Wav, I wonder how the Jewish music known as Nigunei Meron, would fit into your grand monocultural schemes of ethnical musical purity?
Not a clue what I'm on about, even with your 40+ countries you've walked about in?
Meron is in Northern Israel, a site of several of the tombs of the great Jewish sages, such as the Rashbi. It has been customary for over 150 to make pilgrimage to his tomb on the anniversary of his death and celebrate with singing and dancing. A hilula.
Jews from all over the world, from Poland, from the Balkans, from Tunisia and from everywhere in between would attend. The fascinating thing is that not only would Jews join in, but also local Druze, Moslem and Christian villagers!
People would play, sing and dance at the foothill. People would sing and play as they marched up to the tomb, and would sing and dance at the bonfire by the tomb. Unlike Wav's ridiculous notions that we can enjoy listening to other cultures but on no account join in and participate, people did join in and have fun. It was not at all unlikely for a Polish clarinetist improvising on a traditional nigun to be joined in by an Arab percussionist adding a dabka beat, with the North-Africans dancing and ululating. Musical forms from all over the world were combined, thus creating the Meron style of Jewish music!!!