“By far the most beautiful place I’ve ever played,” the legendary drummer Bill Cobham enthused ‘bout WOMAD. “The best welcome I’ve ever had,” Portugese sex bomb Mariza described the powhiri. The venue, Pukekura Park and the Brooklyn Bowl, is gorgeous. The Bowl’s acoustics are dynamite. The flags are hope. The atmosphere is aroha. The kai is mean. And then there’s the music. Bloody brilliant. My 2008 picks include Cesaria Evora, Mavis Staples and SJD. The Lumière Reader’s past WOMAD coverage includes: interviews with WOMAD 2008 stars SJD and The Phoenix Foundation, and from 2007, Mr. Scruff and Billy Cobham; WOMAN 2007 reviews by ARJUN HARINDRANATH, BRANNAVAN GNANALINGAM and CATHERINE BISLEY; and WOMAD in Images, from the lens of CATHERINE BISLEY. See womad.co.nz for full event details.—Alexander Bisley