Ozomatli Showcases American Music In Middle East

By Tim Receveur
USINFO Staff Writer

Ozomatli Showcases American Music in Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia

The Los Angeles-based Latin rock, hip-hop and funk band Ozomatli recently played free concerts in Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia, bringing a message of hope, peace and diversity as cultural ambassadors for the United States.

The Jordanian daily newspaper Al-Rai may have summarized the trip best with the banner headline, "The American Ozomatli Performs Its Music: A Crazy Artistic Mixture."

Some bands might consider this description an insult, but for Ozomatli it is a badge of honor. The band and its songs are a combination of different languages, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, musical genres and instruments.

The band's embrace of varied musical traditions embodies their work to bridge divisions and seek social justice through music. This has been a hallmark of Ozomatli's work ever since the band formed in 1995 as part of a Los Angeles labor protest.

In addition to their main concerts, the band performed for thousands of students and children in summer camps, orphanages, a home for abused children and a Palestinian refugee camp near Jerash, Jordan.

The nine-piece Grammy Award-winning group started its State Department-sponsored tour at the Carthage Festival in Tunisia July 22, then went on to perform in Jordan at the Festival for Arts and Culture in Jerash July 26 and the Great Arab Revolt Square in Aqaba, Jordan, July 27.

They also gave free performances in Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt, July 29-30.

Guitarist and vocalist Raul Pacheco called the experience an enriching journey. Instead of seeing anti-Americanism on their trip through the region, the band "felt a lot of appreciation and love," Pacheco said during an August 5 interview with USINFO.

"We all have stereotypes and they go both ways," he said. However, Ozomatli tries to use music to transcend cultural and social boundaries -- and even barriers between themselves and the audience.

For example, against a 2000-year-old backdrop at the South Theater in the Roman city of Jerash, Ozomatli jumped off the stage with its instruments and played and danced with the audience.

And in Cairo, at the legendary 12th century Salah el-Din Citadel near the Pyramids and the Sphinx, Ozomatli called on the Egyptian jazz band Eftekasat to join the concert -- leading to a thrilling jamming session with American and Egyptian players mingling with the crowd.

Ozomatli frequently performs at anti-war rallies, and its members are vocal critics of the Bush administration. But the group accepted the State Department's invitation in order to "give a different image of America," the group's saxophonist Ulises Bella, told the Los Angeles Times.

The band played for disadvantaged children from Cairo's al-Darb al-Ahmar district as well as street children from Hope Village. In Jordan, the band entertained the Dar Al Anda children's home for victims of domestic abuse.

Once the music started at each performance, the children immediately jumped up to dance and sing.

"One of the mothers of the al-Darb al-Ahmar children told us 'Nawwartu Misr!' I can't imagine a better compliment from the audience," wrote State Department representative Helen Lovejoy after the performance.

Nawwartu Misr is an Egyptian compliment meaning "you have brought enlightenment."

"At Dar al-Anda, the director tearfully thanked the band after having watched the children dance to Ozomatli's music, clap, chant and beg for more," recalled Cynthia Harvey, a State Department cultural affairs officer in Amman, Jordan.

Despite the busy schedule, the band also managed some sightseeing to experience ancient treasures such as Petra and the Pyramids.

"My favorite city was Cairo, [with] the immense history of Egypt right on your lap. Playing at the citadel overlooking the city at night was a highlight," said Pacheco.

"We had a little more down time on this trip," he said. "We had time to check out many of the historical sights that really place your mind in a whole other place. It was beautiful!"

This was Ozomatli's second U.S.-sponsored tour. The group played in India and Nepal in February, and became a symbolic part of Nepal's history on February 17 by playing a concert that was the first peaceful nonprotest, nonpolitical mass gathering in Kathmandu following the country's 10-year civil war.

ENDS

(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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