WOMEX Music Fair receives record number of Caribbean applications with the support of the Transcultura Programme
The call launched by the Transcultura Programme for music groups from the Caribbean led to a record number of applicants from the region to this International World Music Fair, whose next edition will take place in October this year, in the city of Porto, Portugal.
A total of 58 grant applications from the Caribbean were received, of which 100% received support from the Programme to submit their proposals. Between the applications funded by Transcultura and those self-financed by the artists, a total of 108 applications were received, an unprecedented number in the history of Caribbean participation in WOMEX calls. This marked a 60% increase over previous years, according to information shared by the Fair’s organisers.
Groups from Barbados, Belize, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago submitted their proposals following the announcement of the call for applications in April this year.
Transcultura: Integrating Cuba, the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity is a four-year Programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean in Havana, with the support of the UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean, based in Kingston, and the UNESCO National Office in Haiti, located in Port-au-Prince.
In the spirit of building bridges between peoples and cultures through music, Transcultura and WOMEX launched this call, whose final result will be known between June and July, when an independent jury announces the winning groups for live performances during the event in Porto, Portugal. The first step was to facilitate equal access for Caribbean countries to this opportunity to conquer new markets and strengthen the inclusion and competitiveness of the cultural and creative sectors of the region in international platforms and events.