A Message from the Artistic Director

It opened on a Friday morning with an aerial photo shoot; a giant human-pixel Number 10, featuring 140 facebook friends of 20 different nationalities. It closed with many embraces – new friendships and farewells – under an auspicious full moon. And condensed in between… 210,000 people flocked to Dún Laoghaire to enjoy 300 acts from all over the world perform in 35 locations over the 3 days. The weather granted our birthday wishes for clear skies, the production build was a day ahead, flights schedules on time, 450 volunteers deployed…and we pressed the big green ‘Festival Go’ button!

Friday was officially launched with our latest initiative Radio Hemisphere, the Festival’s very own Internet Radio Station. The ‘cherry on top of this year’s programme’ surpassed all expectations, reaching far beyond the highest online Irish radio listenership that weekend. Friday night’s highlights featured the outstanding Astrid Hadad who had audiences in the palm of her hand, mesmerised by her outrageous costumes, they gave her a euphoric standing ovation worthy of the Queen of Cabaret. Down at Monksstown Church, the exquisite stained glass windows illuminated four exceptional vocalists, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Adjágas and Tanya Tagaq, who had met only the day before for the very first time. This stunning collaboration, an indigenous adventure from tenderness (with tears) to laughter (bird song) and wilderness, was an extraordinary artistic bonding both on and off the stage.

Exploding onto the streets in equal measure, Saturday and Sunday offered 32 hours of celebration. As you wandered through the site, the thoroughfare was a sea of happy faces – all cultures, all ages, families, old friends and like-minded people who converged to celebrate life, art and diversity.

Starting at the Festival gates, the Harbour Plaza, hosting Trade Routes, was like a scene from a Beatles movie with children and adults screaming with hands in the air, begging to be selected by performance art hair sculptors Osadia. Susan Leen’s interactive Sustainability Artcube was a stunning piece of work, delicate and provocative, while Redress transformed their space into a fabric graffiti jungle using dozens of old pairs of jeans for bunting.

Down to the Carlisle Pier, the new location for Global Village, where An Cathaoirlach, Lettie McCarthy, joined Lama Nyendek and Monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery in a chant to bless our latest community project Faith Space. Following an overwhelming response to The International Charter for Compassion, the ‘Compassion Tree’ purblic murals created over the weekend will be displayed in Country Hall shortly to announce Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s endorsement of the Charter.

Stopping off throughout the day at the Kingston Station, aka collaboration central, was a must for all music lovers, an exhilarating artistic space that featured some of the best traditional Irish musicians. Colin Dunne dancing to Najob Soudani and Trasna, Donal Lunny with Buille, Ttukunak with Mel Mercier and an unforgettable Adjágas collaboration with a star studded line-up including Cathy Jordan, Máirtín O’Connor and Diarmuid & Donnacha Moynihan.

100 yards away, the People’s Park, bejewelled and adorned, hosted our Asian Mela and the Afro Caribbean Birthday Bloco which featured a glorious Carnival procession of over 200 artists that meandered its way throughout the streets on Sunday. Alongside Park Road, the highly anticipated interactive Astillas exhibition presented creator Eltono wit han array of new ideas from the compositions that participants made, and Fiona Larkin’s Postcards from India resulted in hundreds of postcards with positive messages to and about the Festival.

Down to the Main Stage, and this year collaborations were a focal point, all of them flourished beyond expectations. Najib Soudani Group and La Banda del Surdo (Main Stage, Sunday) were instant soulmates, having discovered an immediate Moroccan-Spanish resonance, a traditional connection that led to a crackling show. While back up to the Pavilion Theatre, Pól Brennan, Ayub Ogada and Guo Yue overcame a fire in the gym beneath the complex to put on one of the most talked about shows of the weekend.

Four exceptional headline main stage concerts drew the crowds and got them dancing. Calypso Rose, Mahala Raï Banda, Khaled, and of course the exceptional Rokia Traoré… sure where else would you have been this Festival weekend other than Dún Laoghaire?

Adios and thank you

It is with humble and heartfelt thanks to the Family, Artists, Partners and Audiences who have participated in the last 10 years, that I take this timely opportunity to step down as Artistic Director of the dlr Festival of World Cultures. It has been a kaleidoscopic journey and an honour to have been part of this unique and visionary community movement.

The Festival Family – the team who put the Festival together – are an exceptional gathering of people. So many to acknowledge over the 10 years, but “10 High Fives” have to go to the following for the Festival weekend: All the Volunteers, the Cleansing Fairies, the Riders Tribe, Magnum Events, Mary Hickson, Production and Technical teams, Marketing and Programming teams and everyone listed in the staff credits. We would like to extend our greatest thanks to Superintendent Martin Fitzgerald, Inspector Bill Wilde, Sergeant Paul Roche and all of the Gardaí in Dún Laoghaire for their comprehensive and well thought out approach to combating alcohol on the streets – allowing people of all ages, faiths and cultures to enjoy the Festival.

Special thanks to our General ‘Fountain of Knowledge’ Manager Olga Barry who is shortly moving to RTÉ and Jane Davy Programme Manager Extraordinaire 03-10, who for the past 8 years has also sacrificed her social life to help co-create Ireland’s best loved intercultural celebration.

It’s been a spectacular journey – here’s to the next 10 years!

Jody Ackland
Artistic Director 2001-201o

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