The Old Bridge, built by the Turks in the 16th century, was destroyed by shelling in 1993, but has now been meticulously reconstructed with stones from the original quarry. Similarly, sevdah, the music popularized by Mostar Sevdah Reunion, has Turkish roots but is now accompanied by clarinet, accordion and guitar and suffused with Balkan longing. Heard on the banks of the Neretva river beneath the bridge, it’s music that makes sense of the location but is also helping to unify a city that is still ethnically divided.
Support for local art
It’s often the combination of a great location, spectacular performance spaces and the right music that makes a festival work. For that it’s hard to beat the new Jodhpur International Folk Festival (JIFF) in Rajasthan, which had its first edition in October last year (jodhpurfolkfestival.org, Oct. 10 to Oct. 14). It’s held in the halls, courtyards and ramparts of the Maharaja’s Mehrangarh Fort, magnificently situated on a rocky outcrop overlooking the city. The opening is timed to coincide with the full moon and involves vivid costumes, dancing, processions, camels, flaming torches and some of the wildest and most exciting music on the planet.
Mick Jagger, who’s presumably got a few rock festivals under his belt, was there — not as a performer, but a punter. “I listen to a lot of Indian music,” he said, “and a festival like this gives a great platform to folk artists.” More than that, it is helping to sustain local musicians in Rajasthan, bringing an income and respect to highly skilled performers who are often marginalized in India’s economic boom. Festivals like these enable you to experience great music where it belongs — alongside the food and the people. If you listen and share people’s music, it’s like sharing a little of their soul.
RSS