Strasbourg Music Week World Beat in the Grand Est region: Overview and Collective Dynamics

Abdi Riber is a music professional based in Brumath, Alsace, France, and has been active in the music industry for over a decade.

Since 2015, he has worked as a booking agent at Giro Music, an agency founded in 1996 by Paola D'Angela, specializing in supporting world and contemporary music artists. Among the artists represented are Kandy Guira, Kora Jazz Trio, Ayom, Fanfara Station, Giuliano Gabriele, and Yann Cléry.

In parallel, Abdi Riber has been a managing member of Event4Live since 2012, a structure dedicated to the production of musical events, where he supports, manages, and organizes concerts for various professional ensembles in the fields of jazz and world music. He regularly takes part in international professional events such as WOMEX and Napoli World, helping increase the visibility of the artists he works with.

As a composer, he collaborated with the artist Sélia on the track "Crossing Borders", produced by Giro Music.

Since April 2025, he has been the artistic director and programmer of the venue La Saline in Soultz-sous-Forêts.

In charge of Grabuge, a federation for contemporary music in Eastern France.

Sébastien Laussel spent more than 10 years managing social and cultural structures based on popular education, before setting up his own production company, Prestacles Prod. He moved to Paris in 2016, where he held a number of positions with NGOs. He has been director of Zone Franche since September 2022.

Zone Franche is the world music network. Present on several continents, it brings together all categories of players in the sector (festivals, venues, labels and publishers, artist representatives, media, cultural associations, markets, etc.) committed to defending cultural diversity, the free circulation of artists, etc.

Sylvain Dartoy is a passionate fan of African cultures, an entrepreneur, a tireless traveller and co-founder of Wax Booking in 2010. Since then, he has devoted himself to artistic production. His main aim is to present Africa and its resonance in the world in all its diversity and modernity. A genuine talent spotter and producer of international tours and shows, he is one of Europe's leading names in his specialities.

Ninon Valder is a multifaceted French musician: flutist, bandoneon player, singer, composer, and writer. 

She explores the connections between Argentine music, jazz, world music, and sound poetry. Her unique journey led her to live for seven years in England and seven years in Argentina, shaping a richly diverse artistic identity.

An associate artist at the SMAC L'Orange Bleue in Vitry-le-François for the 2024–2025 season, she will be in residence at Le Baiser Salé in Paris for the 2025–2026 season.
She also continues her educational work, teaching singing at the Glotte-Trotters Vocal Research Center in Paris.