Ethno Jordan has joined the global Ethno network, bringing the spirit of musical exchange, cultural sharing and peer-to-peer learning to Amman for its first edition with JM Jordan. We spoke with the team behind the new Ethno about the journey that brought the programme back to Jordan, the diversity they wanted to showcase, and the moments that made the first edition so memorable.

 

Ethno Jordan is joining our global Ethno network for the first time. Can you tell us how the idea of bringing Ethno to Jordan came about?

 

Team: This year’s edition was the first Ethno organised by JM Jordan, but it wasn’t Jordan’s first encounter with Ethno. An edition took place in 2012 through the efforts of other members of the network at the time, including the National Music Conservatory, the Arab Music Academy, and Cultural Movement “Epilogi” from Cyprus.

 

“The idea came from the “Ethno fever” that some of us caught through participating in Ethnos around the world.”

 

We also kept hearing from Jordanian musicians who had attended other Ethnos and wanted to see that same experience happen back home. So it grew out of a shared enthusiasm and a feeling that it was time to bring Ethno to Jordan again.

 

Could you tell us a little about the programme and what participants experienced, from the workshops and musical activities to the moments of exchange and collaboration?

 

Team: We wanted participants to get a sense of the cultural and musical life in Amman, where we held this Ethno Jordan edition. We included a dabkeh dance class and a jam at a well-known cultural space, and also the space for participants to share their music and culture with food exchange and dance nights. 

We hope participants experienced an open-minded and welcoming atmosphere where they could learn more about Jordan and its rich cultural diversity, while also feeling comfortable sharing their own cultures with one another. 

 

What did you want to bring from Jordan’s musical and cultural context into the Ethno experience?

 

Team: We wanted to showcase the diversity of Jordan and represent as much of its musical life as we could. This also includes the traditions of Circassian communities and communities from Palestine, Syria, Sudan, and Iraq who have made Jordan their home.

 

“For us, sharing Jordan’s cultural context meant giving space to these different traditions and to the musicians who carry them. We wanted participants to experience that diversity through the people they met and the music they learned together.”

 

Could you share a particularly memorable story or moment from the camp that captures the Ethno Jordan experience?

 

Team: One moment that will stay with us was right after the final concert, when the music had ended and the audience gave a standing ovation. There was so much joy and pride in what everyone had created together, mixed with the sadness of knowing it was almost time to say goodbye. 

 

“Just a week earlier, these musicians had been strangers, and now saying goodbye was difficult. That moment captured what Ethno Jordan meant to us.”

 

Seeing those emotions so strongly reflected in everyone who had been part of Ethno was unforgettable.

 

As the very first Ethno Jordan, what would you like this edition to be the beginning of? What would you hope to see grow from it in the future?

 

Team: We’d like this edition to be the beginning of many to come! We would like to see a continual growth of interest in folk music and to have more locals engage with Ethno Jordan.