Strictly Mundial 2001         |    Versão em Português



Welcome!

Ten years ago, world music was still in its embryonic stages. New festivals were developing a concept, old folk festivals discovered that there is a world of music beyond their old circuits. On an European level, this (minority) music found its tradefair outlet in a niche of the Berlin Independent Days. It was during BID 1991 that Ben Mandelson (of 3 Mustapha 3 and GlobeStyle Fame) asked during a panel with various European festival organizers whether they did not have enough in common to meet more regularly. This was the birth of the European Forum of Worldwide Music Festivals, short: EFWMF, or simply The Forum.

One of EFWMF's main concerns is the circulation of information on world music to the public, to the professional organizers, media, and artists. In order to achieve this, we actively seek to link and work together with other organisations from around the globe. Therefore, EFWMF created WOMEX in 1994, and Strictly Mundial in 2000. Any world music tradefair aims at bringing together the global players in this section of culture, in this part of the music business. Any world music fair can thus only be called truly global if it's a travelling event between the continents.

So we are extremely happy to be able to hold the second edition of Strictly Mundial in Brazil. Our sincere thanks go to Benjamin Taubkin for putting together such a fabulous artistic programme, and to the whole organising team of the Mercado Cultural for inviting us and preparing what I'm sure will be unforgettable days in Salvador de Bahia. We're all looking foward to seeing Brazilian and Central and Latin American artistis on stage, to enjoying Brazilian culture and life-style, and to meeting the professionals - and the local people - from this part of the world. It's the first time WFWMF is involved in an out-of-area project. From what we can say now it will not be the last time although the next strictly Mundial takes us back to European shores (to Marseille in early March, 2003).

Any world music fair is about business, but in the first place, it's about joy - for the music, for the hospitality of the local people, for the joy of meeting friends, for the joy of sharing the same values, dreams and visions. And drinks and food, too.

So - let's have fun! And: Enjoy!!

Bernhard Hanneken
Chairman of EFWMF
November 2001

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