Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — American Samoa will be represented at the 2022 Worldwide Music Expo (WOMEX) by local musician Pulotu Siteine Peta Siulepa in her capacity as the director of the Samoana Jazz and Arts Festival.

This was confirmed on the WOMEX website that detailed musicians who will attend.

The music expo will be held in Lisbon, Portugal and it will be one of the world’s largest music conferences.

 “WOMEX – Worldwide Music Expo – is the most international and culturally diverse music meeting in the world and the biggest conference of the global music scene, featuring a trade fair, talks, films and showcase concerts.

“Over 2,600 professionals (including 260 performing artists) come together every October from 90 countries, making WOMEX the leading networking platform for the world music industry.

“It’s musical spectrum is unparalleled in the international showcase performance market, ranging from the most traditional to the new global local underground, embracing folk, roots, jazz, local and diaspora cultures as much as urban and electronic sounds from all over the globe.”

According to the website there are seven stages, around 700 exhibiting companies, 100+ speakers, films, an opening concert and an awards ceremony across five packed networking days and rather short nights.

“WOMEX and the many delegates in its community aims to support and strengthen the role of culture around the globe and to spread its values through the nurturing and promotion of creativity and art.

“The local and global world music community is able to – and needs to – contribute to cross-cultural understanding in a welcoming, tolerant, diverse and productive manner.

“The event remains devoted to facilitating and promoting the global music industry and providing a platform to connect, inspire and share experiences, enabling new partnerships across transcontinental markets and an open economic and international cultural dialogue.”

The Worldwide Music Expo kicks off on October 19, 2022

SAMOANA BACKGROUND

Since its 2014 founding, the Samoana Jazz & Arts Festival has morphed into the Pacific's premier annual music pilgrimage — an international event that visitors, friends, families, fans, musicians and artists from near and far travel to every year, according to its website.

 “We aim to provide a world class musical and arts experience within our thriving Samoan cultural environment for patrons, audiences and artists – creating economic development benefits to the peoples of the Samoa Islands.

“Samoana Jazz & Arts Festival combines two countries east and west — a one brand annual festival of the 2 Samoas  –  Samoana opens in American Samoa and closes in Samoa.

“Samoana — We are one people, one language, and one culture — showcasing all the things we are in celebration with others from around the world.”