The wonderful weekend of WOMADelaide 2020 is done, but the impact remains. The global sounds are etched into our souls and the images from around Botanic Park remain in our mind’s eye.

The late great Yehudi Menuhin is widely regarded as being one of the finest violinists of the 20th century.

Menuhin is quoted as saying: “I find nothing more inspiring than the music-making of my very great colleague Subramaniam. Each time I listen to him, I am carried away in wonderment.”

Whenever summer begins to make way for the dappled light of autumn, my mind turns to WOMADelaide; the expectation of the year’s best weekend coming up, and the memories of so many previous WOMADelaides.

Here are some common questions about starting or renewing a New Internationalist magazine subscription.

Q: I don’t have a PayPal account and don’t use credit cards
A: That’s OK.  You can pay by EFT. 

• Pay either via your online banking, or by taking a cheque or cash to your local bank branch.

I had a chat with Fatoumata Diawara ahead of her appearance at WOMADelaide 2019.

Brian: First of all, many congratulations on your nomination for this year’s Grammy Awards for your album Fenfo. Will you be attending the Awards Ceremony?

Fatou: Yes, I’m going to go, definitely. Last year it was the Victoires de la Musique in France, so I’m familiar with the significance of the ceremonies.

Brian: Many West African artists we’ve had at WOMADelaide have been in the wall of sound tradition, with horns, electric guitars and kora all competing for attention. But your new album Fenfo is much more spacious and open in style. Is that the style you prefer to use?

If you’ve had some of our beautiful New Internationalist Calendars and Diaries before, you’ll know how striking and colourful they are, presenting a positive world-view.

The 2019 editions are available now. Yes, I know, 2019 sounds a bit alarming when it’s only September. But each year a few people miss out because they don’t order early enough, and I don’t want you to be one of them.

This year ordering is different. We don’t have stock in our office; instead ordering online through Booktopia is best. Click a link below for the items you want:
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If you’re getting an error message saying something like “Secure connection failed” or “Your connections is not private” when visiting the New Internationalist digital magazine site, it’s a false flag.  Here’s how to fix it.

Why am I getting this error?

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Ahead of his appearance at WOMADelaide 2018, I spoke with Chilean singer, multi-instrumentalist and song-writer Nano Stern about cultural heritage, his hopes for the future and the incomparable instrument, the human voice.

Brian:  It’s been six years since we last saw you perform at WOMADelaide, and eight years since your Live in Concert album was recorded in Mullumbimby. What are the main changes we can expect at WOMADelaide 2018? Different instruments and band line-up? More influence of rock and jazz or stronger influence of Chilean roots since your return to live in Santiago? (more…)

In case you missed it, there’s a fascinating piece in the New Internationalist magazine – Bad Education: Time to fix it – that’s being widely read.

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The sprinkling of rain at the start of this year’s WOMADelaide didn’t do much to quell excitement. A rather good lineup, delicious food stalls, and friendly crowd in Botanic Park all returned to the four day world music festival.

I find it difficult to quantify WOMAD weekends; they’re reliably wonderful experiences and each year the highlights are unexpected, but this felt like a particularly good year. (more…)