This summer, the Festival features programs on the cultures of Mali, Scotland, and Appalachia. Each, obviously, could stand on its own. Yet their juxtaposition on the National Mall, while largely arbitrary, nonetheless suggests a broader conceptualization. The Festival's participants--creative musicians and artisans who will sit together on shuttle buses, live and eat at the same hotel, and jam together in the evening--will surely make something of sharing a common moment. So what to say about this mix?

Mali, Scotland, and Appalachia are different types of entities. Mali is an independent nation; Scotland is part of a larger United Kingdom; ...