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In
1986 an African drummer played in a village near Weitra, in
northwestern Waldviertel, about two hours drive from Vienna. Some
local people were so fascinated by his music and his stories that
they took a trip to the Gambia. Their impressions from that country
led to the foundation of Kasumama, an association furthering
intercultural exchange between Austria and several African countries.
Its headquarters are located in Lauterbach, an idyllic small village
about 7 kilometers from Weitra and very close to the Czech border.
The association held its first African festival in 2001. This year
there will be a new event from July 1 to July 6. |
The
aim of the festival is to further understanding between the cultures
and present rural Waldviertel (and it doesn't get much more rural
than Lauterbach) as a region open to the world. There are workshops,
lectures, readings, African films and lots of African music, but also
a genuine Austrian Schuhplattler folk dance group. And a further
possible incentive to attend: The festival takes place on the banks
of a small lake, and temperatures here are about 5 degrees centigrade
lower than in Vienna...
Details
of the program are available from www.kasumama.at,
contact at info@kasumama.at or Gudrun Schrenk at 02858 3395.
Lauterbach is part of Moorbad Harbach, which is clearly signposted
from Weitra.
Kasumama
Festival
Lauterbach
A-3970
Moorbad Harbach
July
1-6, 2003 |
