The world music expo WOMEX is exclusively dedicated to world, roots, folk, ethnic, traditional, local and diaspora music of all kinds, and has become the leading international event in the world music calendar. The first WOMEX took place in 1994 and seven editions have taken place in Berlin, Brussels, Marseilles, Stockholm, Rotterdam and Essen. For the ever-growing world music community these events have affirmed the value and potential of networking across musical, political, cultural and commercial borders, and has always aspired to be as much a friendly meeting point as an important business opportunity.

This year the eighth edition will take place from Wed 22 - Sun 26 October under the directorship of Christoph Borkowsky Akbar. Following its two-yearly rhythm of one year at home and one year abroad, WOMEX 2003 travels to Seville, the Andalusian capital of southern Spain. Invited by FIBES (www.fibes.es), the Bienal de Flamenco (www.bienalflamenco.org) and Turismo Andaluz (www.andalucia.org), WOMEX will join forces with the World Flamenco Fair. WOMEX registration this year will also give free access to all of the Fair daytime activities.

WOMEX 2002 in Essen was the biggest networking occasion for World Music worldwide ever, with over 1800 participants representing some 1050 companies from more than 80 countries. 200 journalists from all over the world attended and 30 plus speakers took part in 26 conference sessions. 174 trade fair stands, including various umbrella stands of countries, regions, networks and other joint-venture structures featured 250 exhibitors.

The showcases presented over 350 artists in 40 showcases on 4 stages and in the WOMEX club & -lounge The WOMEX Award was presented to Jivan Gasparyan of Armenia for his outstanding contribution to world music. The 1st WOMEX Film Screenings showed 37 films, presented in cooperation with IMZ, Vienna and the regional WOMEX Focus featured the Indian Ocean Islands, with 5 showcases and 6 conference sessions as well as 2 special film screenings

The BBC's, previously exclusively broadcasters of classical music have embraced world music in a big way over the last couple of years. The WOMEX Voting Academy for the BBC decided the Radio 3Awards for World Music

The WOMEX webcast and virtual Showcases of all WOMEX and a selection of offWOMEX artists were presented in cooperation with Mondomix, Paris. The annual event is complemented by the virtual WOMEX, an all-year-long World Music trade fair for the WOMEX community on the internet.

Womexicans, as regular attendants seem pleased to be called are advised of the final list of showcasing artists for Seville by the international pr-team of Frank Chaffs and Eva Kiltz. WOMEX will present an amazingly wide range of worldwide artists, all selected by the seven samurai jury:

Amal Murkus (Palestine/Israel), Ana Sofia Varela (Portugal), Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra (USA), Bazar Blå (Sweden), Bebo Valdés & Diego "El Cigala" (Cuba/Spain), Clotaire K (Lebanon/France), DJ Dolores (Brazil), DJ Martin Morales (UK), El Bicho (Spain), Faiz Ali Faiz (Pakistan), Future World Funk (UK), Gilad Atzmon & Orient House Ensemble (Israel/Romania/UK), Guaco (Venezuela), Huracán de Fuego (Venezuela), Jaojoby (Madagascar), Javier Ruibal (Andalusia/Spain), Jony Iliev & Band (Bulgaria), La Vela Puerca (Uruguay), L'Ham de Foc (Spain), Lo'Jo (France), Majid Bekkas (Morocco), Malouma (Mauretania), Manecas Costa (Guinea-Bissau/Portugal), Manou Gallo & Le Djiboi (Ivory Coast/Belgium), Marcel Khalife (Lebanon/France), Mawaca (Brazil), Musafir (Rajasthan/India), Nação Zumbi (Brazil), Otto (Brazil), Sevara Nazarkhan (Uzbekistan), Sidi Goma (Gujarat/India), Teofilo Chantre (Cabo Verde/France), Tiharea (Madagascar/Belgium), Tinariwen (Mali), Weird MC (Nigeria/UK), Yusa (Cuba); -That's a lot of artists!

The Conference Themes and Speakers are as eclectic as the artists, and range from, amongst many, many others : 'Presenting Arab Artists in the US', to 'African guitar music as genre - Can the axe-men of Africa get the respect they deserve?' and 'Divided Balkan nations again united by turbo-folk - World fusion at its worst'.

For further information go to:www.womex.com or contact frank@franks-music-office.de, or by phone: +49 (0)30 313 28 72.