Dear Friends, Artists,
Fans, Participants, and Supporters,
One World Beat Festival 2005, coinciding
with the 20th anniversary of Live
Aid, made some electrifying history
of its own: inspiring concerts in
29 nations, the return of artists
who performed in 2003 and 2004, a
global drumming event which took place
in 11 countries simultaneously, the
debut of One World Beat Radio, the
development of an OWB film project,
a record-company offer to help us
package a benefit CD, branches starting
in the UK and USA, new country entries
(Denmark, Costa Rica), the decision
to go "live" year-round
(upcoming events planned for Kenya,
Uganda, Brazil, and India).
The festival took place officially
from March 18th through 27th, but
from the beginning of the new year,
musicians and supporters lined up
to donate gigs, signed up to volunteer,
and offered their music, film clips,
time, and caring. The Asian tsunami
which left 200,000 people dead, millions
affected, and billions of dollars
in damages brought out the compassion
and the talent early. Our "Beat
the Wave" project--with proceeds
going to the global development agency,
Save the Children--enlisted the help
of artists in Thailand, UK, USA, and
Canada.
Other campaigns quickly took shape:
our "Give A Child A Chance"
education project (focus of 2005 festival
fundraising) has brought needed funds
to two nonprofits working to provide
schooling for HIV/AIDS orphans and
children in dire poverty in Uganda,
India, and Haiti. "Drumming in
One World Beat"--created to inspire
a feeling of global solidarity, peace,
and creative connection--drew an enthusiastic
response from participants in Canada,
USA, Netherlands, Kenya, Nigeria,
Ghana, Burkina Faso, South Africa,
Australia, and Brazil. In Austria
and Lithuania, a dual "Drums
and Bells" event also served
to commemorate the original Earth
Day (first day of spring).
Youth turned out in great numbers
to support one another: drumming schoolkids
in South Africa and peacebuilders
in the Netherlands, artists helping
HIV/AIDS-affected children in Kenya,
England's youngest rock band (Dilemma),
college students in Michigan. Musicians
wowed audiences from the Hard Rock
Cafe in Amsterdam to La Leal Hall
in Tokyo. In cafes, concert halls,
a train station, at a peace rally,
in parks, pubs, nightclubs, a former
church crypt, a school gym, on two
beaches, and Internet radio. One band
(Bobbi Lee Justice and the Scepters)--returning
for the third year--scrambled to find
a last-minute replacement venue when
the one scheduled abruptly closed
its doors, and the show was a go.
The music was as varied as the venues:
classical, all shades of rock, blues,
jazz, acoustic, hip-hop, pop, reggae,
Latin, rap, funk, soul, R&B, World
Music, electronic, African, folk,
metal, dance, country, Caribbean.
A gala for jazz giants in Poland,
an Afro-Beat album launch party and
samba in Scotland, an HIV/AIDS edutainment
march in Nigeria, rhythmic poetry
in Austria, djembe from Brazil to
Burkina Faso, creativity in Cologne,
from Brazilian "misturalismo"
to Germany's Miss Behavin'.
Multicultural medleys in New York,
London, and Edmonton, gospel in Gladenbach,
rock in Gibraltar, dance beats from
the Czech Republic to France. A hip-hop
extravaganza in the Philippines. Arts
festivals in Costa Rica and Zimbabwe.
Unity Drum on three continents. In
Australia, a weekend drumming retreat
in a forest, and ballads from Switzerland
to Spain. From the Elbo Room to the
Clapham Grand. From Boston to Los
Angeles, Maine to Marquette, Bath
to Boxford, Accra to Aachen.
OWB female artists were showcased
weekly on Netteradio (USA), special
online radio shows were created by
Wales-based Reptor Productions and
the Green Dragon Show, World Talent
Quest donated concerts for tsunami
relief, and a number of 2005 participating
musicians are being featured in our
first OWB Radio show. Concerts4Charity,
Change for Children, and CAUSE (San
Francisco) all staged events to raise
funds to help young people.
We extend our deepest gratitude to
all who made this possible! You have
shown once again how much difference
we can truly make through music: children
who might not otherwise attend school
will now get an education, orphans
who are struggling to survive will
know that people the world over care
about them, and those affected by
one of the worst natural disasters
in history will be helped to reconstruct
their lives.
We look forward to working with you
in 2006, and hope to see many new
and familiar faces during the remaining
half of 2005. Here's to the magic
and power of music, and to this road
going on forever!
See
the 2005 Event page...
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