The French Embassy along with Alliance Francaise organizes hip-hip competition for June 2 auditions. The opportunity arrives
for young hip-hop dancers to be chosen for the show "Harare''s Battle of the Year" being held at Avondale, in commemoration for
World Music Day marked June 21, though the show will be held June 23.
Starting June 4, Alliance Francaise will be holding more auditions, in hopes to find talented and inspired dancers from underprivileged children and teens from the surrounding communities. Transportation and training finances will be provided by Alliance Francaise for each child. They will train for 3 sessions of one week, being held at Alliance, then move onto dance with the winners from the audition from June 2. The teachers will chose 8 groups to take part in the final show being held at Harare''s Theatre of Dreams, the 7arts, as part of World Music Day delebration.
World Music Day has its roots from France, conceived by a french Prime Minister of Culture Jack Land in 1981. One year later the production of the first show was 1982. Since, it has spread to countries as; Belgium, Britian, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, China, India, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan to name a few.
Popular interest was sparked with the album realease of Paul Simon''s, Graceland in 1986.
The concept behind the album was to express his own sensibilities using the sounds which he had fallen in love with listening to artists from Southern Africa, including Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Savuka.
Since the eighties the excitement and word of mouth appeal is backed up by radio -
World of Music on
Voice of America , Transpacific Sound Paradise on
WFMU,
The Planet on
Australia''s ABC Radio National, DJ EDU presenting
D.N.A.-DestiNation Africa on BBC Radio 1Extra , Andy Kershaw''s Show on
BBC Radio 3, and Charlie Gillet''s Show on
BBC World Service to name a few. The
BBC, NPR and
ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) are rich sources for world music online.