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About 10 years ago, I went to Jarasum Jazz Festival several times. Despite the expensive ticket and heavy traffic, listening to jazz while lying on the grass and eating delicious food becomes an unforgettable experience. The sizzling heat even made the most sedentary man sit up and have fun, making this memory more vivid.

Every year, in Gwangju, there is an event called ACC World Music Festival where you can sit on a mat outside and enjoy the world music. The best part is that all performances are free except for the two indoor performances in Theater 2 (World Stage).

Scenes from 2022 ACC World Music Festival and audiences enjoying it

If you look at the line-up of the artists, you will see a list from famous national indie bands and Gugak musicians to top-notch global artists. Due to COVID-19, only indoor performances were allowed but three years later, outdoor performances finally came back. Also, the participation of some global artists like Dobet Gnahoré and Nella has increased the expectations.

Since 2010, before the opening of the Asia Culture Center, the World Music Festival, marking its 13th anniversary this year, is the representative music festival of ACC, providing a stage where encompasses the diversity of world music with various global artists, including Asia.

The festival offers the unique experience of meeting the Third World music and to appreciate music combined with traditional music from each country. Most of the artists participating in the World Music Festival are working on crossover between traditional and modern music or using traditional music from each country to express it in a modern way.

Scenes from 2022 ACC World Music Festival and audiences enjoying it

On the first day of the festival, Friday, August 26th, there were the performances by <Dunggi doobop>, a group who integrates gugak sounds with jazz, <BAND NALDA>, a Korean classical music crossover who plays gugak, jazz, blues, and punk, <John Noh x Ko Young Yeol> from ‘RabidAnce,’ the runner-up group of an audition program called Phantom Singer 3, <UHEESKA> who blends the reggae music with Korean sensibility, <Dobet Gnahoré> from Côte d'Ivoire who provides powerful stage performance and soulful voice based on African traditional music, and <Namdo Legacy> who shows the essence of Namdo music.

On the second day, Saturday, August 27th, there were performances by <KOHEEAN TRIO> who constructs an experimental and inventive music world, <HAEPAARY x Dark Shadow> who produces sounds based on ambient and techno by reinterpreting the Jongmyo Jeryeak, <Nella> who portraits the Venezuelan traditional and modern music, and Andalusian sensibility, <meaningful stone>, a new singer-songwriter who crosses various genre, an electronica band <GLEN CHECK>, and <Lee Jaram in concert-Sori> that includes ‘Lee Jaram’ who completed the important intangible cultural heritage No. 5 pansori (Chunhyangga, Jeokbyeokga).

The ACC World Music Festival performance by GLENCHECK

Asia Culture Center Big Door outdoor stage (Big Door Stage), Asia Plaza (ACC Stage), Theater 2 indoor stage (World Stage), and 5.18 Democracy Square stage (Music Stage), a total of four stages, were used for the performances according to schedule. For an interview, I watched the performances by Dobet Gnahoré and John Noh x Ko Young Yeol on the first day.

# Dobet Gnahoré

At 9 P.M., the audiences were gathering at the Big Door outdoor stage with mats to lie down on the grass. <Dobet Gnahoré> is an artist who creates Afropop sound based on African traditional music, also the winner of 2010 Grammy Awards. Afropop, music that has African-styled rhythm and pop melody, is becoming popular.

From the performance of <Dobet Gnahoré>, her vast energy and full voice and fancy performance that overwhelmed audience stood out. The African dance was especially interesting and has made the audience unable to take their eyes off her. In the midst of heat, the audience were dancing with each other and even performing the Gangkang Suwollae. Even though the languages were all different, it was the time when everyone was fused together through passion and music. The passionate stage made that one hour passed so quickly, and I wished it had been a little longer.

The audience enjoying the festival

# John Noh x Ko Young Yeol

I moved to ACC Theater for the next performance – John Noh and Ko Young Yeol from the runner-up team ‘RabidAnce’ of Phantom Singer 3. At first, there were solo stages by each of them. Most of all, ‘Saranga’ that Ko Young Yeol sang while playing the piano was impressive. Following their solo stages, after the intermission, John Noh and Ko Young Yeol collaborated on stage.

As the Cuban music ‘No Sé Tú’ that they once sang together at the audition program started, the atmosphere intensified. I think we are gradually smitten by the world music. It is not unfamiliar music anymore but the kind of music that allows everyone to enjoy together.

For those two days of the festival, the audience enjoyed the performances through moving between stages every hour. In 5.18 Democracy Square, ten teams provided local cooperation performance that enriched the stage. The audience participation workshop was also held this year to provide an opportunity for communicating with audience.

Even though it was late August, I was able to enjoy the performance thanks to the breezy weather. I could see the Gwangju citizens came out for a break with family and friends, and surprisingly a few of old people. However, there were less audience than expected due to COVID-19, although it was the show where top-notch artists, who are not easy to see in Gwangju, participated.

The Gwangju citizens are lucky to have this opportunity to listen to various newly born music genre with the crossover between traditional and modern music. In the future, I am expecting for this festival to be more popular with its identity of Gwangju where even people from other regions also come find.

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