EFN Newsletter February 2025 #27

EFN editor

16 minutes ago9 min read

WELCOME AND SUMMARY

It's been a while since we last resumed this newsletter format, not due to a lack of news, but because the activity in the last months of 2024 was relentless. Life has been very busy for EFN, but we have so much to share now! We hope you find it interesting.

Welcome to the new edition of this communication and outreach initiative of the EFN. Feel free to forward it to your friends and colleagues. Receiving this newsletter is open to anyone for free, here. Read to the end to find out how to submit content for future editions.

This is what you'll find below:

🔹News from EFN: meet us at Babel Music XP and English Folk Expo

🔸EFN welcomes three new members: Centria University of Applied Sciences (Kokkola, Finland); ZACHEPYHA Traditional Dance School (Kyiv, Ukraine), and Steven Vanderaspoilden (Belgium).

🔹News from our members: "Join Us at Nordic Folk Alliance 2025!" from Thuva Härdelin, Executive Director of the National Association for Folk Music and Dance (Sweden), "North Atlantic Song Convention (NASC)", by the editors, with information received from Brian Ó hEadhra (NASC Co-convener)

🔸Our next featured member is Anja Hövelmann, from Laviola, Germany

🔹Our next featured artist is the Norwegian Sámi singer Mari Boine

🔸Special section: Focus Craftership – Learn how to build a hurdy-gurdy with instruction videos, from Debora Plouy, CEMPER

✍️ Do you want to participate? At the end of the newsletter you will find how you can contribute to future editions, whether you are an EFN member or not. And of course EFN is always looking for new members and at the end of this newsletter there is a note about how and why to join, with links to the membership pages of the website and the application form.

Thanks for your attention, have a fruitful reading and, please, forward this to any person who could be interested!

News from EFN

🔸Special offer for EFN members for Babel Music XP + professional program unveiled & meet Nod Knowles at the English Folk Expo

The members of EFN already know the Babel Music XP´s special offer. If you happen to be a member and you are not aware, contact us! And, for the members and for everyone, today the professional programme has been unveiled. All the details are available here on their website.EFN will have presence in the round table "The new narratives for traditional music in the face of current political challenges", led by our member FAMDT. Board member Araceli Tzigane will be the representative of EFN in this event. Eric Van Monckhoven, also board member, will also attend this event in Marseille.

Other subjects of the panels are, for example:

"The rise of non-anglophone music: does this spell the end of the hegemony? What are the challenges of cultural diversity?"
“Music and political refugees – how can we support artists?”
“Challenges for euro-mediterranean co-operation: the role of cultural stakeholders.”

About the showecases, the programme includes The Galician female duo Caamaño&Ameixeiras, the Irish duo Seamus & Caoimhe or the Italian Singer Dario Muci, the Estonian singer and multiinstrumentalist Mari Kalkun or the Bosnian band Divanhana.

EFN WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS

By EFN editors

We are delighted to welcome new members to the EFN family – here are the three most recent recruits:

🔹Centria University of Applied Sciences, Kokkola, Finland

Centria is the nearest university to our 2024 conference hosts in Kaustinen and joined Sibelius Academy in sending some of their wonderful folk music students to the conference. EFN is particularly pleased to welcome more music conservatoires as members. This is what Centria have to say about themselves and EFN:

“Centria is the only Finnish university of applied sciences where it is possible to study instrument pedagogy with a major in folk music. Centria will also working on a new study program on Näppäripedagogics combining folk music and local traditions with other genres. The RDI-department also hosts a research group on living heritage.”

“The benefits of the [European Folk] network will be capacity building through new collaborations and reaching information about folk music related topics. Centria can contribute to the network by sharing ideas around education and safeguarding lCH.”

You can learn more about Centria on their website.

🔹ZACHEPYHA Traditional Dance School (Школа традиційних українських танців), Kyiv, Ukraine

Continuing our support for Ukrainian organisations which are bravely upholding their traditions during this time of trhreat and conflict, EFN has offered free emembership to this new member. They describe themselves like this:

“Zachepyha Traditional Dance School, founded in 2024 by Evheniia Shulga and Polina Zapolska, is dedicated to Ukrainian social folk dances. We organize courses and workshops on Ukrainian folk dances, based on research and experience. We also regularly host charity events to help people connect with traditions through movement, joy, and cultural resistance.”

And they say that: “As a member of the European Folk Network, Zachepyha Traditional Dance School can offer expertise in Ukrainian folk dances and traditions, fostering cultural exchange and collaboration. We believe membership will enhance our ability to promote Ukrainian culture, learn from diverse folk practices, and contribute to a resilient, interconnected European folk community.”

You can follow their Facebook profile.

🔹Steven Vanderaspoilden – Belgium

Although he is already an active member of the EFN Board, Steven (whose previous positions have included running the Flemish organisation Muziekmozaiek and chairing the Flemish Folk Network) has now also joined up as an individual member. Amongst many other qualities, Steven’s experience in IT and his knowledge of the Belgian regulations for not-for-profit organisations have been particularly useful to the network in his role as a Board member.

You can follow his Facebook profile, from where we took this portrait.

News from the members

🔹Join Us at Nordic Folk Alliance 2025!

By Thuva Härdelin, Executive Director of the National Association for Folk Music and Dance (Sweden)

We warmly invite you to Nordic Folk Alliance 2025, a key meeting point for folk music professionals across the Nordic region and beyond. This year's event takes place in Uppsala, Sweden, at Uppsala Konsert & Kongress on April 4–5, with a kickoff gathering on April 3 at Uppsala Social Club.

Nordic Folk Alliance offers a unique opportunity to connect with industry professionals, discover new talent, and take part in inspiring showcases, discussions, and networking sessions. As a registered delegate, you receive a free delegate pass, granting full access to the entire program.

For more details, including the full program and how to register, please visit: 👉 www.nordicfolkalliance.com

We look forward to seeing you in Uppsala!

🔹North Atlantic Song Convention (NASC)

By the editors, with information received from Brian Ó hEadhra (NASC Co-convener)

The North Atlantic Song Convention (NASC) will take place at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh, 11-13 April, 2025. According to their press release, "This event is a fantastic opportunity for community tradition bearers, educators, and music professionals to explore and celebrate the rich song traditions of the North Atlantic region."

Highlights include workshops led by renowned tradition bearers, performance opportunities and song-sharing circles, networking events with fellow practitioners, panels and discussions on cultural sustainability, teaching, and sector development.

For full program details and to register, please visit thei website and the Scottish Storytelling Centre box office.

Featured Member: Anja Hövelmann

When she became a member in 2019, Anja Hövelmann explained that:

"I would like to be part of the European Folk Network and get involved within the scope of my possibilities. I share the goals of EFN and I think it is important to network and to support each other in order to keep developments for folk music and associated arts in their diverse forms and origins going."

Anja Hövelmann is the heart of Laviola, booking agency from Leipzig, Germany, working with European folk artists like Johanna Juhola or Dreamers' Circus.

Featured Artist: Mari Boine

By Araceli Tzigane

I first learnt about Mari Boine from my Norwegian friend Tim Øsleby at the beginning of the 2000s. He liked her a lot, he said she sung with "guts". Now I think she probably makes everything that way. On her new album Alva, she treats topics such as the childhood which she abandoned when she chose to leave behind a strict religious upbringing in order to pursue a life of activism, the balance between her and the, at times lonely, mission to share the culture and histories of the Sámi people through music.

This portrait of Mari Boine is by Per Heimly and we took it from her Facebook page.

Born in 1956 in Karasjok, Norway, she grew up in a Sámi community where her culture and language were often suppressed. Her family was Laestadian Christian, a Pietist Lutheran group from 19th-century Finland, named after Lars Levi Laestadius, who led a religious revival in northern Scandinavia. They emphasize simple living, confession of sins, and community life, rejecting alcohol, makeup, and television. Despite different branches, they share a conservative Christian worldview and ties to Sámi and Finnish heritage. I pause to comment on this because it seems to have an essential impact on both Boine's life and her relationship with music. Music became a way for her to express her heritage and challenge stereotypes.

Her breakthrough came with Gula Gula (1989), an album that introduced Sámi music to a global audience. Combining traditional Sámi vocal techniques with jazz, folk, and world music elements, she created a unique and recognizable style. In this album she addressed themes of colonialism, oppression, and environmental concerns, resonating with indigenous movements worldwide.

This song, Mu eadni, Mother of Mine from her album Alva, is especially moving. According to the description of the video, it is "a song of love and lament for the woman who gave me life, and for all women who suffer under systems that shame and subordinate them. As a Laestadian Christian, my eadni was bound by strict gender roles, and that insidious association of the feminine with sin." Watch the video clip and read the complete text on the Youtube:

Over the years, Boine has continued to evolve, experimenting with different genres while staying connected to her roots.Boine’s influence extends beyond music. She has contributed to Sámi cultural revitalization by encouraging younger generations to embrace their heritage and language. She has also been recognized with multiple awards, including the Nordic Council Music Prize.

This is Boine's latest video on her Youtube channel and it was published only 2 months ago. About this piece she explains that "I want this song to encourage people, especially our young people to have faith in themselves. Encourage them to free themselves from all that kept our ancestors down. Encourage all of us to be proud of our heritage." May your voice be heard, strong lady!

Special section:

Focus Craftership – Learn how to build a hurdy-gurdy with instruction videos

A summary by the editors, with content provided by Debora Plouy, CEMPER.

For the complete text, click here.

The Focus Craftership project, developed between 2021 and 2023 with support from the Flemish government, aims to document, share, and preserve intangible heritage crafts in Flanders. Various organizations, including CEMPER (Centre for Music and Performing Arts Heritage in Flanders), collaborated to document crafts such as hurdy-gurdy making, basket weaving, and monastic woodworking.

In this context, CEMPER responded to luthier Marc Reymen’s request to document his hurdy-gurdy construction process, helping future generations learn the craft. Using participatory filmmaking, over 30 hours of footage were recorded and structured into 26 chapters.

The project sought not only to capture specific techniques but also to develop an accessible methodology for documenting craft heritage. A digital toolbox was created, offering guides on filming, researching, and promoting traditional crafts.

One challenge in documenting hurdy-gurdy making was its non-linear nature, as some steps require drying times or prior adjustments. The filming process demanded significant logistical efforts, ensuring continuity and accuracy in the recordings.

The final result is an open educational resource available on YouTube, designed to inspire and support future hurdy-gurdy makers, promoting the continuation of this traditional craft.