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It must certainly be woman power at the 6th Rainforest World Music Festival at the Sarawak Cultural Village come July 11th.

TARIKA - one of the hardest working and most continually creative bands on the International World Music circuit is coming to town and is led by the charismatic Hanitra Rosoanaivo.

They are Madagascar's most successful musical export. TARIKA's name means simply "the group" . They have evolved a unique, modern blend from the roots music of the different regions of their Indian Ocean island home, strongly featuring local instruments in a way that has been described as "virtuoso traditional music with the energy of punk
rock!"

Their tight harmonies, buoyant grooves, infectious melodies, wild instruments, energetic dancing and captivating presentation have been a live hit all over North America and Europe, and their albums have topped the World Music charts on both sides of the Atlantic.

In the early '90s, Hanitra (pronounced "Anch") led Tarika Sammy, the first modern group rooted in the traditional music of Madagascar with the vision to adopt a professional approach to international touring, and unique as a band led by a Malagasy woman. Songs written by Hanitra or her sister Noro on their chart-topping second album "Balance" began to address challenging, controversial subjects such as the situation of women in Malagasy society, pushing the boundaries of Malagasy roots music.

This group split up at the end of 1993, after which Hanitra put together TARIKA. Hanitra and Noro stayed as the new group's live focus, delivering their fabulous sibling harmonies, driving percussion and spirited dancing, but the new band's instrumental side
was much stronger. They now feature a specially designed and crafted array of up-dates of traditional Malagasy instruments that they had commissioned - marovany (box zither), valiha (bamboo zither), kabosy (the small Malagasy guitar), jejy voatavo (gourd
dulcimer) - TARIKA immediately achieved international success.

The other TARIKA members since 1994 have been three multi-instrumentalists/singers.

Donné is a top all-round musician on marovany, valiha, kabosy, melodeon and percussion. He had long experience in traditional music, including touring in Malagasy
bands Voninavoko and the Malagasy All-Stars.

Ny Ony came from the brother group Solomiral whose members all regularly
work with Madagascar's top modern artists: he's one of Madagascar's best guitarists and bassists, and a fine kabosy player.

Solo, the youngest of the team, travelled throughout the island with the vakodrazana (traditional music) group led by his father. He too, plays bass guitar, kabosy, valiha, marovany and percussion, and adds the bass voice to the famous TARIKA harmonies.

Their intensive touring in 1994 and '95 - all over Europe and North America - caused a big stir, surprising everybody with their ever-increasing energy level.

Their second album, Son Egal, was released in 1997, produced by Simon Emmerson (Baaba Maal/Afro Celts) and Martin Russell. On a creative surge and tackling powerful historic and political themes, it received rave reviews in Europe and the USA (everywhere from The Times to Playboy!), shot to the top of the European World Music Charts and spent an unprecedented 8 weeks at No.1 (15 weeks in the top 5) on the CMJ World Music Chart in the USA. In Madagascar, released at a time of political upheaval, it received saturation airplay. They were nominated in the 1997 Kora All-African Music Awards and won the AFIM Indie Award for Contempory World Music Album in the USA.

Although the Malagasy are usually thought to be African, their origins from perhaps 1500 years ago are Malayo/ Polynesian from Indonesia. In September 1999, Hanitra spent an inspirational month in Sulawesi, Indonesia, uncovering many traces of these long ago ancestors.

Therefore, to be coming to the rainforests of Borneo, Hanitra has a separate agenda from just bringing her music to Sarawak - she is also here to soak in the ambience and roots that might run in her blood.

A review in the UK described TARIKA as a band so rich is rhythm, they could make the dead dance.

The five-member band is determined to drive, punch and hammer that point home with colorful singing and dancing, and they approach their craft with the enthusiasm of the very open-minded.

Hanitra herself has been described as "Dynamic, attractive, and fashionable".

So don't miss big name TARIKA at the Rainforest World Music Festival.