Sevana, Culture Doctor, ZJ Sparks To Lead All Female Panel At Worldwide Music Expo
Reggae songstress Sevana, Zip FM disc jockey and music producer, Tricia “ZJ Sparks” Spence will form part of an all-female panel discussion titled Women and Identity in Reggae Music on Tuesday (April 27), at this year’s staging of the Worldwide Music Expo (WOMEX).
The discussion will be chaired by senior lecturer and head of the Institute of Caribbean Studies at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Dr Sonjah Stanley Niaah (aka Culture Doctor), whose publications include the books Reggae Pilgrimages: Festivals and the Movement of Jah People and Dancehall: From Slave Ship to Ghetto.
It will also feature creative industries consultant Simone Harris and studio owner Tandra “Lytes” Jhagroo.
The annual event is a world music support and development project and is considered one of the world’s largest global music conferences also includes a trade fair, talks, films and showcase concerts, but has been reformatted for a virtual presentation.
“This all-women panel will look into issues of class, gender and identity politics in Jamaican music. In particular, the conference will include perspectives of women representing diverse voices in Jamaican music, voices that are often not seen or heard,” the conference organizers posted on their website.
Although WOMEX is primarily intended for professionals and trade visitors within the world music scene, locals and tourists can buy tickets for most of the evening showcases. In 2020, due to COVID-19, WOMEX for the very first time took place digitally.
This year’s WOMEX began on April 23 and will end on May 2, with the core days being April 26 and 27. Considered the “most international music meeting in the world”, the conference is also described as the largest within the global music scene, and features a trade fair, talks, films and showcase concerts.
The virtual WOMEX extended programme will also consist of interactive online panel discussions, and networking meetings addressing the world music scene’s most vital topics this year, according to its organizers. WOMEX not only the number one networking platform for the world music industry, but also the most diverse music meeting worldwide.
In 2019, ZJ Sparks along with Lila Ike joined more than 2,500 professionals, including 260 performing artistes, from more than 83 countries, at the exposition which was held in Finland.
Dr Stanley Niaah had also presented that year on Reggae Innovation and Sound System Culture in a Global Context: One Country, Six Genres, Decades of Musical Innovation, heading a panel which also included Jah9, Dennis Howard of the Institute of Cultural Policy & Innovation and Bastien Bacha of Talowa Productions in France.
Last month grammy.com featured Sevana in their article titled The Women essential to Reggae and Dancehall where they described her as one artiste who is “taking one of the genres into the future”, melding Reggae, Lovers Rock and R&B to create a standout sound among the current generation of Reggae and Dancehall artistes.
It also described her as “one of today’s most influential singers who is broadening the interpretation of Reggae and Dancehall genres for a wider audience, recontextualizing the genres through personal lyrics and a unique pop sensibility, and serious crossover appeal without losing a hint of authenticity.
In 2019, the expo’s musical spectrum ranged from the most traditional to the new global local underground, embracing folk, roots, local and diaspora cultures and urban and electronic sounds from all over the world.
It had also featured seven stages, more than 670 exhibitors, 110 speakers, films, an opening concert and an award ceremony across five packed networking days.
According to a recent release from the organizers, WOMEX and the many delegates in its community aims to support and strengthen the role of culture around the globe and to spread its values through the nurturing and promotion of creativity and art.
“The local and global world music community is able to – and needs to – contribute to cross-cultural understanding in a welcoming, tolerant, diverse and productive manner,” it said.
Based in Berlin, Germany, WOMEX was first held in 1994. The exposition which is the main focus, is held annually in different locations throughout Europe and provides musicians and their labels with the opportunity to make contacts for international touring and album distribution.