Festival In The Desert: The Tent Sessions

The Festival in the Desert held outside Timbuktu has become the destination of choice for World Music cogniscenti. Initially conceived as a way for the nomadic Tuareg people to unite with their brethren who had been disbursed by a now resolved political upheaval, it has transformed into a splendid event; one that has attracted some of the best musicians that West Africa has to offer. In a joint production with Link TV, Sean Barlow and Banning Eyre of Afropop WorldWide sought out and filmed the spontaneous sessions that occurred in the tents peppering the sand dunes around the festival site. Highlights include Haira Arby a woman with a voice and heart as big as the desert where she was born, electric guitarist Lobi Traore who traveled many miles from his urban home to participate and absorb new sounds and experiences, Tartit the Tuareg ensemble that performs traditional dances and songs, and Baba Djire whose haunting tenor voice is pure pleasure. Even aficionados of world music will find the performances captured here to be rare and inspiring. There are also stellar performances by world music superstar Ali Farke Toure, and rock and roll legend Robert Plant.