When you are at the end of the world, it is probably the place where you least expect to discover diverse cultures; in the region, performances by artists from overseas are rather rare. The Festival Musique du Bout du Monde is one of those windows to discover, learn and immerse yourself in the world.
Adding artists from all horizons to its programming is one thing, but making it interesting and accessible is another. Whether by chance or by design, the majority of the artists who came to share their culture with us did so with the same guideline: SHARING.
Whether it's the Maori art of Whakatopu Kotahi, the humility of Tiken Jah Fakoly or the African pedagogy of Balby Gado, they have all found the secret to opening our horizons and piquing our curiosity: interaction with the audience. This weekend, I felt like dancing, singing, and believe me in my case, it must be really intoxicating to see me move something other than my head!
Having spoken with a few artists, I was very surprised to learn that people in the regions are generally more open-minded than in the big cities. Is it the low presence of multiculturalism in the regions, or is it the more open-minded mentality that creates this interest? Whatever the case, at times you could have heard a fly flying during the dialogues between the artists and the crowd, we were far from the obligation to move on to the next hit.
When you don't have to look to see if the person next to you is clapping or dancing to avoid feeling like an idiot in that crowd, you can be sure of one thing, the artist has fulfilled their mandate! I quote one of the members of The LOL Brothers this weekend:
"It's cool, everyone participates...not just the kids and the drunk world!"
Once again this weekend, we opened a number of bottles in the sea stuck in Gaspé Bay, they all carried the same message: a note has no origin other than its instrument.
