Hailing from the Zimbabwean city of Bulawayo, Black Umfolosi have blazed their way to international respectability thanks to their acrobatic and harmonious singing. Led by the charismatic Lucky Moyo, they have brought their Zulu inflexions and rhythms to audiences worldwide. They channel the popular mbube music into their a cappella exchanges that focus on well-known standards from southern Africa.
Final programme in a four-part series on this festival on the lip of one of the few remaining rainforests in the world. The series was broadcast as the world leaders debated at the UN Kyoto Climate Conference in Bali. It seemed appropriate, therefore, to ask participants and observers at this music gathering about the challenges to the music and culture that have been provoked by the disappearance of the primary rainforests of Sarawak. During this programme, we visit a controversial Timber Museum as well as the village of Kampung Mongkos. There, we see that music still has a social and economic role despite the pressures of modernisation. And we return to the tenth edition of the Rainforest World Music Festival to enjoy some of the sounds of the outstanding Zimbabwean group Black Umfolosi.
SETTING: The Sarawak Cultural Village is a 40 minutes drive from the Sarawak capital Kushing. This is where the Malaysian tourist authorities have been organising one of the most unusual music gatherings in the world. Co-sponsored by a certain beer brand, it is set in the heart of the primary rainforest, and attracts tourists and local music aficionados in their thousands. The Ensemble Kaboul were one of almost 20 bands invited in an international line-up of musicians that was eclectic both in origin and in quality. The programme was first broadcast by World Tracks, the flagship music programme on Radio France International.
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