The wonderful Anda Union, ten extraordinary musicians from Mongolia, performing and serving tea to the audience at the Taste The World tent, WOMAD Charlton Park, on 30th July 2011.
Beautiful cd : "The Wind Horse" - Anda Union
"As with all nomads the Mongols have an oral culture, passed on from generation to generation in stories, music and songs. Anda Union sing their history. The main instrument, the morin huur or horse head fiddle, plays homage to their most revered animal, the horse.
"Anda Union describe themselves as music gatherers, digging deep into Mongol traditions and unearthing bygone music. They are on a mission to save their culture and re-engage young Mongols, and fight for their endangered sacred grasslands. The relentless advance of the industrial world not only threatens the environment but also their ancient nomadic way of life.
"Nars has a music school where 20 young people live with him and study from dawn to dusk. Several of the band make their own instruments and Saikhannakhaa, who is fighting to reverse this trend with her live music bar in the capital Hohhot, says : ' I found and old golden wheel with half its spokes broken in an old dusty shop. It looks like a wheel that once turned the warrior carts of the great Mongol armies. This wheel hangs in my bar as a warning to Mongolian people that our culture is broken and needs to be mended.'
"Hadanbaatar, the drummer, adds : ' Young Mongolians like us now understand how important our culture is, but maybe the next generation won't care, and we have to prevent this from happening.'
"Anda means a blood brother or sister. For Mongolians an Anda is more important than a birth brother as you choose a person to become an Anda, a life long blood brother. Anda Union is a kinship of Andas."
(from cd : The Wind Horse)
The tea is savoury, I think camel milk based, and contains small pieces with different and delicate flavours. Delicious!
