Womadelaide 2007 Lisa checks out the coming festival in the Adelaide City region of South Australia

It's that time of year again, when world's merge and collide at Botanic Park. Come March 10th and 11th Etran Finatawa will take to one of six Womadelaide stages with their fusion of two cultures. From the West African country of Niger, the band comprises nomadic tribesman.

Throughout the weekend, the Womadelaide experience will move from Africa to the Persian Gulf and the music of Ensemble Shanbehzadeh. The music is an amalgam of traditions - Persian, Arab, African and Indian, which all met centuries ago at the cultural crossroads in the south of Iran.

And then of course there'll be the legendary American jazz percussionist, Billy Cobham.

It's all part of a music festival that's become an annual assault on the senses. And into this melting pot of sights sounds and smells Womadelaide organisers have added a dash of local talent. Adelaide-based artists, Emily Davis and the Sunday Brides have garnered a strong local following with gigs at the Governor Hindmarsh, The Grace Emily and the Wheatsheaf Hotels.

But on March 10th they'll be performing on Stage 5 under the Moreton Bay Fig Tree at Womad.

Emily Davis recently launched her own CD, Moving in Slow Motion. It's laced with original material, much of which draws on her country upbringing in the town of Cleve and the many drives with here nanna across Eyre Peninsula to coastal towns like Port Lincoln and Arno Bay.

"I can remember my grandmother putting in the Patsy Cline tape while we were going on drives down to the beach," said Emily. "I also remember lots of singalongs. My mother used to play the piano accordion so that 'folky' element comes through a lot."

From the warm woody sounds of the mandolin and guitar to the mystical and melancholic sounds of the Iranian Bagpipe. It's all part of the rich musical tapestry that is Womadelaide. It's on at Botanic Park from March the 9th to the 11th. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au

Womadelaide 2007
March 9 - 11, 2007
Botanic Park
To book contact 1300 304 072

Published 4th March 2007