Music from Around the World in Prague’s Štvanice (Portal of Prague)

Music from Around the World in Prague’s Štvanice

On 16th and 17th June, the 15th year of the Respect Festival will feature many up and coming as well as renowned artists from Africa, Asia and Europe. This is the biggest Czech world music festival and it will be held on Prague’s Štvanice Island.

Tomáš Polák
15. June 2012

The festival Respect aims to introduce various music traditions and styles. “Like in previous years, we want to discover new territories in world music. We offer tastes of the most innovative world music, and we will bring music that already celebrates success on famous world festivals but is hardly seen in our country,” says the director and founder of Respect festival Borek Holeček.

Traditional and contemporary unite

As the biggest attraction, the festival features performance by Flamenco genius Duquende, who has been a singer for the great guitarist Paco de Lucia for many years and is considered the successor of the biggest 20th century Flamenco personality Camaron. Performance of the band Jagwa Music from Tanzania holds the promise of a gig full of energy that unites African drums, cheap Casio keybord and megaphone to create a unique mixture of afro punk and trance rap.

Jagwa Music in Dar es Salaam streets:

The festival will also feature one of the oldest living legends of African music Mulatu Astatke, nicknamed a father of Ethiopian Jazz. Astatke’s comeback is partially due to increased interest in Ethiopian music initiated by Robert Plant or Jim Jarmusch, who used Astatke’s music in the movie Broken Flowers. Astatke’s music is based on unique Ethiopian rhythm and scales.

On Saturday the party goes on until morning

Another confirmed performer is Brian Shimkovitz with his project Awesome Tapes, which is composed of the records that he collected on his journeys through Africa. Brian Shimkovitz will perform together with other performers on 16th June at 11 pm at the festival after party in Café NONA at the New Stage of the National Theatre. Other than that, we can look forward to the colourful drummers’ band Arifa, Cameroonian bluesman Roland Tchakounte or to the project Soul Motion by singers Nataša Mirković and Nenada Vasilice from Bosnia. The festival will also feature the exotic ensemble Terah Taali from Rajasthan India, striking women in colourful traditional costumes bedecked with little bells and cymbals that make sounds when a person moves will provide a precious glimpse of their culture.

For more information, visit www.respectmusic.cz.

15. June 2012
15. June 2012

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Respect Music Festival 2012

Štvanice Island
Saturday and Sunday, 16th and17th June
Programme begins at 2 pm
Entrance: One day ticket CZK 450 / Two day ticket CZK 550 – advance sale at Ticketpro
Family ticket: 2 + children up to 15 years - CZK 600
Discounts: cyclists CZK 100, Students CZK 50

Yacht made from PET bottles at Respect Festival

The Respect Festival will introduce the international artistic and ecological project Ahoj!. Its most striking part is the yacht made of five hundred plastic bottles. This piece was inspired by the project Junk Raft by Californian artists 5Gyres, who crossed the Pacific with the similar boat in 2010. During the festival, the plastic yacht will sail the waters of Vltava. It will start in Kampa Museum continue through Štvanice Island and finish at Prague Zoo. At this locations will be placed “recycling sculptures”, where mobiles phones and other electronic waste will be gathered and afterwards ecologically processed. Other than that the event will also feature a sound installation by Norwegian artist Lisa Wulff in Museum Kampa and many artworks placed directly on Štvanice Island, including five-meter high sculptures Rocking Horse from Barbara Benish.

Programme from Children

Also this year, the festival will offer a special programme for little ones. Surely not only children will enjoy the performance by the famous mime and bubble maker Václav Strasser with his giant rainbow or smoke bubbles. On Sunday, we can look forward to the special bubble making workshop. Other activities for kids will be organised by the agency Hospodyňky. The programme for children will feature art and sport activities, be it jumping in sacks, t-shirt painting or jumping castle.

World cuisine at Respect Festival

For hungry visitors, the open air festival offers a presentation of world cuisine, vegetarian refreshment Góvinda, café and tee rooms, wine bar and stall with grilled meet. Integral part of the open air festival is the presentation of NGO activities. We can also look forward to music stalls. Thanks to the Auto*Mat organisation, cyclists can use the CZK 100 discount. They can lock their bike in the festival’s areal.