WOMADelaide 2019: Africa’s women shine in Australia

The event, which took place at the Botanic Park in Adelaide, saw performances from about 75 acts drawn from 35 countries, including Congo’s Baloji, South Africa’s BCUC, Tunisia and Algeria’s Duoud and India’s Amjad Ali Khan.

The festival had kind words for the Gnawa genre, calling it “languorously mystical” as played by Morocco’s Maalem Hamid El Kasri. Although this was a topical inclusion, given news that the genre is being considered for inclusion in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage, for musical pleasure, it appears Africa’s female musicians were the highlights of the festival.

While local publication The Adelaide Review included Angelique Kidjo among its highlights, The Guardian was more effusive in reviewing Kidjo’s set, which paid homage to Fela Kuti and saw the Beninese great perform with another one of West Africa’s female music exponents.

“The Beninese superstar Kidjo invited Diawara on stage during her own set, which also paid tribute to Fela Kuti via songs from Kidjo’s album-length cover of Talking Heads’ 1980 LP Remain in Light – a record that was in turn deeply influenced by Afrobeat,” the Guardian noted. “Kidjo has revitalised the album by returning it to its African roots, amping up the brass and adding politically pertinent lyrics in her native Fon.”

During her own set, Diawara, the Guardian said, “shook off her headdress and let her dreadlocks fly as she leapt through a spectacular version of ‘Sinnerman’, which she dedicated to 'mama Angélique Kidjo'. Diawara also paid homage to Fela Kuti who she thanked for “introducing west African culture to the world”.

Another West African act who left the festival to acclaim was Sona Jobarteh, who was one of the festival’s “standout acts”. Described as “regal”, she played the kora in what the British paper said was a story of “reinvention and resistance”, alluding to Jobarteh’s place as the first female kora player in her family’s long lineage of male musicians. Four years before, her second cousin, Toumani Diabate, had taken to the same stage Jobarteh occupied.

Although the event was mostly dry, there was some rainfall during Kidjo’s performance on Sunday. “With drought-breaking powers like that, the Womadelaide favourite will surely be invited back,” the Guardian concluded.