By arts editor Helen Musa

It may be four months until Easter, but the National Folk Festival team is already in full swing preparing for its 60th celebration of culture at EPIC. 

Peace is firmly on the minds of co-artistic directors Michael Sollis, Holly Downes and Chris Stone.

Specifically, Songs of Peace, curated by singer-songwriter and former CityNews Artist of the Year Fred Smith, will feature songs that give voice to the global longing for peace and an end to violence.

“The National Folk Festival began 60 years ago as a university student-run gathering,” Sollis says. “Since then, it has carried a strong tradition of advocating for peace by celebrating folk traditions from around the world and inviting audiences to dance and sing alongside one another.”

Daringly, then, they’ve invited performers from Palestinian, Jewish and Ukrainian heritage traditions to contribute to the festival’s message of harmony.

Dabke & Tatreez, named after Dabke, a participatory rhythmic folk dance, and Tatreez, traditional Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery, will showcase Palestinian music and dance. 

“This project exists to protect and preserve the history, arts and cultural heritage of the Palestinian people. Some of the works we present are centuries old,” says group director Ayşe Göknur Shanal, noting that the ensemble includes artists connected to the former Edward Said Conservatorium of Music.

The festival’s focus extends well beyond that. The Mar’yana Jaga Band will offer workshops in Ukrainian dance music while exploring unexpected connections between Ukrainian and Indian traditions. Sydney klezmer group Chutney will perform Jewish folk music and lead a mass Hora circle dance, inviting everyone to join in.

Overall, this year’s emphasis will be on sheer fun. 

Puppetry, an age-old form of entertainment worldwide, will take pride of place. Dee Palanisamy from Deelightfultales will tell Asian folk stories inspired by her Singaporean-Tamil roots, using hand puppets, while Pico’s Puppet Palace will use puppetry, live music and storytelling, to follow Pico in her yellow bi-plane, introducing ecological themes through encounters with distinctive characters. 

Keith Preston, Uma Preston and Deborah Baldassi will bring history to life through song, puppetry and storytelling in their show Railway Bob, which follows the true tale of a shaggy dog who rode the trains in South Australia.

Elsewhere, professional storyteller Kiran Shah will tell traditional folktales and especially love stories from her Indian heritage, in a big group circle.

Among the more participatory events will be Maypole with Molly, a daily workshop series for ages 8-18 led by tutors from the Bush Music Club, and the chance to join in the Family Marimba Band with MarimbaTaters, senior primary students from Tate Street Primary in East Geelong who bring African-inspired marimba music to life.

Karen Lee Andrews, formerly known as Ms Murphy, will perform a mix of Oceanic blues and soul. 

The Spanish-US duo San Miguel Fraser will present a Castilian-Celtic blend of vocals and strings, while Italy’s Riccardo Tesi and Giua bring Retablos, where voice meets accordion.

Peace and harmony are all very well, but to pepper up the program, Songs of Protest, hosted by Folk the System, will bring artists together to perform union and social-justice anthems as well as new songs addressing today’s calls for change. 

After all, as co-ordinator Aawa White puts it: “Our folk community has radical roots.” 

The 60th National Folk Festival, Exhibition Park, April 2-6.