She wasn’t a big fan of music from her home country when she was little. – But the more you learn about it, you become one with the music and like it more, says 22-year-old Anisha Kahn. Anisha Khaan enjoying herself at the Mela Festival. Photo: Dag Aasdalen / news She is at the Melafestivalen in central Oslo. The cultural festival bustles with life with music, dance, theater and food from all over the world. The festival starts in front of Oslo City Hall this weekend. – Has Norwegian music changed the way people think about the music from their parents’ homeland? – Yes, the mixed music between what is pop culture in the West and Asian culture has mixed lyrics and words. That fusion of two different worlds has helped a lot to make people like that music more, she says. She is a big fan of the group Karpe from Oslo, which she believes has meant a lot. Karpe had thousands chanting “Allah, Allah!” The founder of Melafestivalen, Khalid Salimi, is also enthusiastic when he talks about Karpe. They started their career at Melafestivalen, which Salimi founded in 2001. – Back then it was still the case that young people with an immigrant background thought it was embarrassing to listen to music from their parents’ country, he says. The founder of the Mela Festival, Khalid Salimi. But this has changed, the festival director believes. He highlights what happened when Karpe held concerts in Oslo Spektrum last year. – Thousands came out of the venue and chanted “Allah, Allah!”. The same could not have happened 20 years ago, he believes. – Music is a language This year’s Melafestival kicked off on Friday evening with the Sufi-Islamic genre qawwali. The festival director would not have dared to book something like this for the opening concert in Oslo City Hall a few years ago. – Today I know that the public is educated. They have trained themselves to take advantage of this genre, says Salimi. “Allah, Allah, ya baba, wa salam 3layk, ya baba”. Photo: NTB – It’s clear that kebabs and shawarma are gradually getting into the blood of the new generation who are out at concerts today. People are less afraid of other cultures. Jonas Benyoub has received a good response when he has woven the Moroccan into his music. Photo: Kim Erlandsen / news P3 The musician Solo Diarra is used to playing for children and young people in Norway, and always gets a positive response. He is from Burkina Faso, and from a griot family. Griot means someone who tells stories, plays music and builds his own instruments. Solo Diarra is proud of the culture he comes from. Photo: Frode Fjerdingstad / news – I have inherited important things, says Diarra. He is proud of what he will present at the Melafestivalen on Friday evening. – In Africa we say that music is a language. If someone stands there and doesn’t understand what I’m singing, they can still dance because they feel the rhythm I’m playing. Here he plays the African instrument balofon. Photo: Frode Fjerdingstad / news
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Melafestivalen – Have fun with music from your home country – news Culture and entertainment
