91Èȱ¬

Lopa Kothari and Mary Ann Kennedy introduce the first of a weekend of broadcasts from the globe's leading festival of world music, live from the festival site in Charlton Park in Wiltshire. Norwegian Sami star Mari Boine is one of the headliners on the Open Air Stage, and Debademba present their 'big family' style of West African music to the WOMAD audience. On the 91Èȱ¬ Radio 3 Charlie Gillett Stage, there are UK debuts for Monsieur Doumani from Cyprus, and Polish gypsy band Caci Vorba. Plus interviews and truck sessions, and Commonwealth Connections from India and Nauru, starting off more than eight hours of live broadcasting from WOMAD.

WOMAD LIVE 2014: 91Èȱ¬ Radio 3 returns to the world-famous WOMAD festival for a fifteenth year, broadcasting from the Open Air Stage, the Siam Tent and new for this year, the '91Èȱ¬ Radio 3 Charlie Gillett Stage'. This sees the Radio 3 stage moving to WOMAD's main arena, and to a stage named after a broadcaster who achieved so much for world music over many years, and was one of the original trio of presenters on Radio 3's World on 3.

MUSIC FEATURE: India
Kala Ramnath is one of the leading Hindustani musicians of her generation. Born into a dynasty of violin players who championed the instrument in Indian classical music in the 20th century, Kala has developed the instrument still further with a mixture of traditional and improvisational repertoire. In her home in Mumbai, Kala demonstrates just how closely the violin is modelled on the human voice.

HERITAGE FEATURE: Nauru
Measuring eight square miles with a total coastline of eighteen and a half miles and a population of just over nine thousand, the Pacific island of Nauru is arguably the least populous actual sovereign country in the world, although officially the Vatican State and then Monaco occupy the first and second spots. Situated in Micronesia, Nauru lies 2,800 miles north east of Australia, and used to be called Pleasant Island before independence in 1968. Itte Detenamo is a super heavyweight lifter, and his chosen music is of Nauruan songs composed by Baron Waqa, a songwriter who is currently the nation's President.