Festival au Desert is an annual music event that takes place in a highly isolated and exotic location in the Sahara desert, 40 miles north of Timbuktu! This festival has been organized since 2001 in Essakane, Mali. The event is sponsored by the Ministry of Artwork and Tourism of Mali and various international organizations like UNESCO and the European Union.
During three days around 30 artistic groups, from Mali and all around the world, will present their art under the stars of the Sahara desert. The next festival will take place on January 10-12, 2008.
Please note that Essakane does not have any facilities for visitors, the entire country lacks tourism infrastructure, and there are also safety concerns to take into account (please read U.S. Department of State warning at the end of this article). So you will need to pay extra attention to logistics and plan further in advance than usually. Therefore it is necessary not only to buy tickets, but also lodging, board and transportation in advance.
The tickets cost 115 euro per person, full board during 3 days about 270 euros, and transportation, full board + entry cost 710 to 1,430 euros depending on package when booked through the Festival au Desert website.
Click below to experience Mali and Festival au Desert from the perspective of two Irish musicians in a YouTube video.
Mali is a very large landlocked country in central West Africa. It is slightly less than twice the size of Texas or more than twice the size of France. Most of Mali is desert or semidesert. It is one of the world’s poorest nations. Mali has a population of about 12 million. The capital is Bamako.
The official language is French but Bambara is widely spoken, in addition there are numerous other African languages. Mali has many ethnic groups, Mande (Bambara, Malinke, Soninke) being the largest one. In addition there are: Peul, Voltaic, Songhai, Tuareg and Moor, and others. About 90% of the population is muslim.
Today Mali is celebrating its independence. It became independent from France on Septemeber 22, 1960.
Please note that the U.S. State Department warns Americans against visiting the northern parts of Mali: “Mali’s northern regions have become a safe haven for the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), a terrorist group seeking the overthrow of the Algerian government. In February 2003, a GSPC faction moved into Mali’s far north with 15 European hostages; one hostage died and 14 were subsequently released to Malian authorities. The continued presence of the GSPC and other armed groups presents potential dangers to travelers. Northern Mali hosts several annual music festivals in the desert, including one north of Timbuktu at Essakane, one outside Kidal and another near Menaka. These are official events sanctioned by the Government of Mali. Americans planning to attend these festivals or otherwise travel to the northern regions of Mali despite this caution are urged to notify the Embassy about their plans by e-mail at consularbamako@state.gov.”
