Mali's Festival Au Desert Starts January 6

Created in January 2001, the Festival Au Desert is held every year in the North of Mali, usually in Essakane, two hours from Timbuktu although sometimes it is held directly in Timbuktu.

Organized by AITMA and EFES Associations together with Essakane Production, the festival seeks its origin in the big traditional Touareg festivities, as Takoubelt in Kidal and Temakannit in Timbuktu, which represented for a long time a place for decision making and exchange of information among the different communities.

In the beginning, there were songs and touareg dances, poetries, camel rides and games. Today, the Festival is opened to the external world and welcomes artists from other Malian regions, other African countries, but also from Europe and the rest of the world. During three days, around 30 artistic groups are invited from all around the world to present their art. This year it is being held from January 6-8, 2011.

Photo credit to Alice Mutasa