Malawi hosts the 6th InterRegional Music Crossroads Southern Africa Festival, 20-23 January 2005

11/09/2004 05:57PM

Brussels, Belgium - Young musicians from Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe will soon be packing up their instruments and heading for Blantyre, Malawi’s largest city and entertainment capital, where they will compete at the 6th annual InterRegional Music Crossroads Southern Africa Festival, held from 20-23 of January 2005.

After winning their national Music Crossroads competitions the groups will have been practicing hard to make sure their acts are up to scratch. They will be judged not only on their musical qualities but also on presentation, stage awareness and communication. First-prize winners will get the once in a lifetime opportunity to go on a European tour. Runners-up will be rewarded with musical equipment, studio recordings and airplay.

Hosting the InterRegional Festival for the first time, Music Crossroads Malawi is run by the Department of Arts and Crafts (Ministry of Culture). Music in Malawi (known as the “warm heart of Africa”) draws its influences from the traditional styles of the country’s many ethnic groups as “Tikhu Vibrations”, Malawian Music Crossroads Winners 2003, showed with their mix of contemporary music, gospel and traditional Malawi music and dance.

Among the bands that have successfully launched their careers after taking part in Music Crossroads Southern Africa are Kapa Dech and Timbila Muzimba from Mozambique. The winners of last year’s InterRegional Festival, held in January 2004 in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), the “Oya Theatre Group” from Tanzania, performed at the Sauti Za Busara festival in Zanzibar last February and toured successfully in eight European countries this summer.

6th InterRegional Music Crossroads Festival - Program

20 Jan
Malawi National Finals and guest performances, French Cultural Center

21 Jan
Malawi National Finals and guest performances, French Cultural Center

22 Jan
InterRegional Competition (with bands from Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe), French Cultural Center

23 Jan
Final concert of all bands and guests, Panorama International, Mount Source

Daytime meetings and workshops take place at the French Cultural Center

Music Crossroads Southern Africa, a youth empowerment through music program initiated by JMI in 1996, offers young African musicians aged between 15 and 27 years old the chance to improve their musical skills through workshops, festivals and competitions. Up-and-coming African musicians who want to make music their lives can pick up knowledge and advice from professionals from the music field and learn the tricks of the trade at a Music Crossroads event which also offers a unique occasion to meet other young musicians, gain valuable performance experience and compete for attractive prizes such as musical instruments, studio recordings and tours in Europe. By watching the performances, many young listeners and street kids are also inspired to become like their local heroes. To ensure that the future of these young musicians isn’t cut short by Aids, dedicated workshops enable participants to address themes related to sexuality without taboos. Music Crossroads Southern Africa receives support from SIDA, NORAD and UNESCO.

[photo by Stig Asp].

World Music Central
http://www.worldmusiccentral.org/article.php/20041109192905562