WOMAD 2018's World of Words Literary line-up - a literary (& musical) journey

WOMAD 2018

Thursday 26th to Sunday 29th July 2018
Charlton Park , Malmesbury, Wiltshire, SN16 9DG, England MAP
£225 for 4 days, £185 for 3 days

Daily capacity: 40,000

Last updated: Mon 23rd Jul 2018

Along with a diverse line-up of music from around the world, WOMAD - World of Music, Arts and Dance - held at Charlton Park, near Malmesbury, in Wiltshire from Thursday 26th to Sunday 29th July 2018, also has its World of Words Literary line-up.

The WOMAD Book Club has Nigerian author and singer Chibundu Onuzo speak about her book 'Welcome to Lagos' and along with a singing performance, Anbara Salam talks about her debut novel 'Things Bright and Beautiful' set on a small island in the South Pacific island where all is not quite as it seems, and Sri Lankan artist and writer Roma Tearne discusses her novel 'The White City' that explores what it is like to be a migrant and a child of a migrant in a time of global crisis.

Musician Aeham Ahmed's story is one of both pain and hope. The pianist will speak about his upbringing in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria, where he would play to try and bring a little hope and joy to people’s lives, and how a ban on music led to his piano being burnt in front of him, before fleeing to Germany where he now lives. His inspirational and thought-provoking life story lays the foundations for what will no doubt be a beautiful performance on the Ecotricity stage.

Turning adversity into humour is no mean feat. Comedian and writer Jess Thom, aka Touretteshero, tells what it’s like to be an unpredictable wordsmith and her plan to change the world one tic at a time, as well as celebrating the creativity of Tourettes. Actor James Rowland performs “Revelations” his new storytelling show about love, faith and trying to do the right thing, before taking it to the Edinburgh festival later this summer.

Reggae DJ Wrongtom talks to Adam Reeves who has written a book on the Jamaica’s Alpha Boys School the children’s home with a musical training program overseen by a jazz-loving nun, together with one of the school’s former students Basil Hylton. Supergroup LADAMA will share their stories as the four women, each from a different country, discuss how they harness the music from their homelands, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and the US, to create their rich and unique sound.

Delicious Magazine will be recording its monthly Podcast at WOMAD, with Gilly Smith talking to some of the festival’s international food traders about their products, projects and promises, whilst One Track Minds invites four special guests to discuss the one song that changed their lives in a mash-up of Desert Island Discs and TED talks. BBC Radio 4 will host a recording of Four Thought, where festival-goers can hear four thought-provoking speakers air their thoughts on what interests them most.

Actress, television presenter and writer Janet Ellis has just written her first adult novel ‘The Butcher’s Hook’, and will be taking audiences through the trials and tribulations of the publishing process. Anthony Anaxagorou takes on the establishment with his powerful, moving words and will tell how he went from security guard and delivery driver to an established poet and writer.

In the modern world, written notes and letters are a rarity and authors Jo Nadin and Rachel Hamilton celebrate these lost relics with The Dying Art of Letter Writing, discussing what letters mean to them, sharing their own ones they’ve kept over the years, how future generations will miss out on these memories now modern technology has taken over and what we can do to keep the art alive. Tickle your taste buds with The Chocolate Revolution as star of Channel 4’s “Willie’s Wonky Chocolate Factory’ Willie Harcourt-Cooze takes audiences on a journey of discovery through the great single estate cacaos – the fine wines of the chocolate world – while hearing about his story of how he came to be a world-renowned chocolate maker.

There's insights into mindfulness and meditation from Buddhist monk Gelong Thubten, a panel discussion hosted by journalist Serena Kutchinky asking Can We Really Live Plastic Free?, a talk with Ethiopian songstress Meklit on her musical inspirations, the Sunday Papers panel with journalist and writer Oliver Bullough and conversation with Team UnLimbited who create prosthetic arms for children around the world from their garden shed in Swansea.

The Hip Yak Poetry Shack has headliners that include the multi-award-winning Alice Oswald, who is currently BBC Radio 4’s Poet-in-Residence, as well as the ever-popular Dizraeli with a whole host of new material. And with poets Sean Hill, Joelle Taylor, Birdspeed, Desree Gumbs-Carty, Matt Harvey and many more, there’s something for everyone on the poetry stage this year.

Music at WOMAD 2018 comes from Amadou & Mariam, Leftfield performing 'Leftism', Camille, Django Django, Thievery Corporation, Sharon Shannon, LA DAME BLANCHE, Ken Boothe, Jazzanova Live featuring Paul Randolph, Macka B, Mr Jukes, and many more. For all of the details so far please see the line-up page.

buy tickets now >

Tickets are on sale, priced as follows:-
adult 3 days: £185
adult 4 days: £225
teenage 3 days: £90*
teenage 4 days: £125*
(*names of teenagers must be registered when purchasing tickets)
Campervan: £80
Park & Camp: £85
Camp WOMAD x 2-man tent £150
Camp WOMAD x 4-man tent £250
spa weekend: £135
La Di Da Loo: £35
Some tickets can be bought by four instalments (please note there is no refund policy).
Children 13 and under FREE (but still need ticket)

discuss this news on the Festival Forums