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Festival du Desert Festival du Desert
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North Africa Topics specific to North Africa and the Sahara down to the 17th parallel (excludes Morocco)
Photo by Lois Pryce, schoolkids in Algeria

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Photo of Lois Pryce, UK
and schoolkids in Algeria



Trans Sahara Routes.

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  #1  
Old 15 Jan 2012
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Festival du Desert
Used to attract thousands of westerners, this year a few dozen.
http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/DEPAFP20120115165946/]Mali : à Tombouctou, un festival avec la star Bono fait oublier Al-Qaïda
Two brigades are on alert, outnumbering the tourists.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=50009
Last edited by priffe; 16 Jan 2012 at 04:09.
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  #2  
Old 16 Jan 2012
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Yeah, bumped into a few travellers in Ouaga and Bamako that were planning on attending the event as they were already in the region but it didn't seem to be many people, if any that were travelling down specifically for the event, as would have been the case in previous years.
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  #3  
Old 18 Jan 2012
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As was noted in a previous thread, the reported €320 cost of a ticket might be as big a reason to avoid the festival as much as fear of running into AQIM - or Bono...!

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  #4  
Old 20 Jan 2012
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The fistival really didn't happen.
The festival was shifted to a town south of Tombuctu and held 4 or 5 days earlier than advertised. Too bad for the people who were heading there for the later date!
Persistence.
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  #5  
Old 23 Jan 2012
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Persistence View Post
The festival was shifted to a town south of Tombuctu and held 4 or 5 days earlier than advertised. Too bad for the people who were heading there for the later date!
Persistence.
Persistence:
The festival really did happen.
Shifted to a town south of Timboctou, really? Which town would that be?
Held 4-5 days earlier????

Here a brief reprot from a friend who attended the festival:
"Festival was really special. Such an on the edge situation in so many respects. Music was sensational, especially a woman Noura Mint Seymali WOW. Plenty of tom foolery and of course a BIG military presence. Felt strange on the Saturday night, as if they were looking in as much as out!!!, and of course they were. Timbuktu town was laden in armoured cars and I was happy but sad to fly out of the north, sad of course knowing what was most likely to come."

BTW how was it travelling through Mauritania as a woman?
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  #6  
Old 23 Jan 2012
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Oh yes there was a festival, sort of.

Quote:
Originally Posted by florence of arabia View Post
Here a brief reprot from a friend who attended the festival
Would that have been the London banker who flew down with his private jet?
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  #7  
Old 23 Jan 2012
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Persistence View Post
The festival was shifted to a town south of Tombuctu and held 4 or 5 days earlier than advertised. Too bad for the people who were heading there for the later date!
Persistence.
Probably that is a reference to the Festival Ali Farka Touré, held in Niafunké 5-8 January.
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