Jaffna Music Festival 2013 holds pre-festival village performances

The village level performances held in Mulliavali, Mullaitivu and Pasiyoor, Jaffna on 9 and 10 February 2013 as a pre-festival folk music empowerment initiative, were great examples of communities gathering together despite differences in age, gender and ethnicity to experience something uniquely local.

The revival and reintroduction of local folk forms at the two locations was witnessed by crowds of over 500 to 200-250 people respectively. Some came on bicycles, whilst others walked; even babies and toddlers were in attendance, wrapped securely in their parent’s arms.

There was much laughter, chatter and collective excitement as the gathered crowds from all over Mulliavali and Pasiyoor and shared mats on which they sat with one another for a night of colour, lights, music and dance. The performance of parai drumming stirred the crowd with its wild beats so much so that some broke with convention and danced energetically with the colourfully clad performers.

It was heart-warming to see communities that suffered so much gathered together sharing an altogether different kind of experience – one that depicted hope and recognition for a better future.  Most of the northern communities have suffered displacement due to the 30 year war.

Due to these circumstances most of these groups were forced to give up their folk forms and as a result have lost or damaged their instruments, costumes etc. beyond repair. These particular folk groups performing both in the past festival and the upcoming one were equipped by the Jaffna Music Festival initiative.

The Jaffna Music Festival 2013is brought by Sewalanka in collaboration with Rikskonsertene (Concerts Norway) and Aru Sri Art Theatre and is funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

This time around the festival will be conducted in co-partnership with the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau and The Municipal Council of Jaffna. The exclusive electronic media partners for this event are Shakthi TV and Sirasa TV.