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DVD Review
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DB Magazine (Australia), DVD Review >>
The scene is set in the opening stages of this film - the bleakness of the Sahara desert, the set-up of stage gear among the sand dunes, various people arriving via camel, and eventually a full stage ready for a unique music festival in one of the poorest countries in the world. Rebellion in the early 1990s and continual drought has also plagued the nomads from North Mali, so as various musicians say in interviews throughout the film, the event is a chance to bring people together in a spirit of peace. Thus was born the 'Festival In The Desert,' held in Essakane, Mali in 2003. The logistics involved were also quite remarkable in that the nearest town is Timbuktu, approximately 40 miles away.
Many of the musicians are local - but not unfamiliar to wider audiences including Oumou Sangare (Wayena) and Tinariwen (Amassakoul'n'Tenere) who were both recent visitors to WOMADelaide. Ali Farka Toure also makes an appearance with the song Goye Kur and various interview snippets, including the observation that many of the audience had not even heard of the word "festival" before but were happy with the music and the atmosphere. A few notable international acts also appear - Lo'jo from France perform a wonderfully evocative and sensual piece called Jah Kas Cool Boy, featuring two strong female singers, and guest singer/dancer Django, another young local with a powerful voice and strong presence. He also has a solo performance included, the more acoustic Laisse Moi Dire; it's easy to see Django acquiring a strong international following before long. A Navajo band by the name of Blackfire provide some great hard rock with Common Enemi which provides musical contrast and great energy, to the delight of the audience.
As one of the organisers relates, the origin of the blues is African, so it is only appropriate that Robert Plant, along with the guitarist Justin Adams and some members of Lo'jo, performs Win My Train Fare Home, an amalgamation of songs such as Crawlin' King Snake and Milk Cow Blues. His empathy for the music and the spirit of the festival is obvious, and Adams coaxes some weird and wonderful sounds from his instrument.
Various impromptu performances by lesser-known artists are also shown in excerpt. One problem with this DVD though is in fact the brevity of some of the performances, or where some are shown in full, interviews cut in and out so that we don't get to hear the full song uninterrupted. I'm not sure why it was felt 52 minutes was an appropriate length for a video record of an event like this, since it necessitates such editing to fit in as much as they did. Similarly, there is no booklet so all the information is crammed onto the back cover. It's great that the DVD exists and it is certainly engrossing to watch, musically and as a celebration of West African culture, but why so short?
The accompanying CD has more effort put into it, with artist and song details and an extended tracklisting (all uninterrupted). There is some crossover between tracks from the DVD such as Robert Plant and Lo'jo, some alternative songs such as Blackfire's What Do You See and a number of artists only found on the CD such as Baba Salah and Tinde. Sound quality is very good, and in its own way the disc gives as good an indication of the festival's feel as the DVD. Together, they make an ideal record of an important and thoroughly unique event.
Michael Hunter
07/14/04 >> go there
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