To Timbuktu and Back

By: Story by Robert Norton | Photos by Antony Hoffman | December 15, 2009 | Travel

From then on, Tinariwen’s music was smuggled back to Mali cassette by cassette, and the band built up a devout following. After almost 30 years in exile, they returned home in 1990 and sparked off a rebellion against the Malian government. For six months, Tinariwen turned from freedom singers to freedom fighters. But by 1991, the rebels had split into different factions, and Tinariwen swapped their guns for guitars and continued the struggle through music.

If the Flame of Peace, a large monument on the outskirts of Timbuktu commemorating the end of the Tuareg rebellion in 1996, is the area’s totem pole for peace, then the festival is its convention center.

Before he became the festival organizer, Manny Ansar was the manager of Tinariwen, and on a tour through France in 1999 they met Lo’Jo, a group of troubadours from Angiers. Together these musicians came up with the idea for a festival, and a few years later, some 80 foreigners and 1,000 locals gathered for the first Festival Au Desert.

For Ansar and his fellow Tuaregs, the festival means more than just the music. It’s a significant celebration of their heritage and ongoing commitment to peace.

Whether it’s the cultural minister of Mali, the mayor of Timbuktu or a visiting neighbor from Burkina Faso, Algeria, Niger or the Ivory Coast, people come from all over to enjoy Tuareg customs and hospitality.

On the edge of the desert camp, official meetings between different regional representatives take place to discuss various economic, social and political issues.

But at its heart, the festival, like Tuareg poetry itself, recalls and reveals a deep nostalgia for ancient songs and stories.

Throughout West Africa, there is a name given to the keepers of the oral tradition. These poets, songwriters and wandering musicians are called griots and their songs of love and war are widely revered.

Salif Keita is perhaps the best-known griot alive today. Although a direct descendant of the Malian emperor, Keita was disowned by his father and rejected by his community because he is an albino, which is considered a sign of bad luck. Ostracized by his own, Keita built his musical career in New York and Paris over several decades before returning to Bamako, the capital of Mali.

Known as the golden voice of Mali, Keita’s performance at the festival in 2009 was nothing short of legendary. Aside from his tremendous stage presence, infectious energy and incredible voice, Keita’s music inspires and uplifts the human spirit.

We joined Keita and his band after the night’s show around a small fire burning outside his tent. Out of nowhere sweet roasted meats and freshly baked bread arrived on large trays, and we sat eating and drinking late into the night sharing one another’s views on the world.

In his own words, “Happiness isn’t for tomorrow. It’s not hypothetical; it starts here and now. … Let’s build the country of our children and stop taking pity on ourselves. Africa is also the joy of living, optimism, beauty, elegance, grace, poetry, softness, the sun and nature. Let’s be happy to its sons, and fight to build our happiness.”

In its own way the Festival Au Desert does just that.

Travel Information:
The Festival Au Desert will take place on Jan. 7-9, 2010. For further information, please visit http://www.festival-au-desert.org
How to get there: Air France offers daily flights from Paris to Bamako.
Visas: All visitors to Mali must possess a valid visa
Health: All visitors must possess a yellow fever vaccination certificate.

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