The Opening
The festive WOMEX welcome
- The Opening – The Alliance of Civilisations
- The Opening Concert
- The Mission
The Opening – The Alliance of Civilisations
The WOMEX Opening event sets the pace and standard for the days to come. We are especially honoured this year to be working in partnership with the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Fundación Tres Culturas promoting the objectives of the Alliance of Civilizations.
Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of Spain and FundaciónTres Culturas (Three Cultures Foundation) in Honour of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations
A Special Performance on Wednesday 20:00 at Teatro Lope de Vega/Casino de la Exposición by:
- Qawwali-Flamenco project: Faiz Ali Faiz and his Qawwali group and
Duquende and his Flamenco group - Followed by tapas, drinks and DJ Lord Sasafras (Spain)
January 2008 will see the official opening of The First Alliance of Civilizations Forum in Madrid, in recognition of the role Spain and its Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, played in its creation. It was in 2005 that the Prime Minister called on the United Nations to create an initiative “to increase world awareness to the risks that a wall of misunderstanding may arise between the West and the Arab/Islamic world, and thus the threat of the ‘clash of civilisations’ may become a reality and put at risk the many positive aspects of mutual relations, and even imperil the whole framework of international relations.” The United Nations agreed, and the Prime Minster of Turkey, Tayyip Erdogan, came on board as co-sponsor with Spain.
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Qawwali-Flamenco project: Faiz Ali Faiz and his Qawwali group and Duquende and his Flamenco group Wednesday 20:30 – 22:00 Teatro Lope de Vega |
A meeting of minds, of traditions, of cultures. The roots of qawwali and flamenco music entwine deep in the soil of South Asia, sharing both spiritual and musical affinities. From an early age both Faiz Ali Faiz and Duquende have been hailed as the successors to the greatest names in their respective fields. Faiz has been cited as the true bearer of the qawwali flame, following in the footsteps of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. For Duquende it was the famed cantaor El Camarón de la Isla who, hearing the nine-year-old singer, praised him effusively, a seal of approval he has proudly borne ever since. Both have more than lived up to the expectations that accompany such accolades and have gone on to make their own unique mark on the international stage. And now, with the Qawwali-Flamenco project, they bring together their powerful voices in a special meeting of unforgettable virtuosity and emotion. Add to it the accompanying qawwali musicians and the superlative guitar of Chicuelo and we have a collaboration that is truly a living alliance of two great civilisations.
- Faiz Ali lead vocals
- Karamat Ali Asad vocals, harmonium
- Iqbal Raunqi vocals, harmonium
- Rehmat Ali vocals
- Ali Raza tabla
- Kaleem Akhtar backing vocals, clapping
- Fayaz Hussain backing vocals, clapping
- Shahid Nadeem backing vocals, clapping
- Iqabal Hussain backing vocals, clapping
- Du quende vocals
- Chicuelo guitar
- Sabrina Romero vocals
- Isaac Vigueras percussion
- Manuel Giuterrez dance
Contact: Label Accords Croisés
http://www.accords-croises.com
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DJ Lord Sassafras http://www.myspace.com/zaszaszas |
Special thanks to Alcalde de Sevilla, Alfrendo Sánchez Monteseirín; Juan Carlos Marset Fernández, Instituto Nacional de las Artes Escénicas y de la Música , Ministry of Culture, Spain; Enrique Ojeda Vila, Fundación Tres Culturas; and Saïd Assadi and Guillaume Roche of Accords Croisés, Paris.
The Mission
The Alliance of Civilizations responds to the need, felt across many divides, for a committed effort by the international community – both at the institutional and civil levels – to overcome prejudice, misconceptions, misperceptions, and polarisation. The Alliance will address dominant narratives in diverse societies, with the aim of providing an effective response to emerging threats to world peace emanating from hostile perceptions that foment violence, and it will also seek initiatives aiming to bridge these divisions. Events of recent years have heightened the sense of a widening gap between Islamic and Western societies. This environment has been exploited and exacerbated by extremists in all societies. Thus there is a need for a comprehensive coalition to counter the trend toward extremism and avert a deterioration of relations between societies, which could further threaten international stability. An Alliance of Civilizations is a reaffirmation of the increasing interdependence of all societies around the world, be it in the environmental or health sectors; in economic, financial, or security relations; in culture; and in the field of development.
In essence, the call for an Alliance is a call to all of those who believe in building rather than destroying, who embrace diversity as a means of progress rather than as a threat, and who believe in the dignity of humankind across religion, ethnicity, race, and culture.
We encourage all our delegates to read the Alliance support materials and to check its website. And you’ll be hearing a lot more about its initiatives in upcoming WOMEX Newsletters.
WOMEX is especially honoured to provide a platform to publicise the aims of the Alliance of Civilizations. The sponsorship of this event is courtesy of the Spanish Ministry of Culture and coordinated by the Fundación Tres Culturas, the Sevilla-based organisation dedicated to cultural diversity and the promotion of dialogue, peace and tolerance amongst the Mediterranean people and cultures. 
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