Aga Khan Music Initiative in Central Asia in Paris

Traditional Music and Dance of Central Asia in Paris

More than 20 musicians, singers and dancers from Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Iran and Pakistan will be performing in Paris between the 29 October and 8 November 2003, as part of a festival of Central Asian music and dance entitled "Via Kabul". Concerts at the Théâtre de l'Europe - Odéon / Ateliers Berthier, concerts and conferences at the Musée des Arts asiatiques Guimet and weekend master classes at the Maison Populaire de Montreuil will feature masters of traditional music and dance from the Silk Road.

Sponsored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, which works to preserve and promote the music of Central Asia through its Music Initiative, the musicians represent exemplars of traditions rarely seen outside of the region. Among the noted musicians participating is Shoberdi Bakshi, considered the Bard of the People of Uzbekistan. Playing on a cherished "dombra", which he claims he loves because it does not tire him, Mr. Bakshi sings epic songs, mixed with improvisation, which can last in traditional settings nine hours or longer.

Mastona Ergashova, the most famous singer of her generation in Tajikistan, boasts a repertoire that includes the Shash Maqam and classic Uzbek and Tajik songs. The dazzling Mohiniso Majitova, the young daughter of the last great sazanda dancer of Bukhara, carries on the unique tradition with assurance and grace and a riveting stage presence. Rahim Takhari, from the Takhart region in the north of Afghanistan and famous in both that country and neighboring states, accompanies himself on a variety of Central Asian instruments, including the dombra and the ghijak.

The festival will begin with concerts at conferences on 29-30 October at the Musée des Arts asiatiques Guimet. Masterclasses and conferences will follow at the Maison Populaire de Montreuil on the 31 October and 1 November. The festival will culminate in two evenings of concerts at the Théâtre de l'Europe - Odéon / Ateliers Berthier on Friday, 7 November and Saturday 8 November 2003.

The Aga Khan Music Initiative for Central Asia was established in 2000 to ensure the preservation and transmission of Central Asia's musical heritage to a new generation of artists and audiences. The aim was to support efforts to revitalise traditional methods of music education and performance. The Initiative has taken a multi-faceted approach, emphasising preservation - through recordings and archiving - while promoting it through concerts in Central Asia and abroad. Preservation includes support for important musical tradition-bearers, as well as local music centres and schools.

From the beginning of the Music Initiative, His Highness the Aga Khan has insisted that the primary beneficiaries be the communities in the Silk Road countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as Afghanistan and other countries in the region. The purpose of such an approach is to ensure that resources and expertise contribute to the creation of cultural institutions that can be maintained and sustained by local communities themselves.

Please see the entire programme at the Via Kaboul website: http://www.viakaboul.com/

For more information, please contact:

Contact presse - Le Trust Aga Khan pour le Culture
Sam Pickens
Information Officer
Aga Khan Development Network
P.O. Box 2049
1211 Geneva 2
Switzerland
Tel: (+41 22) 909 7277
Fax: (+41 22) 909 7292
Website: www.akdn.org

Contacts presse
- Yves Mousset - MY Communications
yves.mousset@my-communications.fr
Tel + 33 1 44 29 25 25
Mobile + 33 6 08 60 31 45
- Florence Pons
florencepons@club-internet.fr
Tel + 33 1 40 80 72 78
Mobile + 33 6 81 58 55 44

Contact Production
Zamzama Productions - Sabine Chatel
156, boulevard Magenta - 75010 Paris
Tel + 33 1 44 63 00 34
Fax + 33 1 44 63 00 23
Mobile + 33 6 11 87 41 76
Email - sabine.chatel@wanadoo.fr
Site web - zamzama.net