The Festival in the Desert 2005, Timbuktu

The land-locked West African country of Mali has an ancient and incredibly diverse musical culture which, among other things, is considered to be one the main roots of American blues. For centuries the Tuareg of the Sahara have held annual gatherings to enable these nomadic people to catch up with each other. These gatherings had a festive atmosphere with camel racing, poetry and music taking place alongside sharing of information and settling disputes. However, at the end of the 20th century, three decades of drought and conflict brought an end to this traditional rhythm of nomadic life. As things settled down and the nomadic and sedentary communities of the Southern Sahara sought ways to rebuild their lives they came up with idea of reviving the annual Tuareg gatherings but this time opening them up to the entire desert region, the whole of Mali and eventually even the rest of the world. The first two festivals in 2001 and 2002 were relatively small events. However, the third, which took place at Essakane just outside Timbuktu, was an altogether different affair. It was attended by 350 intrepid non-African music lovers, who were treated to music which ranged from the desert blues of Tinariwen to rock legends Robert Plant and Justin Adams. There was a film, a CD and the festival was on the world music map. Sadly, in 2012 conflict returned to the area and hardline Islamic extremists imposed strict sharia law including a ban on all forms of music. Conflict has escalated and Mali is now (2020) considered to be one of the most dangerous countries in the world. This 45 minute film was made during our visit to the festival in 2005.