[Printer Friendly Version]   [How to E-mail This Article to A Friend]

MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT 2: African Musical Festival

One of the world’s most unusual music festivals kicks off this week in the Saharan desert in the African country of Mali. During the annual Festival au Desert, which this year runs from January 13 through January 15, musical acts from all over the world will perform in natural amphitheatres formed by sand dunes.

The festival has been held every year since 2001 in an oasis located near Timbuktu and is a cultural celebration of the Tuareg people. These people originate from a large area in West Africa which nowadays stretches across four separate countries. They have survived for generations by traveling across the Saharan desert in order to trade.

Historically, the Tuareg people held festivals to come together to sing, dance, recite poetry and race camels. But unlike traditional Tuareg festivals, the Festival au Desert is open to artists and spectators from all around the world as well as the Tuaregs themselves. Along with musical acts, the modern festival incorporates ‘traditional happenings’--such as games, conferences and camel rides--in order to promote the event’s cultural roots.

Mali is amongst the world’s poorest countries. However, its rich and vibrant cultural life does provide it with a valuable resource. The organizers hope that the festival will showcase Tuareg culture to a global audience, thereby attracting more tourists to the country. Music festivals such as the Festival au Desert may provide the people of Mali with a way of getting themselves out of poverty--and they'll have a lot of fun, too!

--Written by Kate Day

Click here to tell us what you think about this music!

Read MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT 1: Spanish Actress Honored For Success