It’s the Woodstock of the East... but with so many super women musicians performing this year, it might as well have been a Lilith Fair! Lekha J Shankar reports from Sarawak, Indonesia

IT was women-power that shone deep in the emerald-green rainforests of Borneo's exotic island of Sarawak during their annual World Music Festival. Despite the world-famous male bands from Cuba, Senegal, Russia, Canada, the women artistes stole the show and drove the audiences crazy for three moonlit nights.

People had flown in from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand for a festival that they admitted was gaining Woodstock-like dimensions. Festival Director Jul Lin looked too young and slender to manage such a phenomenal event, but she has been associated with it for the six years that it has been in existence and agreed that this year's highlight certainly was the dynamic range of female artistes on view.

The most sensational among them was Madagasacar's controversial singer Hanitra Rosoanaivo. When the sultry and gorgeous musician sang, her trance-like movements and zen-like rhythms mesmerized all. Tarika, the group she founded with her sister Nora, was once described by ‘Time’ magazine as 'One of the Top 10 bands of the world.' Their album 'Son Egal' spent an unprecedented eight weeks at No 1 in the World Music Charts.