World Creole Music Festival
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The World Creole Music Festival (WCMF) is an annual three-day music festival hosted on the island of
Dominica Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...
during the final weekend in October, as a conclusion to Creole heritage month. WCMF is a noted festival of Dominica, and it provides entertainment dedicated to the advancement of global Creole culture and music.


History

The World Creole Music Festival was launched to promote Dominican tourism and create a platform for indigenous Dominican music. The festival begins on the last Friday in October each year. Entertainers from the Caribbean, French Antilles, Africa and North America attend. The festival began in 1997 during International Creole Month October to bolster lagging tourist arrivals during the island's Independence celebrations which culminate on November 3rd. Dubbed "The Festival That Never Sleeps" because of its evening kickoffs which last into the morning, The World Creole Musical Festival is part of a three-week festival that also features the Cadence-Lypso Competition and Creole In The Park. The festival has focused on musical genres with roots in various forms of musical fusion from various countries of the Creole-speaking world. Musical forms played at the festival include
Cadence-lypso Cadence-lypso is a fusion of cadence rampa from Haiti and calypso from Trinidad and Tobago that has also spread to other English speaking countries of the Caribbean. Originated in the 1970s by the Dominican band Exile One on the island of Guad ...
,
Kompa Compas, also known as compas direct or compas direk (; Haitian Creole: ''konpa'', ''kompa'' or ''kompa dirèk''), is a modern méringue dance music genre of Haiti. The genre was popularized following the creation of Ensemble Aux Callebasses i ...
,
Zouk Zouk is a musical movement pioneered by the French Antillean band Kassav' in the early 1980s. It was originally characterized by a fast tempo (120–145 bpm), a percussion-driven rhythm and a loud horn section. The fast zouk béton of Martini ...
,
Soukous Soukous (from French '' secousse'', "shock, jolt, jerk") is a genre of dance music from Congo-Kinshasa and Congo-Brazzaville. It derived from Congolese rumba in the 1960s, becoming known for its fast dance rhythms and intricate guitar improv ...
,
Bouyon Bouyon (; oc, Boion; it, Boione) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Situated northwest of Nice, Bouyon offers magnificent panoramic views of the Alps, and features a traditional château and communal br ...
,
Zydeco Zydeco ( or , french: Zarico) is a music genre that evolved in southwest Louisiana by French Creole speakers which blends blues, rhythm and blues, and music indigenous to the Louisiana Creoles and the Native American people of Louisiana. Al ...
(from the US state of Louisiana). The festival is managed by the Dominica Festivals Committee (DFC), formerly headed by Executive Directors Claudine Springer (2016), Natalie Clarke (2012-2014) and Val "Young Bull" Cuffy, who had a decade-long tenure and currently serves as a consultant to the DFC.


Popularity

Dominica's World Creole Music Festival attracts regional and international media coverage. The festival is noted for building regional cooperation and network capabilities in tourism, culture, and entertainment while catering to over 10,000 patrons, 100 international and regional media partners and upwards of 20 cultural and musical acts each year.


2016 World Creole Music Festival

The World Creole Music Festival returned in 2016 following a one year hiatus in the wake of devastation levied by Tropical Storm Erika. Under the guidance of then Executive Director Claudine Springer, for the first time in its history, the festival launched live on television across the Caribbean, in the US and via the web portals of the Discover Dominica Authority. The festival blended Caribbean culture with diverse musical styles. The festival featured a modern aesthetic and a smaller and refocused campaign, designed to attract a broader cross section of the Caribbean market. Conducted without an Executive Director following the resignation of Springer, the festival returned with a fresh perspective, and an overhaul to the venue, The former ED's distinctive style easily recognizable in the shows.
Timaya Inetimi Timaya Odon (born 15 August 1980), better known by his stage name Timaya, is a multiple award-winning Nigerian singer and songwriter. He hails from Odi, Bayelsa state, South-South Nigeria. He is fondly called the Egberi Papa 1 of Bayels ...
, Midnite Groovers,
Kreyol La Kreyol La (often stylized as Kreyōl La) is a Haitian compas band. The group has performed throughout the world, most notably in the Caribbean, Canada, France and the United States through various concerts, carnivals, and festivals. History Kreyo ...
, Original Bouyon Pioneers, La Grand Mechant Zouk,
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, Triple Kay International, Ophelia, Extasy, Dédé St. Prix,
Morgan Heritage Morgan Heritage is a Grammy-winning Jamaican reggae band formed in 1994 by five children of reggae artist Denroy Morgan, namely Peter "Peetah" Morgan, Una Morgan, Roy "Gramps" Morgan, Nakhamyah "Lukes" Morgan, and Memmalatel "Mr. Mojo" Morgan. ...
, Kes The Band & Mr. Killa,
Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...
, WCK, Breve, T-Micky,
Gentleman A gentleman (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man) is any man of good and courteous conduct. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire and above a yeoman; by definition, the ra ...
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comprised the official lineup of the 19th edition of the World Creole Music Festival, widely lauded as the best hosted to date in Dominica.


Past Performers

The World Creole Music Festival has played host to Creole entertainers including
Kassav' Kassav' is a French Caribbean band formed in Guadeloupe in 1979. The core members of the band are Jacob Desvarieux, Jocelyne Béroard, Jean-Philippe Marthély, Patrick St. Eloi, Jean-Claude Naimro, Claude Vamur, and Georges Décimus (who left ...
,
Tabou Combo Tabou Combo is a Haitian compas band that was founded in 1968 in Pétion-Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince. The orchestra has performed throughout the world (North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and especially in the Caribbean). ...
,
Exile One Exile One is a cadence musical group founded by Gordon Henderson in the 1970s with musicians invited over from Dominica, to be based in Guadeloupe. The band was influential in the development of Caribbean music. It became famous throughout the C ...
,
Gramacks Gramacks (or "Les Gramacks") was a Cadence-lypso group from Dominica. Biography The band is from Saint-Joseph, a village from Dominica. The lead singer Jefferson "Jeff" Joseph and keyboard player McDonald "Markie" Prosper along with the other ...
/New Generation, WCK, Triple Kay Global,
T-Vice T-Vice is a Haitian compas band currently based in Miami, Florida. The group has performed throughout the world, most notably in cities of Miami, New York City, Chicago, Toronto, Paris and throughout the Caribbean through various concerts, carniva ...
, First Serenade,
Zouk Machine Zouk Machine is an all-female zouk group from Guadeloupe which had several hits, particularly in France, such as the summer number-one single on French SNEP Singles Chart "Maldòn (la musique dans la peau)", in 1990 that sold over 1 million copi ...
, Magnum Band, Zin, Taxi Creole, Carimi,
Ophelia Marie Ophelia Marie, also known as Ophelia Olivaccé-Marie (born 28 March 1951), is a popular singer of cadence-lypso from Dominica in the 1980s. She is sometimes referred to as "Dominica's Lady of Song", the "First Lady of Creole", and "la grande da ...
, Michele Henderson, Tanya St. Val, Sakis, and
Francky Vincent Franck Joseph "Francky" Vincent (born April 18, 1956) is a French singer, songwriter, record producer, painter, talent manager and musician from Guadeloupe. Biography Childhood Francky Vincent was born in Pointe-à-Pitre April 18, 1956, in Gua ...
.


References

* *{{cite web, url=http://www.wcmfdominica.com/, title=About, work=World Creole Music Festival, accessdate=June 10, 2006 Music festivals in the Caribbean Dominica music