UK - The organizers of WOMEX, the largest world music conference, announced the name of the The 7 Samurai. This is the name given to a rotating panel of 7 world music professionals that are chosen annually to select the WOMEX Showcase and Conference program. They also choose the WOMEX 2005 Award winner from the WOMEX Academy proposals.

The Jury for 2005 is:

* Yorrick Benoist, Run Productions - France
* Pietro Carfi, World Music Magazine - Italy
* Alan James, Arts Council of England - UK
* Lara López, Radio Nacional de España RNE - Spain
* Yusuf Mahmoud, "Sauti za Busara" Festival - UK / Zanzibar
* Rita Ray, The Shrine DJ collective - Ghana / UK
* Ros Rigby, The Sage Gateshead - UK

The deadline for all Showcase, Conference Session and Award Proposals is Friday, May 27, 2005. The Focus is
A Common Wealth of Music.

Travelling in 2005 for the first time to the UK, WOMEX enters a country linked around the whole world due to its complex history. "It is high time to turn the post-colonial structures of the former British Empire around and explore the capacity of the Commonwealth to support and strengthen its musical and cultural heritage. Therefore WOMEX 2005 will not only stress the focus on a Common Wealth of Music in the Showcases, Conference, Film Market and Award section, but we hope to see and encourage the development of networking structures and cross-country projects which should not end with the last day of the WOMEX 2005 event itself."