National Geographic’s All Roads Film Festival showcases a variety of stories from underrepresented cultures. Taking place in Los Angeles and Washington D.C, there’ll be 28 film screenings including the premiere of Lebanese film maker Philip Aractingi’s Under The Bomb, and 4 photography exhibits. The music element features exclusive performances by Somalian hip hop MC and griot K’naan and Italy’s shining star Carmen Consoli , check out the festival’s website for all the info…
The World Festival of Sacred Music takes place throughout the month of September at various venues in Los Angeles. With the blessing of His Holiness the Dalai Lama it seeks to introduce people and performers to one another’s traditions. Artists on the bill include Waldemar Bastos from Angola, Tuvan throat singers Chirgilchin, and String Theory – I’ve seen this ensemble live and it’s a unique experience.
Also in Los Angeles is the We The People event which aims to show the positive side of hip hop reggae and punk as a tool to demolish racial boundaries and create a socially conscious event.
KCRW’s Garth Trinidad will be DJing and other artists include RZA, Fishbone, Z Trip, Bassnectar and Jamaica’s legendary Barrington Levy . We the People takes place at Los Angeles State Historic Park in Downtown LA.
From California The Global Gig Guide heads to Illinois for the largest and longest running international event in the US - Chicago’s World Music Festival. Performers for this year include Calexico, Chiwoniso from Zimbabwe, Fiamma Fumana from Italy, and Vieux Farka Toure from Mali.
As you probably know by now, last week saw the biggest science event in history – the activation of the Large Hedron Collider near Geneva. Michigan State graduate Kate McAlpine created a great video bringing together the usually disparate worlds of rap and physics. Check it out on YouTube and you’ll actually find yourself becoming interested in atom bashing!