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Diaspora world music festival

My friend Ian first introduced the words "world music" to me. What is world music other than a collection of music from different countries?

London is hosting its first world music festival under the name of "diaspora." It's about migration - from Africa to America, from Europe to South Africa, etc. This weekend it's Kew Gardens. Next weekend the noon to 9 pm festival will be held in Regent's park. And the final weekend will be in Greenwich Park.

I had forgotten how much fun it is to have a picnic on a sunny day in a crowd of strangers all with the same objective: to listen to outdoor music and soak in the sun's rays. Since I had forgotten, I didn't prepare a picnic and didn't come with friends I knew well.

But Kew Gardens, my name sake, and the music of India, Trinidad, Colombia, Argentina, etc, put me at ease. I danced tothe salsa beat of the Orchestra Originale de Cartagena and the addictive rhythms of the steel drum champions from Trinidad. I felt connected to the strangers in the park and the world for a moment.

Then it occurred to me that life could be like this. Or rather, it should be like this. A celebration!

29 June 2002 Saturday

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