The ethnic music group Etnika today leave for Athens, where they are representing Malta at a cultural event to celebrate Europe Day.

The event is being organised by the Athens regional council, which is flying in music groups from 25 European countries. Etnika are among 200 participants who will be performing in Athens tomorrow and on Friday.

The group are also currently working on a new CD, Zifna, featuring "an old and new repertoire", which should be launched in June.

Zifna, Etnika's second album, is a combination of old melodies, lullabies and children's rhymes, played with Maltese instruments by local musicians.

Labelled Maltese world music, the CD incorporates a combination of styles from around the Mediterranean, with a distinct Maltese touch, said producer and musician Andrew Alamango.

The CD, which is part sponsored by the Unesco Commission, is being marketed as music for the world.

The Etnika project is an attempt at recuperating a musical tradition that is rooted in ethnic origins. The group have researched folk music, played by local musicians, on traditional instruments (the zaqq, tanbur, zafzafa, zummara) and in various social contexts.

Since the group were launched in August, 2000, Etnika have toured several countries.

The musicians performing in Athens are Andrew Alamango on the guitar and mandolin, Jason Fabri on percussion, Walter Vella on flute and saxophone, Joanna Aquilina on the violin, Oliver Degabriele on the bass, Andrew Micallef on the accordion and Edmond Jackson on the zaqq.