I must it, Womex is a new festival to me, but I became aware of it two years ago when it was announced that it would be coming to Wales. I've been learning more about it ever since.
Cardiff will be hosting a world music event unlike anything it has ever seen before. Global musicians, with all the colour and flavour of their native worlds, cultures and customs will be descending on all corners of our capital city.
Ferro Gaita at Womex 2011. Photo: Jacob Crawfurd
From Wales Millennium Centre to an open-air stage in the bay, to an enormous musical conference centre at Motorpoint Arena, the 2,000 world delegates will mix with many more music fans. It's going to be wow!
The opening concert, curated by Cerys Matthews, is a musical map of Welsh music. I'll be there backstage with Frank Hennessy broadcasting live for BBC Radio Wales, and I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing Cerys' 'rough guide' to the Land of Song.
If you just take a quick glance at the website you'll see the range of interesting cultures and traditions appearing at Womex - from Peru to Madagascar to Ghana. What has taken my particular interest has been a specially commissioned cultural exchange between Welsh artist Gwyneth Glyn and Mumbai artist Tauseef Akhtar, resulting in the project Ghazalaw, which will be at the WMC on Friday night.
Gwyneth Glyn and Tauseef Akhtar. Photo: Sukh and Mindy
The Thursday concert for Aberystwyth's Georgia Ruth is also going to be special. It'll be the cherry on top of a year which saw her debut album make a name for her on national radio and on the festival circuit (including a packed stage at Radio 2's Hyde Park event).
There are wonderful folk artists from the UK, including Emily Portman Trio and Fiona Hunter, and BBC Folk Awards winners from Scotland called Lau.
Lau. Photo: David Angel
On my Saturday night radio show on BBC Radio Wales I'm also hoping to play the most futuristic and experimental music from the Womex line up - from South Korean duo [su:m] to Barcelona hip hop from Filastine.
Womex is going to be a busy few days in Cardiff, culminating in a BBC Wales TV highlights show on the Sunday night. I hope we can bring you some of the brightest and most inspirational artists when the world comes to Cardiff on 23-27 October.
Emily Portman. Photo: Kat Timmins
Womex - The World's Music Comes To Wales is on Sunday 27 October, BBC Two Wales, 10pm.
Programmes also on BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru.
