Political issues aside, I think it's a wonderful idea to have a folk festival that truly reflects the wider folk traditions of thec ommunity. Here in the States, the Washington Folk Festival has long been this kind of event. People like Jonathan Eberhart would seek out performers in the different ethnic communitiesd and invite them to play in the festival. (I think one reason Jonathan never drove was because he liked to collect songs off of cab drivers!)

Of course, that festival is all volunteer, so grant money was never an issue - but if you're looking for performers from various ethnic communities, then go into those communities and find out who the musicians are. If you go, for example into an Indo-Pak grocery store, you will likely find posters for musical and cultural events. Strike up conversations and find out who these people are.

That may be a longer process than you have time for with this grant, but that doesn't matter - if they're good performers they will enhance your festival whether or not you have special money to pay for them.

Having written all of this, I just noticed that the original message in this thread is six years old, and the festival is long over. Nevertheless, the point holds true, so I hope you had a great festival back in October of '00, and that it has only continued to grow in quality, cultural diversity, and of course attendance since.

Dan Schatz