As promised, I am writing to you from WOMEX in beautiful Seville, Spain, where each night there is a music festival on three different stages. Last night's highlights were A Filleta, an exquisite a capella ensemble from Corsica. Like the medieval European artisans who never thought of themselves as individuals, who subordinated themselves to a greater goal, A Filleta build musical cathedrals. The other hit of the night was the ragged but right, electrified oud played by Mehdi Haddab of Speed Caravan. This band definitely knows how to get an audience jumping. I'm hot on the trail of videos for each band, so hopefully, in a few weeks you'll get to see these two excellent and totally different bands.

For the next few weeks I will be your travelling world music correspondant,  writing my note from Spain and Portugal. First stop is WOMEX, the premiere world music conference, where everyone who makes, sells, and books world music will be meeting, greeting, and playing. It's an amazing event and we always come away from it with loads of DVDs to sort through. Many of the programs and videos that you see here on Link TV were discovered at this wonderful conference. This year there will be performances from some of our favorite bands, like Väsen, and artists like Magnifico and Salamat Sadikova. WOMEX is a forecaster of who is going to be hot in the world music biz for years to come, so stay tuned - let's see who really knocks my socks off this time around. Then I'm off to Torres Vedras, in Portugal, for an International Accordion Festival. I can't wait for that one-- there'll be lots of tango, fandango, Gypsy soul, and plenty of unexpected delights as well. I'll report all of that to you, too!

For those of you who are night (or early morning) owls, may I recommend our World Music Video Block #85, airing this week. This block is all about visual creativity, so you will see great graphics, animation, and skewed visuals all over this one. The Warsaw Village Band give us a stop animation drama about tempestuous relationships, while Polvorosa present us with a bizarre ode to delayed romantic gratification. MIA delivers a graphic tapestry of her own invention, and Cankisou takes some hallucinogenic mushrooms and goes tripping Castaneda-style. My own favorite, however, is the ever popular Juanes, singing "La Camisa Negra" (and no, he is not talking about Mussolini's black shirts) throwing down a deadly cumbia beat straight from Hell...well, watch it and you'll understand.

This week we are showing Amandla! A Revolution in Four Part Harmony as part of our continuing theme of "What change looks like." The film focuses on the role that singing played in the successful struggle against apartheid, and ends with a message of hope and joy. But since those days, much has changed and along with the sweet has come the bitter. The issue of poverty has not been sufficiently addressed in South Africa and when people are poor, crime rises. The country lost one of its most significant musicians, in the senseless murder of Lucky Dube at the hands of a carjacker. When I spoke to Vusi Mahlasela (one of the artists featured in Amandla!) about contemporary music in South Africa, he did not hide his disappointment with how easily so many of the youth turn away from their roots to embrace Western pop or expect musical mastery to come easily. In his efforts to turn this trend around, he has established music schools to revitalize traditional music. So, when we watch Amandla, let's keep in mind that what change looks like keeps changing.

This week we're airing The Festival in the Desert: the Tent Sessions. This isn't a new program by any means, but it put me in mind of two very good friends and heroes of world music: Banning Eyre and Sean Barlow. Together, they are the heart and soul of Afropop Worldwide, the pioneering radio program and website that has been bringing the sounds of Africa and the African diaspora to millions of listeners. It was their idea to go to Timbuktu and videotape the festival. Had they ever done anything like it before? No. Did this discourage them? No. They came back with hours of remarkable footage - and with some expert editing - made the program you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home. Sean and Banning definitely "roughed it" making this film, but when you watch it, all you will feel is the joy of music - and their joy of capturing it.