has risen steadily through the dance music underground thanks to her boundless enthusiasm and vitality.
Her 2019 debut LP Significant Changes on the Ninja Tune label was a dynamic mix of vintage drum-machine funk drawing heavily on Chicago’s classic house music blueprint.
Jayda’s DJ sets are euphoric, joyful and life-affirming – just what we all need.
We have been unable to confirm if Jayda G is French speaking.
Karen Lee Andrews Monday 7:15pm (one show only)
Inspired by soul and gospel music and her Polynesian background while growing up, the release of Karen Lee Andrews’ 2018 debut EP Far from Paradise, brought the blues closer to home.
Karen has been honing her ‘Oceanic blues’ sound through constant East Coast touring with her own band and opening for artists such as Jimmy Barnes, bringing her soulful voice and jaw-dropping, gritty guitar skills to both intimate and stadium-size venues.
We have been unable to confirm if Karen Lee Andrews is from French-speaking Polynesia.
The Shaolin Afronauts Friday 9:30pm (one show only)
Combining the musical and celestial territories of West African, Ethiopian and avant-garde jazz with a heavy dose of Afro-funk, the Shaolin Afronauts’ wide-ranging influences, production techniques and instrumental skills set them apart from their contemporaries.
With a sound that is equally at home on the dancefloor as it is on the record player, the 11-piece collective are due to release a five-album project of new music, their first in seven years, in early 2022.
We have been unable to confirm if The Shaolin Afronauts are French speaking.
KEY INFO FOR WOMAD 2022
WHAT: WOMADelaide 2022
WHERE: Botanic Park, Adelaide
WHEN: This weekend from tonight Friday 11 March to Monday 14 March
HOW: Purchase tickets online for collection at the gate
HOW MUCH: There are a number of different ticketing options depending on which and for how many days you wish to attend:
Friday night
Adults $155
Concession $132
Youth (13 to 17) $98
Saturday/Sunday/Monday
Adults $210
Concession $178
Youth (13 to 17) $131
3 day pass (Friday to Sunday)
Adults $358
Concession $302
Youth (13 to 17) $202
3 day pass (Saturday to Monday)
Adults $375
Concession $319
Youth (13 to 17) $219
4 day pass
Adults $396
Concession $334
Youth (13 to 17) $222
NOTE: Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult (2 children per adult).
Entry to WOMAD 2022 requires you to be double vaccinated against COVID-19 (or have a valid exemption). It is a condition of entry that patrons 12 years and older are fully vaccinated to attend WOMADelaide 2022.
Which acts are you looking forward to seeing at WOMAD 2022 this weekend in Adelaide?
To find out about other events with French and francophone links happening around Australia and online, check out our What’s on in March article
