Womad 2023 review — still an uplifting feast of global music

★★★★☆
An evergreen oasis of mellow egalitarian vibes in a summer of overhyped superstar festivals, this year’s Womad drew a reliably huge, all-ages crowd to its leafy Wiltshire home. The term “world music” may be outdated and problematic nowadays, but the multicultural idealism that first powered this feast of global roots music 41 years ago remains a powerful, uplifting, tangible force.

Reggae was once Womad’s universal currency, and it remains deeply woven into the festival’s DNA. But hip-hop is the true world music of the past 30 years, and figured prominently this year. Festivities kicked off on Thursday night with a party-friendly blast of hip-hop, jazz and house music from the New York rap legends Jungle Brothers. Later in the weekend the Brazilian rapper, activist