Blues Communications will organise a three-day (January 27-29) International Sufi Music Festival 2015 at the Army Museum Ground, Bijoy Sharani, in the capital. Fifteen solo artistes and troupes from nine countries of the world will perform their distinctive patterns and styles of Sufi music at the festival. IFIC Bank is the title sponsor of the event.Noted artistes Rob Fakir, Shafi Mondal and his troupe, Arnab and his troupe and Labik Kamal Gaurob and his troupe from Bangladesh will represent Bangladeshi mystic styles at the festival. Javed Ali, Munnawar Masoom and Arko Mukherjee from India and celebrated artiste Rahat Fateh Ali Khan from Pakistan will also perform at the festival.
A Danish music troupe Serenas will reflects their roots, faith, ethnicity and cultural upbringing in their music while Egyptian troupe Mawlawiyahh, led by singer Amer Eltony, will present Egyptian heritage, philosophy of Sufism and cultural identity at the festival.A Brazilian young musicians’ troupe Projeto Sarava will perform their original compositions along with the interpretations of popular musical genres in Dhaka.The Dhaka music lovers will also have the privilege to listen to indigenous African music as a Gujarati troupe named Sidi Goma will perform here. Sidis are a heterogeneous population of Indians of East African Origins who live in various regions throughout India. A Tunisian troupe called Mechket will also perform in the festival. Sufi Music in Tunisia consists of both popular and ethnic elements.Zik’r will offer mystical Flamenco Music — a genre of Spanish folk music from Andalusia in southern Spain — that includes singing, guitar playing, dance and handclaps. “This is for the first time International Sufi Festival is going to be held in Bangladesh. It took us a long time to gear up for the festival. We visited several international music festivals to choose artistes for the Sufi Festival 2015,” according to Farhadul Islam, CEO of Blues Communications.
Music lovers can collect festival tickets from Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts, Dhanmondi; Bengal Art Lounge, Gulshan-1 and Haritaki Café, Banani – from January 14.