A Unique Music Festival in the Sahara
Every year, musicians from all over the world gather by Touareg tribesman to enjoy one of the most unique festivals in the world. The Festival au Desert will enjoy its 10th anniversary in January 2010, on a small patch of the Sahara, in place called Essakane in Mali. The 3 day music festival will be held from 7 – 9 January in 2010.
The Touareg nomads traditionally amass once a year to exchange news, do a little trading as well as share songs and poems. In the past 10 years, musicians from other parts of Mali as well as Europe, and even as far as Canada, have been invited for the festival. In 2008, you could watch Inuit perform alongside a reggae band from the Ivory Coast and blues musicians from Mali. This is truly a “world music” event. While more commercialization is creeping in, Essakane is 2 hours from Timbuktu and very remote. It will subsist a while before you can really call it “a sell out”.
The festival is an adventurous “draw your own tent” affair with little, to no electricity, so leave the curling iron at home. But several tour agencies who specialize in festival tours and/or Mali make it easier to get to and enjoy. At least, they provide the tents and transmission so you don’t have to lug your camping equipment half way round the world. Nor will you have to borrow a camel to get there. You can save some of your energy to party in spite of 3 nights instead.
Festival au Desert Tours: Palace Tours based in Philadelphia offer numerous Festival tours from one week to two weeks. Venus Adventures specializing in women only travel offer a 17 day Mali itinerary including the Festival Wild Frontiers based in UK has an 18 day tour that includes the Festival
Saga Tours based in Mali offer a 2 week festival/Mali itinerary
Festival au Desert Reviews and Videos NY Times feature on the Festival au Desert in 2008 The Guardian’s review of the Festival au Desert BBC Slideshow of the 2007 Festival au Desert