Latest CD Reviews
Shane Nichols
2004/07/05

The Festival In The Desert. Film by Lionel Brouet (Shock DVD and CD) 8.5 stars: This festival was in Barmako, near Timbuktu, in Mali, Africa, in 2003. It was a celebration of ethnic cultures and music, primarily that of the Tuaregs of northern Mali. Until a few years ago, the Tuaregs were fighting the central government of Mali - that is, nomadic rolling stones versus sedentary centralists. They resemble the American Indians and Australian Aborigines in that theirs is a struggle for better living standards while trying to retain a nomadic existence and the integrity of their culture. That's the background. The coming together of these various Malians, including performers from the south, was an affirmation of the Tuareg culture and a showcase of their music - and what a music it is. Sub- Saharan Mali is the birthplace of the blues and you hear this - along with a profound seminal strain of rock 'n 'roll - in every performer, be they acoustic acts or the exciting and mesmerising ones such as Tinariwen and Ali Farka Toure. The vital and now long established connection with the West, through the blues, is reflected in the inclusion of Robert Plant and guitarist Justin Adams on the bill, the duo performing their own amalgamation of a tune that draws on four of the most basic blues in the canon (boy, does Plant still have it). I have been so intrigued by Tinariwen - and hence by the festival itself - that I made inquiries of the band's manager and unfortunately there is no guarantee there will be another such festival. Its fascination is hard to understate - in a sandy wilderness, with the Tuaregs on camels, the electric age meshing with antiquity, this has to have been of the most exotic - yet because of the blues authenticity, most righteous - festivals ever. This DVD is a documentary made by Frenchman Lionel Brouet - the French underwrote some of the festival and the French cross-cultural band Lo'Jo helped a great deal with the logistics of staging etc as well as performing. Google Tinariwen and this will all become clearer. Or help yourself to this DVD - with its interviews sharply defining the issues - or the companion concert CD and enjoy some wonderful music.