On 8, 9 and 10 June, The Malta Council for Culture and the Arts is presenting a concert series of Mediterranean folk roots at the Argotti Gardens in Floriana. Maltese għana (folk singing), as well as music from Morocco, Greece and Spain come together for Għanafest 2012. The festival will also host a series of workshops on traditional instruments and a special programme for children. The event, which is of interest for the whole family, is complemented by Maltese food and the surroundings of the Argotti Botanical Gardens.
Għanafest offers a unique opportunity to experience the different styles of Maltese folk singing. Besides Maltese folk music, the festival presents a programme of local musicians and ensembles. This category includes the Nisġa Project with an up-beat programme of world music, Middle Eastern influences, flamenco, jazz and local traditional instruments. Another ethnic combo is Hamam, led by Andrew Alamango and featuring musicians from Malta, Italy and Turkey. This year’s programme will also present a selection of Marċi tal-Festa, which constitute an important part of Malta’s music heritage.
Three international bands from Morocco, Greece and Madrid have been invited to participate in this year’s edition of Għanafest. Violinist Jamal Ouassini from Tangier, Morocco, is an international exponent of Arab-Andalusian music. He is also the director of the ‘Orchestra Arab-Andalusa’ of Tangier which has been invited to perform in major festivals around the world.
The Greekadelia duo will present an eclectic concert of folk song from the rural areas of Greece to live looping and electronic music arrangements. The programme includes Greek laouto performance, ethnic chants, Thracian and Macedonian upbeat dances, archaic love songs from Asia Minor and harsh tunes of the mountainous areas of Epirus, Roumeli and Peloponnesus.
Zoobazar from Madrid, Spain is a powerful Mediterranean-fusion band. It is known for its strong live concerts that involve the audience. Its programme does not focus on one music tradition but shifts across various Mediterranean cultures, from Iberian folk to Balkan music, Turkish music, Middle Eastern traditional music, North African music, Flamenco as well as rock, funk and jazz influences.
The culture unit of the Ministry for Gozo is collaborating with the Council for Culture and the Arts to host a programme in Gozo, creating a new platform for the festival. On 1, 2 and 3 June, the weekend prior to the official programming of the festival, Għanafest will present a full programme of folk singing and Maltese music in Victoria.
The Malta Council for Culture and the Arts is also collaborating with MCAST to endorse a public art-piece in relationship to Għanafest. As part of a study unit related to site-specific public art, fine arts students from the MCAST Institute of Art & Design are working on an assignment entitled Għeruq (Roots), and inspired by the various elements embodying this year’s festival – colours and forms, culinary traditions, folklore and music. The students started this 16-week task by researching the various cultures represented in this year’s festival. They then proceeded with creating original public art which will be exhibited in St Anne Square, corner between Tower Road and the Strand, in Sliema during the first week of June.