Post Festival Press Release from the Festival in the Desert 2011!

Commitment made, challenge won: the Festival au Desert 2011 was held as planned, despite the odds against it. Even better than before, exceeding all expectations, this edition was a total success. Some observers described it as a "celebration of joy and wonder for the greater good of peace and humanity." The event indeed took place in the Saharan desert ambiance, friendly and festive, a backdrop for the meetings and exchanges of cultures and civilizations. A beautiful parade of camels was held under the chairmanship of his Excellency Amadou Toumani Touré, President of the Republic of Mali.

None of our guests were troubled, let alone threatened, for their safety thus refuting those predictions and assertions hypotheticating the cancellation of the Festival in the Desert, those statements and advisories placing the event in a red zone, forbidden and beyond the pale.

It seems that Time and the Desert decided a different fate than some had presaged! Blessed is the protection of the Desert, of the Sahara!

The staging of this eleventh edition was secured and made possible by the evidence we had mentioned in our latest publications: the essential fact and effect of the Festival in the Desert is that it has become, in ten years, an essential event for the Saharan region, for Timbuktu, for culture and tourism in Mali and for a spirit of travel and adventure. The Festival in the Desert is a gathering without precedent, whose creed is peace and dialogue among cultures and civilizations. In addition, this openness allows worldwide access to a heritage, ancient and little known, a patrimony_ of Humanity, the cultures and civilizations of the Sahara, once in desert hermitage. The Festival in the Desert has emerged an essential actor, especially for the nomads of the region, so that as a result it enjoys a special protection, securing its occurrence and guaranteeing its existence. These foundations guarantee regional peace in the Sahara, and the stability of our world. These points allowed organizers to overcome pessimism, to believe despite the sometimes heavy challenges, the constant objections and the constant battles that this essential, always singular, and also gigantic and unique meeting was possible.

The resurgence and the globalization of violence occurring in our world is no more dangerous in Timbuktu, Baghdad, Yemen, Tehran, or Kabul, than it is in Athens, Paris, Rome, London, Mexico City or New York. Many factors demonstrate that this borderless reality goes against the spirit and principles of the Festival in the Desert, a reality which our festival denounces and against which we constantly struggle to put on an event whose creed is peace and the meeting of cultures! This reality was understood, measured, and overcome by the more than 700 non-Africans, mainly from Western Europe, North and South America, but also from Asia and Australia. They came to participate in this latest edition of the Festival in the Desert. We thank them for having confidence in us and for having listened when their hearts told them to participate in this gathering of cultures, for being able to erase the ignorance and to set aside the fear of others and of differences for a hope in the future, in a tomorrow more secure for future generations. This message was reported by a hundred journalists accredited for edition 2011. They came from Germany, Taiwan, Colombia, Mexico, the United States of America, France, Luxembourg, England, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, South Africa, Mozambique, Liberia, Algeria, Mauritania, and Mali.

This eleventh edition of the Festival in the Desert was mobilized with a particularly onerous and expensive logistics burden and faced a budget deficit that we have nevertheless been able to overcome. But consequently, logistical conditions were sometimes not able to be up to our expectations and we regret any inconvenience that this may have had on our festival-goers. Despite this difficulty, omnipresent and potentially crippling to each edition, the overall picture of this edition is a success judging by the positive comments from our participants.

Timbuktu was swarming with a world so different, coming from five continents. This city was once forbidden to foreigners but that time is far, far in the past and gone! Nearby its exit road to the north, the gateway for camel caravans, a campment was built that took the appearance and shape of nomadic camps in the region. The Saharans met here for three days, tents side by side, meeting and welcoming the rest of the world in their historic tradition of hospitality, legendary and renowned, and celebrating together a stunning and unforgettable communion, which nobody wanted to end. The crowd is estimated at more than 10,000 people.

Major prizes were awarded to the most beautiful camels and to race winners, co-hosted and in partnership with the organizing commission of the Fiftieth Anniversary of Malian Independence celebrations. The director of the Festival in the Desert expressed his gratitude to his Excellency Amadou Toumani Touré and his government for their invaluable assistance and support that made this edition of the festival possible. The coming of the head of State is a gauge of the security on the site of the Festival in the Desert. In his statements to the press and the public, his Excellency Amadou Toumani Touré reminded them several times that insecurity exists everywhere, bans and warnings for foreign travelers, notably westerners in the Saharan zone of Mali, are unjustified. The thrust of the words of the head of the Republic of Mali was that by seeking to ban the Festival in the Desert, a lever for local development, the hypothetical risks and threats which feed fear and inflate an unjustified sense of insecurity have more serious consequences on the local populations.

At sunset of the last night, the presence of the head of State was welcomed by all the artists with a giant "Jam Session", begun with singing the National Anthem of Mali. The singers then followed each other in an ambiance quasi "religious" and ceremonial, before the completely overcome public. This anthem echoes the identity and the purpose of the Festival in the Desert, advocating a united Mali, rich in its differences and open to the rest of the world. Great names from the music of the world participated. Citing the international artists: Najma Akhtar (India/UK), Leni Stern (USA), Dinamitri and Marta Politi (Italy), Sanjosex (Barcelona), Etran Finatawa and Bombino (Niger), Waflash (Senegal). The Malian stage was represented by: Oumou Sangaré, Tartit, Habib Koité, Bassekou Kouyaté, Khaïra Arby, Vieux Farka Touré, Amanar, Amkoullel … and many more. These artists offered performances and compositions, sometimes collaborative and improvised, performances varied and multiethnic, in the image exactly of the audience for which the artists, drawing their inspiration from the desert, gave their best.

The enthusiastic spectators always demanded encores, even as the concerts continued late into the night. A pinnacle of emotion was attained. The desert chill created impromptu groups around the campfires on the dune that served as the grandstand onto the main stage. In front of the tents where everyone were housed, conversations continued late into the night, around the fires, sometimes until dawn or early morning, creating a warm and friendly ambiance.

On the 6th, 7th and 8th of January 2011, the mythical city of Timbuktu hosted the Festival in the Desert: an unprecedented meeting of cultures and civilizations! Timbuktu, where the Almoravid Kingdom, the most powerful of its time, reigned over part of West Africa, the Maghreb and Spain, meeting the empires of Ghana and Mali, links permitting the founding of the mysterious City, once forbidden, meeting giving birth to landscapes, social, ethnic and racial present in the Sahara. Timbuktu, where the caravan trade flourished, where knowledge and learning had the meaning of High Culture. Tin Bouctou, the marketplace between North and South, destination, fascinating travelers and explorers, writers and the poets.

The Twelfth Edition of the Festival in the Desert will be held on the 12th, 13th and 14th of January 2012. The spirits of Ibn Battuta and of Marco Polo will cross paths and travel together across the immense Sahara, then, beyond that, for a spiritual quest, for the spirit of adventure, for a total change and for a search of feeling and authenticity.

Bamako, the 25 January 2011

Press Contact:
Intagrist El Ansari
Tel: + 223 76 63 66 46
Mail: communication@festival-au-desert.org
http://www.festival-au-desert.org

Office of the Festival in the Desert:
Rue : 668 – Porte : 440
Baco-Djicoroni ACI Commune V
Bamako
République du Mali

Mali's President His Excellency Amadou Toumani Touré is Attending 2011 Festival

Second Press Release of the 2011 edition of the Festival in the Désert: the President of Mali has announced his presence

The Eleventh Edition of the Festival in the Desert will take place on January 6th, 7th and 8th 2011 at Timbuktu - Mali.  The President of the Republic of Mali has announced that for the first time he will participate in the event. The visit at this next Festival by his Excellency Amadou Toumani Touré will permanently eliminate security concerns that have occupied certain quarters.  The issue of security, however, has not prevented Festival goers from registering, with the number of registrations growing from day to day.  We now have more registered participants than at this same time last year !  Another important point : over 75 international media professionals already have their accreditation and others are planning to be added to this list.  This year’s attendance is anticipate to be far greater than previous forecasts.  This major edition of the Festival promises a program with sought-after artists expressing cultural diversity from the five continents while leaving space to feature the Cultures of the Sahara.

The interconnections and actions of the Festival in the Desert have resulted after ten years in its becoming an essential and indispensable advocate for the Sahara, for the region of Timbuktu, for culture and tourism in Mali and the spirit of travel.  The Festival’s attributes form its identity and its legitimacy, guaranteeing its development and its existence.  The Festival in the Desert is a singular and unprecedented encounter whose creed is peace and dialogue among cultures and civilizations.  This gigantic event figures among the most important gatherings of global diversity.  The Festival provides worldwide access to a formerly unknown human heritage : the Cultures and Civilization of the Sahara, once in a desert recluse.

The Eleventh Edition of the Festival in the Desert will run from 6th through the 8th of January 2011 at Timbuktu with dream and poetry as a supreme goal, an invitation to take the long voyage to discovery and to meet with the heterogeneity of the world.

The official visit of his Excellency Amadou Toumani Touré, President of the Republic of Mali, will occur in celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Independence of Mali. The last day of the festival will be held in partnership with the Organizing Committee of this national event.  Camel parades and a great race deciding the best camel riders of the Timbuktu area will be among the festivities marking fifty years of the sovereignty of Mali.

By travelling to the Festival in the Desert, the President of the Republic of Mali, his Excellency Amadou Toumani Touré, intends to send a symbolic message to the world, notably to those skeptics worried about security in the sahelo-saharienne region.  This symbol goes against the generalizations of the international media who call Mali a country "not to be visited".  The meaning of the President’s visit is also to reassure people by telling them that in spite of the negative campaigns against Malian Tourism they have nothing to fear in Mali and in the Sahara, a land of hospitality.

Bear in mind that the security of foreigners who came to the Festival has never been disrupted in spite of the predictions that consistently warned the contrary before each edition.  Each year the Festival in the Desert attracts more people.  We have more registrations today than at the same time last year, and the interest of the international press also remains significant and growing from edition to edition.

This eleventh year will be a major event. The days will be punctuated by forums on current topics. This edition is dedicated to the theme of the environment: the consequences of climate change on the Saharan space and eco-tourism will be the subject of debates within work groups, stakeholders and experts, and will raise awareness of the point of view of the nomadic herders who confront these realities.  The latter group will speak about their experience and their actions, including resource conservation actions to safeguard our ecosystem.  The world will have much to learn from the Sahara, particularly on the latter point.

The artistic programming takes special account of the Saharan cultures: local troupes, ensembles from throughout the Saharan region will perform on the "off stage" and on the main stage.  Tuareg women playing the Tendé drum recall the history and adventures of the Touareg and the Sahara with lyric and epic songs.

In the evening, national and international artists, whose selection is covetted, perform on an open-air stage. Included among them will appear some famous Malian and African stars (it is unnecessary to introduce their music): Tinariwen, Tartit, Baba Salah, Amanar, Khaïra Arby, Mpumi Sizani (South Africa), Bambino (Niger), Garmi Mint Sidati Abba (Mauritania). These artists will match their talents and voices on the stage of the Festival in the Desert with other sounds from the music of the world.  That list is also diverse and rich with talent. This artistic programming includes: Matilde Politi, a singer originally from the island of Sicily who is an anthropologist and researcher in Italian-Mediterranean oral traditions.  Jeconte & The Mali All Stars, a project that combines jazz, funk and New Orleans blues with some of the most talented Malian musicians such as guitarist Boubacar Sidibé.  We will also have the pleasure of hearing Dinamitri Jazz Folklore, one of the most interesting groups on the Italian Jazz scene.  This group participated in an artistic collaboration project launched in 2009 by the Festival in the Desert and the Fabbrica Europa Florence Festival.  African inspiration is also part of our artist selection in the name of Saïko Nata.  She grafts her inspiration to classical music without losing its essence, giving it another air, classic in its virtuosity.  The trick cadences of the singer and guitarist, Leni Stern, brilliantly merge African and Western music leaning onto the rich culture of Mali.  She will make an already conquered public happy.  El Charro Frances is master of the famous West Mexican music genre: mariachi.  He sings songs from around the world in their original language (English, Russian, Italian, Spanish, Greek, Japanese etc.).  El Charro Frances will provide the audience of the Festival in the Desert a roadshow presenting different aspects of the songs and traditions of Mexico. Recognized for her pioneering work, Najma Akhtar wonderfully blends jazz with Indian Gazhal to create an original style of music.  Her eclecticism and artistic dynamism make her one of the most striking Indian voices active in today's music world.  With her haunting voice, Najma Akhtar will carry Timbuktu toward India across the Sahara, in the spirit of the caravans of Salt, Gold and Silk, that worked throughout the ages along this route of imagination and freedom.

The sound will challenge the desert’s silence for a few days, the spotlights will brighten the desert sky without competing with the stars, and in the shape of a grandstand: an immaculate vivid white fine sand dune.  

In bringing the site of the Festival in the Desert close to Timbuktu, this city regains its heraldic nobility thanks to an event which continues in the historic tradition of exchange between civilizations, with Timbuktu as an undeniable crossroads of a cultural « commerce » of Knowledge and Wisdom.

Press Contact :

Intagrist El Ansari, Head of Media and Communication

+ 223 76 63 66 46

communication@festival-au-desert.org

Site : http://www.festival-au-desert.org/

The Sleeping Camel is New Sponsor!

The Essakane Film crew will be staying at The Sleeping Camel upon our return from Timbuktu....the perfect place to wind down our trip and recharge before heading back to the States. 

Located on a quite street in Badalabougou (city on the edge of the river), only a 5-minute walk to the heart of Bamako, the Sleeping Camel guesthouse is the perfect place to get your bearings in Bamako before embarking on further travel in Mali or West Africa. With a fully stocked bar and Chef Baba’s amazing food, the Sleeping Camel is the perfect home away from home where you can chill out and recharge your batteries.

www.thesleepingcamel.com

Book Your Flight to the Festival Online Now!

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” We here at Essakane Film share Emerson’s sentiment and want to share some advice of our own for those making the long trip through the swooping sand dunes of the Sahara come January. The Festival au Desert is the most remote music festival in the world and as such, reaching the festival can be a somewhat arduous endeavor. Luckily, this year the festival is offering online flight bookings from Bamako to Timbuktu.

Travelers can now fly on Compagnie Aerienne du Mali (CAM) from Bamako to Tombouctou on the 5^th or 6^th and return to Bamako on the 9^th.  A one-way flight costs 235 Euros (around $310 US Dollars) and a roundtrip flight costs 390 Euros (around $514 US Dollars), with a minimal transaction fee.

Now it is easier than ever for those coming from abroad to arrange travel accommodations. Instructions for booking can be found online at the Festival au Desert’s official website. There are limited spaces available at the moment, so book quickly to secure your spot. They accept both PAYPAL and wire transfers.

Click here to book your flight to the festival: http://www.festival-au-desert.org/obin/flight_book.cfm

Alice Mutasa is 2011 Festival Photographer

A great photograph is not dependent on an artist’s ability to capture something timeless. In fact, there’s something eerily beautiful about the way certain pictures encapsulate the temporal aesthetic qualities of a fleeting moment. Alice Mutasa, a photographer who resides in the UK, has trained her lens to relish these ghostly images. Her work is full of the kind of shading and character that often moves through our world unnoticed; shifting shadows, creeping light, and other nuances.

Mutasa has traveled extensively and photographed in Cuba, Spain, Venice, Morocco, and Senegal. She enjoys compiling work that relates to the brighter side of life in foreign lands. Mutasa explains, “In places where material wealth may be absent, I try to focus my camera on other – arguably more positive –values, which are often present in abundance if you choose to look.” These positive values are easy to detect in her photographs, many of which feature the smiling and hopeful faces of subjects ranging from Senegalese jewelry makers to Cuban street musicians.

Last year Mutasa made the journey from Bamako to Timbuktu to attend the Festival au Desert. Her camera caught all the action; from the shifting dunes of the desert and the Tuareg camel races to performances from superstars like Khaira Arby and Tinariwen. Mutasa noted in an article that, “For the many visitors from western countries this was a unique opportunity to experience Tuareg music first-hand, and to make connections with people from a culture we would never otherwise get the chance to encounter.”

She will make another journey to Timbuktu in January 2011 as the official photographer for the Festival au Desert.

Be sure to check out her pictures from the 2010 Festival au Desert here: http://www.placesandseasons.com/2010/05/travel-photograpy/