Oliver Mtukudzi: Best-selling Zimbabwean

And it was not just the global music fans who lapped up Saturday's events as the activities and atmosphere on offer drew thousands of families to the site.

If they had not heard of the bands before - and some, like Modou Diouf and Cecile Kayirebwa, are not household names - it was easy to spend a whole day enjoying a range of worldwide delights on offer.

From global food and craft stalls to a fairground and a variety of workshops, the music could have become an aside on this sunny Saturday.

In times of happiness we sing. In times of sadness we sing.

Zimbabwean band Siyaya

The organisers were clearly not just aiming at the world music buffs, providing things like a cabaret tent - which had a queue hundreds long.

The amount of push-chairs present proved that Womad has become accepted as the most welcoming and laid-back festival in the musical year.

Non-musical entertainment of a more serious nature was also provided, with one of the main draws being an impassioned talk by actress Vanessa Redgrave.

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The music, however, was what most were there for - and some artists who may be unheralded in Britain are superstars in their home countries.

Oliver Mtukudzi is a best-selling artist in Zimbabwe, and his early afternoon performance with The Black Spirits was anything but as sombre as his band's name suggests.

They did sing of the scourge of Aids at home - and even if we did not understand the lyrics, the meaning was loud and clear.

Siyaya changed from tribal dress to Western clothes

Another find in the rich vein of Zimbabwean music was Siyaya.

They summed up their philosophy by saying: "In times of happiness we sing. In times of sadness we sing."

Starting off in tribal dress, the male singers and dancers in the group performed a Full Monty in reverse - ending up in Western clothes for a rousing a cappella finale.

Staying in Africa, the name of Modou Diouf's backing group, Beugue Djamm, translates as "desiring peace".

But these Senegalese drummers did not give the audience any quiet with their frantic playing - nor with their dancing, where they imitated birds and animals.

Modou: Lively Senegalese drummers

The young folk from Tarras gave the audience a mellow start to the afternoon on the main stage before Algerian Hamid Baroudi warmed things up.

Mixing rai with music from that country's desert, Baroudi further demonstrated his musical openness by inviting an Argentinean musician along to give things a Latin touch.

In the Siam tent, Cheikh L� cut a striking figure in his blue robes - and his past collaborations with his fellow Senegalese Youssou N'Dour were evident in his music.

He too showed his eclectic tastes by incorporating some Cuban rhythms into his vibrant show.

Cuban rhythms were the flavour of the day, as double bass player Cachaito Lopez took a 10-strong all-star band of his own to the Siam tent.

Afro Cuban All Stars: Had 18 band members

Cachaito provided the heavy strings, while the addition of sultry brass and remarkable vocals resulted in sounds that were funky, seething and irresistible.

But his compatriots would not be outdone.

The Afro Cuban All Stars is a band of the best the country has to offer - masterminded by Juan de Marcos, who had a role in the Buena Vista All Stars.

And they lived up to their name - performing like stars, all 18 of them.

If this is how they put on shows in Cuba, then British musicians could learn a thing or two.

With the middle-aged front men dancing like a boy band, it was part jazz, part rumba, part easy listening - and totally captivating.