Multiculturalism is starting to be a phenomenon that affects entire societies. The world is changing but still full of paradoxes. On the one hand, access to the Internet allows us to learn about distant cultures of the world. On the other, we can see how many nations have a serious problem accepting the existence of diversity. Since culture is communication and communication is culture, there are prejudices in the way we communicate. Much of this problem is ignorance, which breeds disapproval and hostility. Ignorance of the culture, tradition, rite or language of other nations, communities or groups leads to negative behaviour. Cognition, on the other hand, can trigger an attitude of openness and friendship.
My journey through Asia and Africa has been going on for 30 years. Closely observing how the idea of isolating the ethnic heritage of the world becomes an obsolete idea, I began to consciously participate in the process of building the so-called new global identity in art several years ago.
The concert
"Carousel of Cultures" takes us into the world of sounds of the Middle East, China, Africa and Poland. Exotic instruments, melodies and rhythms swirl around the sounds of the Polish lowlands. The presentation of oriental scales and compositions is enriched with joint improvisations. The audience learns about other ways of perceiving beauty or the flow of time in music. After telling about their countries with music, the artists from Syria, Iran, China or Burkina Faso perform musical pieces intended for such an unusual international line-up. You can hear the echoes of Africa, Asia and Poland. On stage, Chinese melodies combine with Polish obereks, African songs with Kurpie melodies, Arabic and Persian rhythms with our native mazurka. At some point, this journey combines the sounds of Poland, Africa and Asia like a carousel.
Maria Pomianowska
