# Brave Festival

Brave Festival – Against Cultural Exile is an annual Polish music festival launched in 2005 by Song of the Goat Theatre Association. It takes place in Wrocław, as well as in other cities in Lower Silesia. Since inception, artists from all over the world have been invited to present their musical/cultural traditions. The festival is intended as an opportunity for attendees to speak about where they come from, their values, their traditions and their spirituality. It aims to save and protect forgotten, abandoned and forlorn cultures. Brave Festival also has a project called Brave Kids, which aims is to introduce, integrate and start a collaboration of artistic groups of children from different continents. Grzegorz Bral is the director of Brave Festival.
In 2011 Brave Festival was included in the official list of The Cultural Programme of the Polish EU Presidency 2011 in the category “Cylic cultural events and festivals organized by local and non-governmental institutions.” The following groups help to support the festival: President of the City of Wrocław - Rafal Dutkiewicz, UNESCO, Marshal of the dolnośląskie voivodeship - Rafał Jurkowlaniec and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

## Idea of Brave Festival

Since now there were ten editions of festival: The Magic of Voice (2005), Voices of Asia (2006), Drowned Songs (2007), The Ritual starts it Africa (2008), Prayers of the world (2009), Enchanters (2010), The Mask (2011), Women Initiating (2012), Lost Rhythm (2013), Sacred Body (2014), Griot (2015) and Outcasts (2016). Each edition presents concerts, theatre, performances, rituals, prayers and art of the people, tribes, groups or individuals from all over the world.
During the festival people, who don't agree on exile from their own traditions and sensitivity, share their culture. Brave Festival tries to support them by concerts, exhibitions, workshops (dance, musical and handicraft ones) and film program. All those events allow a public to see and experience what maybe couldn't be known in other way.
Festival places were among others: theatres in Wrocław (Teatr Polski, Wrocławski Teatr Współczesny, Teatr Pieśń Kozła), cinemas (Dolnośląskie Centrum Filmowe), galleries (Galeria BWA Design, ArtBrut) and other cultural places (The White Stork Synagogue, the Impart Art Center, Opera Wrocławska, Wytwórnia Filmów Fabulranych). There were also outdoor events.
Brave Festival hosted artists and groups from China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Russia, Australia, Egypt, Georgia, Bulgaria, India, Mali, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Chile, USA, Ukraine, Uganda, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Niger, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Poland, Corse, Rumania, Israel, Sardinia, Macedonia, Marocco, Grance and other countries.
Revenue from festival ticket sales are designated to support humanitarian activities in Tibet led by the international charity organization, ROKPA.

## Festival main program
### 2018

The thirteenth edition of Brave Festival took place on 13–22 July 2018 and was organized under the slogan "Visible-Invisible", which revealed a number of unique, often difficult to reach to a wider audience, artistic phenomena. The eleven invited artists or creative groups share a decidedly social character and the fact that they all use art – primarily music and theatre – not as entertainment and decoration, but as a tool to influence social change and stagnant reality, and as a weapon against injustice and exclusion.

### 2017

The festival for 2017 was cancelled due to lack of funding.

### 2016

12th edition of the festival took place between 1st and 16 July 2016 and was organized under the title "Outcasts - Wykluczeni". It was a significant and symbolic edition, because in 2016 more than any in other year so far it dealt specifically with "exile". Organizers decided to discuss people who have always been different in their own communities or in foreign ones, for which they have been stigmatized. "Outcasts - Wykluczeni" was host to a number of events from across the world showing people whose everyday lives are, for a variety of reasons, very difficult and complicated. Brave Festival showed people who used art to change or even utilize their exclusion.
| Artists | Country | Description |
| Bakri Ki Mashak | India | Gypsies from The States of Rajasthan |
| Aeham Ahmad | Syria | Pianist and refugee from Syria |
| Deafbeat | Malaysia | Deaf drummers from Malaysia |
| 21 Theatre | Poland | Theatre of actors with Down syndrome |
| Blind Ballet Company Fernanda Bianchini | Brazil | Ballet of blind dancers |
| Candoco Dance Company | United Kingdom | Dance and theatrical group of artists with disabilities |
| Nalaga'at Theater | Israel | Theatre of blind and deaf actors |
| Musicians without Borders | Palestine | Musicians and social workers |
| Ivan Perez i Korzo Producties | Spain | Contemporary dance |
| Song of the Goat Theatre | Poland | Performance titled Songs of Lear |
| Song of the Goat Theatre | Poland | Performance titled Crazy God |
| Song of the Goat Theatre | Poland | Performance titled Portraits of The Cherry Orchard |

### 2015

11th edition of the festival titled "Griot" took place between 10th and 17 July 2015. In the cultures of West Africa, griots are guardians of tradition, bards, poets, singers, storytellers and musicians, who for ages have had a great significance for the culture mainly from the area of today's Gambia, Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Liberia and Mauretania. Their stories are tightly connected with sounds and rhythm. For centuries, the function of a griot has been reserved exclusively for men born in one of a few clans, where this honourable role was passed on from generation to generation, from a father to a son. The undeniable role, which they play in creating the African culture, especially today, in the times of sudden civilisation changes, when keeping and protection of own heritage are becoming more and more difficult – makes griots ideally align with the mission of Brave Festival. Among invited artists there were: Kassé Mady Diabaté (Mali), Abou Diarra (Mali), Zanzibar Taarab/Kidumbak Ensemble (Zanzibar) czy Coumbane Ely Mint Warakane (Mauritania).
| Artists | Country | Description |
| Balla Kouyaté | Mali | Master of balaphon from Mali |
| Sona Jobarteh | Gambia | First female kora virtuoso |
| Abou Diarra | Mali | N'goni virtuoso |
| Ndima | Congo | Polyphonic sings of pygmies AKA from Congo |
| Zanzibar Taarab/Kidumbak Ensemble | Tanzania | Guardians of the Zanzibari traditions of taarab and kidumbak |
| Coumbane Ely Mint Warakane | Mauritania | Mauritanian griot |
| Kassé Mady Diabaté | Mali | Descendant of one of the most renowned griot families |
| Vieux Farka Touré | Mali | Desert blues of Mali |
| Song of the Goat Theatre | Poland | Performance titled Songs of Lear |
| Griot (film) | United States | Directed by Volker Goetze |

### 2014

10th edition of Brave Festival titled "Sacred Body" took place in 4–17 July 2014. The festival's program focused on the theatre, dance and ritual – all of them come from artistic traditions in which the body, the leitmotif, is shown either in a literal or in a symbolic way. Among others were Rama Vaidyanathan – mistress of classical Indian dance Bharata Natjam, Melanie Lomoff – French dancer with ballet education and Koffi Kôkô – voodoo priest and a representative of contemporary African dance. This year's Brave Festival main program was also accompanied by Film Program divided into three theme sections: Brave People Doc, Brave Contexts and Brave Focus, devoted to India. The Festival's opening film was ‘The Light of Asia’ by Franz Osten from 1925 featuring live music – an original score composed and performed by the Divana Ensemble from Rajasthan.
| Artists | Country | Description |
| Balega | Indonesia | Music of the body in the randai tradition of Western Sumatra |
| Koffi Kôkô | Benin | Choreographies of African voodoo |
| Melanie Lomoff | France | Modern dance inspired by human figures from triptychs by Francis Bacon |
| Mudijettu | India | Ritual theatre from the temples of Kerala |
| Rama Vaidyanathan | India | Indian dance of body and soul Bharata Natjam |
| Rupinder | India | Ritual songs of India |
| Sarpam Thullal | India | Ritual devoted to the Serpent Gods from Kerala |
| Teatr 21 | Poland | Performance The Love Boat |
| Song of the Goat Theatre | Poland | Performance titled Songs of Lear |

### 2013

Brave Festival – Against Cultural Exile, 9th edition titled "Lost Rhythm" took place between 7th and 12 July 2013 in Wrocław. The program of the 9th edition of Brave Festival, as each year, consisted of performances, concerts, film screenings, exhibitions, workshops and open forum meetings. During six days many extraordinary artists from all over the world presented a number of authentic and little known rituals, ceremonies, sacred songs and other artistic traditions from Asia, Africa, South Africa and Europe. Among others invited were representatives of various distant cultures (dancers, singers and actors) whose artistic activity circles around rhythm and its meaning. The audience then had a chance to take part in the "One" – performance of Korean group “Cheong-bae” which presented the Yeon-hee style: a combination of ritual, shamanistic music, dance and acrobatics. Among others was Addal, group of women from the Berber people performing the addal dance, a unique form of ahouach and Rotal Drummers of Burundi. This year's Brave Festival main program was accompanied also by a series of meetings under a banner of Brave Meetings . During this year's Brave Festival, the audience had the opportunity to get to know members of the guest performers in Wrocław. In addition to the above, 19 film images were screened as part of Brave Festival film program and each of them referred to this-year theme – the rhythm – in more or less obvious way. Also, the fourth edition of Brave Kids took place 25.06-13.07.2013 in Wrocław, Puszczykowo, Warsaw, Łódź and Krosnice. It gathered 114 kids and leaders from following countries: India, Uganda, Zimbabwe, China, Georgia, Israel, Czech Republic, Laos, Iran, Kyrgyzstan and Poland.
| Artists | Country | Description |
| Addal | Morocco | Moroccan dance of women of the Ameln Valley |
| Bachu Khan | Pakistan | Moroccan dance of women of the Ameln Valley |
| Cheong-Bae | South Korea | Korean rituals and ceremonies with a dance Gim Cheonbukchum |
| Houria Aïchi & L’Hijâz’Car | Algeria | Korean rituals and ceremonies with a dance Gim Cheonbukchum |
| Mohini Devi | India | Snake dance of the Kalbelias of Rajasthan |
| Ngqoko Group | South Africa | Women's choir of the Xhosa people from South Africa |
| Rupinder | India | Music of the proud sons of the Indian Punjab |
| Sona Jobareth | Gambia | Music of royal kora in feminine interpretation |
| Song of the Goat Theatre | Poland | Performance titled Songs of Lear |
| The Drummers of Burundi | Burundi | Royal percussionists |

### 2012

Between 2 and 7 July 2012 the 8th edition of Brave Festival – festival against cultural exile – one of the most unusual initiatives in Europe, held again in Wrocław (Poland). 2012 year's edition was entitled "Women Initiating". The program included projects presented by women from around the world. Brave Festival is a unique event, as apart from revealing to the audience the secrets of vanishing cultures, it also provides help to others. 100% of the proceeds from ticket sales are donated each year to ROKPA International, an organization that supports children in Nepal, Tibet and African countries. 2012 year's edition saw among others the prenuptial tradition of unyago, presented by Bi Kidude – a one hundred-years’ old drummer from Zanzibar; the voices of the elderly ladies from the Meninas de Sinhá group from Brazil, showed how one can face the adversities of life with the help of singing and playing music; while the descendants of the Tuareg people, whom the members of Tartit group from Mali are drawn from, proved that the blues derives from Africa.
| Artists | Country | Description |
| Ambuya Nyati | Zimbabwe | Mbira music from the tradition of the Shona people |
| Bi Kidude | Tanzania | Unyago tradition – initiation ritual of Zanzibar |
| Casletila | Georgia | Female choir of the Svaneti people |
| Debaa | Mayotte | Female group singing in Sufi tradition |
| Jukurrpa | Australia | Ceremony of Warlpiri women |
| Maduma Women's Drumming Group | Tanzania | Music and dance mapelembo tradition |
| Meninas de Sinhá | Brazil | Vocal group of elder women |
| Song of the Goat Theatre | Poland | Performance titled Songs of Lear |
| Tartit | Mali | Hypnotic music of Tuaregs – Saharan ethnic group |
| Terah Tali | Pakistan | Performance of sound and music by women from Rajasthan |

### 2011

7th edition took place from 2nd till 8 July 2011 under the title "Mask". The title mask, instead of covering and hiding, brings closer the rich culture of various parts of the world, among others Bali, Sri Lanka, Furkina Faso or Sardinia. In 2011 the audience had a chance to meet the authentic culture, forgotten traditions, mysterious rituals and the art of the most remote regions of our globe. The indigenous artists and representatives of dying cultures have arrived to the capital city of Lower Silesia; cultures which can be searched for, in vain, during other festivals and on the omniscient Internet. The festival audience had the unique chance to see the representative of the Sardinian carnival – Mamuthones, dancers from Bali, the traditional Hindu drama – Kathakali, or Blind Note – a show by musicians performing, in complete darkness, on traditional, local instruments. Furthermore, the main events were accompanied by a series of documentaries, the Brave Kids project, exhibitions, meetings with the artists and workshops.
| Artists | Country | Description |
| Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal | Senegal | Virtuosos of Kora and Cello |
| Bwa Tribe | Burkina Faso | Masks of the Moon – fiery ritual |
| Be-being | South Korea | Multimedia project devoted to the mask |
| Blind Note | multicultural group | World Music played in darkness |
| Kathakli | India | Indian theatre tradition combining drama and dance |
| Mamuthones | Sardinia | Mask ritual from Middle Ages |
| Marcin Jarnuszkiewicz | Poland | Suite for an Actor and a Puppet |
| Reza Mazandarani | Iran | Improvised music |
| Saharyia | India | Swang Dance |
| Song of the Goat Theatre | Poland | Performance titled Songs of Lear |
| Topeng Pejgan – I Made Djimat | India | Mask performance of ten personifications |
| Tovil Dancers | Sri Lanka | Exorcisms of the Sinhala People |

### 2010

The 6th edition of Brave Festival was called "Enchanters" and aimed to focus on the presentation a wide range of traditions in which word has a significant meaning, not being only a sound or an information carrier, traditions that recognize the energy of word and pay a great attention to its poetic, power of expression, melody and rhythm. Invited by organizers to Wrocław came the solo artists and groups from all over the world, among others: Korean mistress of ancient art pansori – Ahn Sook-sun, Bi Kidude – 100 years old diva of taraab music from Zanzibar, Bulgarian group Bistritsa performing Balkan polyphonies and Sekouba Traoré, Malian master of donso n'goni.
| Artists | Country | Description |
| Ahn Sook-sun | South Korea | Old Korean opera tradition – pansori |
| Bi Kidude | Tanzania | Queen of African music tradition taarab |
| Bistritsa | Bulgaria | Balkan polyphonic songs of healing |
| Lorenzo Aillapan | Chile | The Bird-Man – onomatopoeic vocal shows of the Mapuche Indians |
| Mawawil | Egypt | Improvised ballads of the Egyptian wilderness |
| Mazaher | Egypt | Forbidden tradition of Zar: a pre-Islamic ritual |
| Nuna | Burkina Faso | Mask dances |
| Royal Drummers of Burundi | Burundi | Rhythms from the heart of Africa |
| Sekouba Traoré | Mali | Virtuoso donso n’goni player |
| Song of the Goat Theatre | Poland | Macbeth – avant-garde performance |

### 2009

The fifth edition of Brave Festival was entitled “Prayers of the World". The festival took place not only in Wrocław, but also in other cities of Lower Silesia, namely Oleśnica, Wołów, Świdnica and Kłodzko. During the event artists and genuine representatives of traditional cultures performed original songs, rituals and ceremonies connected with prayers and observances still practiced in many religions of different cultural regions of the world, from, among others, Asia, Africa and Europe. The audience had the chance to take part in the rituals performed by a Korean shaman, Tibetan monks or Theyyam dancers.
| Artists | Country | Description |
| A Filetta | France | Corsican liturgical songs |
| Divina | Serbia | Orthodox Liturgies |
| El Cuadro Flamenco | Spain | Flamenco concert |
| Gogo Milungu Group | Tanzania | Taming ritual |
| Monks from the Sherab Ling Monastery | India | Cham dances. Rituals of Tantric Buddhism |
| Theyyam | India | Dance of incarnated god – ritual from Kerala state |
| Zikr Ceremony | Georgia | Sufi ritual of the Kist women from the Pankisi Gorge |

### 2008

The fourth edition of Brave Festival was entitled “The Ritual Starts in Africa". The work of both African artists and others which was presented during this edition enabled spectators to witness new, unknown qualities of the continent and allowed them to discover the core of African culture – the ritual. The festival gave spectators the chance to learn about unique practices, to meet people from culturally distant regions and to learn about various artistic forms of "the dying world". The schedule of the festival consisted of, among other steve.
nts, performances of dancers and musicians of the Fula tribe from Niger, performances by the women of the Tanzanian Wagogo tribe and many concerts, film showings, workshops, meetings and discussions with invited guests.
| Artists | Country | Description |
| A Filetta | France | Corsican liturgical songs |
| Akhtar Sharif Arup Vale | Pakistan | Concert of Sufi musical tradition Qawwali |
| Fulbe | Niger | Dance of man beauty |
| Romafest | Romania | Bohemian music |
| Wagogo Muheme Group | Tanzania | Initiation ritual |
| Who I Am - Kyendi Breakdance | Uganda | Breakdance |

### 2007

The third edition of the festival was entitled "Drowned Songs". The organizers presented not only songs, performances and films, but also the context and sources from which they came. The artists from faraway corners of the world presented, here in Wrocław, the Berber trans songs of Morocco, the Ukrainian "songs of the marshes", the refined, ancient polyphonies of Caucasus, the polyphonic dialogs of Belgorod, the mystical songs of Sardinia and "shoulder dances" of black Jews from Ethiopia.
| Artists | Country | Description |
| Alim Quasimov | Azerbaijan | Master of mugham – modal singing |
| Beta Dance Troupe | Israel | Dance of Ethiopian Jewry |
| Bistri Vodi | Macedonia | Traditional music from Macedonia |
| Bunun Tribe | Taiwan | Pasibutbut – prayer for a bountiful harvest |
| Descendance | Australia | Songs and dances inspired by Native Australians |
| Narodnyj Prazdnik | Russia | Traditional Russian-Ukrainian songs |
| Nomadic Theatre Sakhna | Kyrgyzstan | Kyrgyz epics shown by theatre, music and sculpture |
| Roudaniates | Morocco | Roundaniat dance and songs |
| Song of the Goat Theatre | Poland | Lacrimosa – experimental theatre |
| Stari Koni | Ukraine | Archaic melodies fromWestern Polesie |
| Theatre of Eight Day | Poland | Legends of Polish student theatre from 1970s and 1980s |
| Teatro Actores Alidos | Italy | Songs of Sardinian women |
| Vakhtanguri | Georgia | Traditional songs from the region of Guria |

### 2006

"Voices of Asia" was the theme of the second edition of the festival. During this edition the traditions of Laos, Japan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea and Siberia were presented. In total 13 bands and 99 artists participated. There were performances, concerts and workshops of traditional dancing and singing. A series of Asian films which were accompanied by film workshops devoted to creating intercontinental documentary films and to the way films are shot. The audience were also able to attend lectures and meetings with festival guests.
| Artists | Country | Description |
| Dulsori | South Korea | Dance and musical ritual based on percussion instruments |
| Gamelan Asmaradana | Singapore | Performance based on folk songs from eastern Asia |
| Irkuck Ensemble Authentic Music | Russia | Concert of musicians from Irkuck |
| Joji Hirota and the Taiko Drummers | Japan | Japanese drummers |
| Majowe Byki | Poland | Concert of music inspired by Africa |
| Masala Soundsystem | Poland | Musical concert |
| Noirin Ni Riain and A.M.E.N. | Ireland | Irish songs Sean-Nos |
| Peter Surasena Dance and Drum Ensemble | Sri Lanka | Dance performance Kandyan |
| Phalak Phalam Vientiane | Laos | Traditional dance theatre from Laos |
| Stage Punkgkyung | South Korea | Performance titled Pokojówki |
| Song of the Goat Theatre | Poland | Spektakl titled Chronicles – A lamentation |
| Song of the Goat Theatre | Poland | Lacrimosa – experimental theatre |
| Taipei Dance Circle | Taiwan | Dance performance |
| Tiat Moo | South Korea | Ritual performance |
| Uch-Sume-R | Russia | Traditional folk songs from native people from Khakassia |
| Yasukatsu Oshima Songs of My Island | Japan | Traditional Japanese music based on sanshin |
| Yerba Mater | Poland | Concert of Polish band inspired by cultures of the Old World |

### 2005

The first edition of Brave Festival was entitled "The Magic of Voice". It explored the subject of voice – broadly understood – through performances built around songs and through concerts and workshops devoted to various vocal techniques, and to learning how to play traditional instruments mostly from the former Soviet Republics. During the festival, which lasted four days, there were presented, among others, the Siberian ugadan kurduk, singing from Tuva, the music of Svans, Khakassian singing with quarter-tones and semitones, the music of the Sufi tradition, the liturgical songs of monks from Atos, traditional Ukrainian songs, the music of Ancient Greece and African stories.
| Artists | Country | Description |
| Alash | Russia | Concert of traditional instruments from Tuva and chomiej – guttural singing |
| Abdon Fortune Koumbha Kaf | Congo | Traditional Congo stories |
| Amelia Cuni and Werner Durand | Italy/Germany | Traditional music from West and East combined with modern sounds |
| Ayarhaan | Russia | Guttural singing in the dyjeretyi style |
| Barber Llorenc | Spain | Concert for voices and bells |
| Charkow Sergiej, Charkow Julia | Russia | Khai and overtone singing |
| CHOREA Theatre | Poland | Concert and dance performance titled Unknown sources of music and dance from Europe – Ancient Greece |
| Czejniesz Bajtuszkina, Georgij Bieleckij | Russia | Altaic singing |
| DahaBraha | Ukraine | Etno-chaos – Ukrainian folk music |
| Fatima Miranda | Spain | Performance combined with concert |
| Haig Yazdijan Oriental Project | Armenia/Greece/Iran | Concert inspired by culture of Orient |
| Irkutsk Ensemble Authentic Music | Russia | Concert of musicians from Irkuck |
| Oktoich Choir | Poland | Male choir from Wrocław |
| Song of the Goat Theatre | Poland | Lacrimosa – experimental theatre |
| ZAR Theatre | Poland | Performance titled Gospels of Childhood |
| Żar | Russia | Traditional folk songs |

## Brave Kids

A part of Brave Festival is a project called Brave Kids, which consists of 3-weeks workshops for artistic groups of kids. Those kids come from regions deeply affected by natural disasters, political conflicts, homelessness or poverty. An educative programof Brave Kids has a clear priority in the center of which is a good and care of young person.
The pilot edition of Brave Kids took place in Wrocław in 2009. Organizers have invited children from Nepal and Uganda to participate in a two-week long artistic workshops, which culminated in a final performance prepared together with children from one of Wrocław's day-shelters. The workshop were implemented by Grzegorz Bral, Abraham Tekya and Leya Wyler.
First official edition of Brave Kids happened between 25 June 2010 and 09th of July 2010. Artistic groups of kids from 6 different regions of the world, influenced by tragic experiences of historical, social and natural disasters came to Wrocław to create a performance together. Kids from Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Nepal, Sweden Chechnya, Ingushetia and Poland during 2 weeks of workshops were exchanging artistic skills and show their talents. Apart from learning how to deal with cultural and language barrier young artists found out the new ways to build a mutual understanding among each other. 55 participants including children, youth, artistic leaders were working towards international dialogue and got most out of this cultural exchange.
To profound a multicultural dialogue kids were accommodated with 22 host families from Wrocław. The culmination of the project was a common performance of 55 participants within the final concert of Brave Kids in the Impart Art Center.