The Argotti Botanical Gardens in Floriana will once again play host to Għanafest, The Malta Mediterranean Music Festival, during the weekend starting June 8.

It was an unforgettable experience seeing rapper Jon Mallia from No Bling Show jamming with an għannej- Sarah Lee Zammit

Organised by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts (MCCA), the three-day festival celebrates Maltese musical heritage within a Mediterranean context and showcases both local and foreign acts coming from other Mediterranean cultures.

Although Għanafest has been staged for around 15 years, the festival no longer focuses exclusively on Maltese folksong – għana.

From 2008, the festival took a different direction and grew to include Maltese bands from different genres as well as the foreign acts. In fact, previous editions saw Għanafest stage host various Maltese acts such as Greenfields and David Azzopardi to more contemporary acts such as Brikkuni and No Bling Show.

“Għana is still the festival’s backbone, but the programming now also includes foreign acts from around the Mediterranean and Maltese bands that are linked to local identity in their own way,” says Għanafest artistic director Ruben Zahra.

At this year’s edition, the nights will begin with għana in all three traditional styles; Tal-Fatt, Spirtu Pront and Għana fil-Għoli.

Along with this, those attending the festival will have the opportunity to enjoy Nisġa Project, a local World Music act and Hamam, combining Maltese musicians Andrew Alamango and Michael Galea with a Sicilian violinist and Turkish singer.

Rounding off the Maltese acts is Siggiewi’s San Nikola Band, presenting a pro- gramme of local festa marches, the quintessential soundtrack to a Maltese summer.

The first of the foreign acts at this year’s festival is the Jamal Ouassini Ensemble from Tangier, Morocco with Arab-Andalusian music. Għanafest will also feature Greek duo Greekadelia, with their combination of primordial chants and electronic drum ’n bass and finally Madrid-based Zoobazar, described as a Mediterranean sound journey underpinned by a rock riff.

Along with the music, visitors to Għanafest will be able to enjoy traditional Maltese food, an artisan market and a small photo gallery cataloguing the previous editions of the festival.

Apart from the performances in the evening, Għanafest will also be organising workshops given by the visiting artists and activities for schools, where Year 5 and Year 6 students can visit the Argotti Botanical Gardens and participate in a programme specifically designed for younger generations so they can absorb and appreciate their own musical heritage.

“We hope these programmes help the students to strengthen their roots, using such knowledge and experiences as a springboard towards their future endeavours,” explains MCCA arts marketing executive Sarah-Lee Zammit.

As in previous years, musicians taking part in Għanafest will also participate in the Mass that will be screened live on the Sunday prior to the festival.

A novel addition to the festival this year is the extension of Għanafest to Gozo. Yesterday, the Gozo Culture Office put up a similar programme, which will become a a yearly event.

This year also sees Għanafest partnering with the Art and Design students of MCAST who will be implementing a public art-piece entitled Għeruq (Roots), inspired from this year’s festival to be exhibited at St Anne’s Square in Sliema this week.

The popularity of Għanafest over the years has succeeded in challenging the stereotypical depiction Għana as something of the past, but highlighting that as an experience, it is actually more versatile than that.

“It was an unforgettable experience seeing rapper Jon Mallia from No Bling Show jamming with an għannej,” said Sarah-Lee.

Għanafest has become the place where traditional folk music evolves, providing it new limits and exciting prospects, a formula that has gone down very well with local visitors and tourists alike.

The Għanafest experience has established itself as one of the main summer events on the Maltese cultural calendar, owing to its eclectic mix of contemporary Mediterranean sounds and traditional Maltese Għana, while providing festival-goers with the opportunity to eat good food, attend interesting workshops and dance the night away.

Għanafest is being held at the Argotti Botanical Gardens on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets can be bought at the door and cost €3 for a day ticket and £7 for a block ticket for all the three nights.

www.maltafolkmusicfestival.org

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