#m'hamid

[sarahhickson]

A snapshot of the Taragalte Festival in the Sahara 2016 - Part I

I’ve recently returned from ten days in M’Hamid El Ghizlane in the Sahara Desert where I was photographing the Taragalte Festival - a celebration of nomadic culture, reminiscent of the Moussem which marked the departure of the traditional trading caravans between the oasis town of M’Hamid in South Morocco and Timbuktu in Northern Mali. The festival, now in its 7th edition, is a partnership with the exiled Festival in the Desert (formerly in Timbuktu) and the Festival sur le Niger in Ségou, Mali, and features three days of live music from the local region and across North and West Africa, new artistic collaborations, environmental and education programmes, as well as celebrating nomadic traditions and heritage. 

Here’s a glimpse of the experience:

On the road between Ouarzazate and M’Hamid - driving through the rain with musicians from Mali, including Ben Zabo, pictured here. 

Looking through the blue-tinted windows of the minibus, the view blurred by rain 

Malian musicians Ben Zabo, Mariam Koné and Ahmed Ag Kaedi huddled by the side of the road on the way to Zagora, whilst the puncture was repaired... 

A few portraits taken en route:

Malian singer Mariam Koné 

Khalid Smaali, Sound Engineer

Malian musician, Samba Touré

Mariam Koné and Ben Zabo, against the stunning backdrop of the palm grove and the mountains.

Musicians Ahmed Ag Kaedi and Samba Touré 

A heavy load, spotted going in the opposite direction on the Zagora road 

It’s still raining hard as we approach the outskirts of M’Hamid

Arriving in M’Hamid at the festival headquarters / local cafe / bus station 

The water-logged grounds of the Oasis Mille et une Nuits in M’Hamid where I stay that night  

Driving across the dunes to the Petit Prince bivouac the next morning - the desert camp where the festival takes place, about 5 miles from M’Hamid.

Catching up on lost time with the stage build and preparation of the festival site

Allyson, Co-ordinator of the festival volunteers

The sun rising behind the dunes

Traces of animal life...

Patterns in the sand echoed in the woven fabrics of the bivouac and in the decoration of the lanterns and urns

Even the festival cat blends in

Early morning portrait - how to accessorise in the desert

Members of the Algerian band Imarhan N’Tinezraf arriving at the bivouac 

The group Daraa Tribes

Saïd Jarjouj from the M’Hamid-based band Génération Taragalte and Iyad Moussa Ben Abderahmane, aka Sadam, lead singer of the Algerian group Imarhan N’Tinezraf

Late-afternoon light

Cracked earth, despite the rain

Artists and festival-goers arrive in 4x4 vehicles, leaving a trail of dust in their wake

Looking across towards the festival site shortly before dusk

This old wall close to the bivouac marking the boundary of the site for the new music school Joudour Sahara, a collaboration between the festival and the US foundation Playing for Change - designed by Moroccan architect Aziza Chaouni 

Architect Aziza Chaouni and Project Coordinator Thomas Duncan work by candlelight to put the finishing touches to the model of the music school, in time for the official launch

Young women in traditional dress preparing for the festival’s opening ceremony 

Traditional groups in pristine white robes beat out hypnotic rhythms and sing trance-like chants 

Krakebs - traditional metal castanets

The camel riders kick their bare feet against the camel’s haunches and race across the dunes, scattering the crowds to either side

The official line-up of directors, distinguished guests and important members of the local community standing patiently in the searing afternoon heat, waiting for the arrival of the guest of honour, the U.S. Ambassador to Morocco

Hester Ezra 

A sneaky selfie with Ibrahim Sbai, Artistic Director of the Taragalte Festival

U.S. Ambassador Dwight L. Bush Sr, with Halim Sbai, Director of the Taragalte Festival

Ambassador Bush and his wife are greeted by the festival delegation

Ambassador Bush with Abdelghani Samoudi, Governor of Zagora 

Moroccan singer and Patron of the Taragalte Festival Oum introducing Ambassador Bush to the skilled women of M’Hamid 

Ambassador Bush admiring the children’s artwork  

Festival-goers gather at the bivouac gathering for the official speeches

Ambassador Bush just before his speech in which he announces that the Joudour Sahara music school is a recipient of the 2016 Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation. This grant will be used to document and preserve the rich cultural heritage in the region

The official delegation at the inauguration of the festival. The drawing shows the plans for the music school

After the speeches the crowds gather on the dunes for more music, dance and camel racing

  Exhausted performers, at the end of a long day

During the festival there are plenty of opportunities for informal music-making -  spontaneous gatherings under the shade of a Berber tent, accompanied by foaming, bitter-sweet tea served in tiny glasses

Groupe Hassani from Mauritania

Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni from Tinariwen

Yacir Rami on lute, with Hind Bendahou on calabash

Mohamed Issa Ag Oumar

Members of Groupe Hassani dancing

Young musicians jamming on guitars late into the night

Tommy Dahill and his banjo - all the way from Alaska, pictured here with the festival’s resident astronomer, Younes Jamjari

Rich colours of the desert

Balkier Razgui from Daraa Tribes 

Moroccan singer Oum with women and children from the nearby villages

A series of discussions, conversations and debates accompanies the festival’s live programme. The environment, climate change, the role of culture, regional and global politics, restoring peace in Northern Mali, nomadic heritage, migration, education are some of the topics discussed. 

Halim Sbai, Director of the Taragalte Festival, talking at one of the programmed debates

Fadimata Walett Omar, aka Disko, leader of the Touareg group Tartit, from the Northern Timbuktu region 

Combatting desertification is one of the key issues for the region. The Sahara-Roots Foundation is a long-standing partner of the Taragalte Festival.

Sahara Roots and artists planting trees using the unique water box method - near the site of the Joudour Sahara music school

Wanda Hebly of Sahara Roots demonstrating the water box method for planting trees in the desert

Young musicians participating in workshops organised by the Joudour Sahara music school 

Samira Dainan leading music workshops with the young people from M’Hamid

Architect Aziza Chaouni, sharing her designs for the school 

My next post will focus on the musicians and performances at the 2016 Taragalte Festival..... 

[sarahhickson]

Ben Zabo - Malian Afrobeat at the Taragalte Festival

There's no denying that the Malian musician Ben Zabo (Arouna Moussa Coulibaly) has charisma. Also known as "Le guerrier de Bwatun", Ben Zabo's infectious grin and flamboyant physicality on stage drive the music forward as much as the electric guitars and the polyrhythmic layers of traditional balafon and percussion.  

.

.

.

Detail of the traditional balafon

Watching the frenetic dancing and blur of the distinctive head-dresses on stage at the Taragalte Festival, it was impossible not to get drawn into the high-energy and vibrant Afrobeat sound of Ben Zabo and his fellow musicians.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

A delightful and unexpected moment of the evening was when Ben Zabo invited singer and radio broadcaster Heather Maxwell on stage.

Heather produces and presents the radio programme "Music Time in Africa" for the Voice of America. She effortlessly wove a mellow counterpoint of Gershwin's "Summertime" into one of Ben Zabo's tracks. 

.

.

.

Ben Zabo were amongst the artists who travelled from M'Hamid to Mali after the Taragalte Festival as part of the Cultural Caravan for Peace.

Click here to watch a video of Ben Zabo performing "Sènsènbo" from their first album released in May 2012 on the Glitterhouse Records label.

[sarahhickson]

Génération Taragalte

Génération Taragalte, a popular young band from the oasis town of M'Hamid on the edge of the Sahara in South Morocco, was formed in 2009 - the same year as brothers Ibrahim & Halim Sbai founded the Taragalte Festival. The band's musical style recalls traditional songs from the Sahara, reflecting the nomadic background of the five musicians. Their music is also greatly inspired by the Desert Blues - of musicians like Ali Farka Touré, and later, the renowned Tuareg band Tinariwen.

Members of Génération Taragalte chatting on the dunes during the Taragalte Festival with Abdalla Ag Baba (Intidao), a former member of Tinariwen

Ibrahim & Halim Sbai have nurtured these self-taught musicians, creating opportunities for them to meet and work with other artists invited to the Taragalte Festival. Shortly after this year's festival finished at the end of January, Génération Taragalte travelled to Mali as part of the Cultural Caravan for Peace - a collaboration between the Taragalte Festival, and two festivals in Mali - Le Festival sur le Niger in Ségou, and the Festival au Désert (currently in exile). The Caravan has a powerful and humanitarian message: to promote cultural diversity, tolerance and social cohesion, and to raise awareness of the rich cultural heritage and history of the Sahel and Sahara region. 

Disappointingly, I was unable to travel to Mali to accompany the artists touring with the Caravan, but I did get to enjoy Génération Taragalte rehearsing in the days before the Taragalte Festival opened. 

Members of Génération Taragalte rehearsing in the Petit Prince bivouac at the Taragalte Festival

Saïd Jardouj from Génération Taragalte 

Brahim Laghfiri from Génération Taragalte

Génération Taragalte rehearsing with Abdallah Ag Lamida (Intidao) from Kidal in Mali

In the days running up to the festival, these young musicians quietly serenaded the production team, volunteers and guests during dinner in the Petit Prince bivouac.

.

.

Génération Taragalte's performance on the outdoor stage with Zeidi Ag Baba from Kidal in Mali, delighted the audience with songs that were familiar to the home-crowd.

.

.

Brahim Laghfiri

Mohamed Lagrissi

Brahim Laghfiri

watching Génération Taragalte from the side of the stage

Saïd Jardouj

Khalifa Balla & Saïd Jardouj

Mostapha Jardouj

Later that evening Génération Taragalte were joined on stage by the festival's artist-in-residence, singer Sandra Amarie (of which more in a later post).

If you'd like to see more about Génération Taragalte, click here to read the post I wrote about them during the previous edition of the Taragalte Festival in November 2013.

[sarahhickson]

Taragalte Festival - stage, cables, lights, sound...

The Taragalte Festival directors breathed a sigh of relief when the lorry transporting the stage, lights, sound and electrics finally arrived in M'Hamid, after a delayed journey from Marrakech due to the snow in the Atlas Mountains.

By late afternoon thick cables trailed across the sand, the basic stage had been assembled and lights were being rigged. 

I watched the technician clamber with ease across the rig, casually catching cables thrown up to him from the stage. No harness required...

.

.

.

.

.

.

Colourful fabric draped the sides of the stage, billowing in the wind.

Meanwhile, over at the more intimate Petit Prince stage, the sound desk had been set up, ready for rehearsals the next morning.

With plenty still to be done in the festival office in town, I accompanied Peter Vlam, the festival press coordinator into M'Hamid in the back of the truck.

The central cafe (which also doubles as the CTM bus terminus) becomes the nerve centre of the festival, as rostas are finalised, schedules checked and welcome packs assembled.

Back at the festival site at dusk I climbed the dunes behind the stage to enjoy the view of the camp, glowing in the last of the day's sun.

[sarahhickson]

Desert hospitality & cultural exchange at the Taragalte Festival

There are many things that make the Taragalte Festival special. At the top of the list is the generous hospitality of the festival directors - the Sbai brothers, Ibrahim & Halim - and the team they bring together each year to make this festival a reality. M’Hamid El Ghizlane, the nearby small oasis town, is steeped in a long history of cultural and economic exchange. For hundreds of years the Kasbah Sidi Khalil was the meeting place for the trans-Saharan trading caravans, bringing extended families and communities together from across the region, linking Morocco to Mali and other parts of the Sahara and Sahel region. The last traditional caravans made the long journey between M'Hamid and Timbuktu in North Mali back in the 1930's, but it is the spirit of these caravans and the festive gatherings associated with them that inspired Ibrahim and Halim to start the festival in 2009. They wanted to recreate a platform for people to meet, exchange ideas and celebrate their cultural heritage, whilst also raising awareness of the environmental and economic challenges in the region.

All those who come here for the Taragalte festival -  artists, music-lovers, journalists, NGO's, tourists, volunteers, not to mention the large local audience from M'Hamid and the surrounding villages - experience something unique. It's not just about the atmospheric performances on the open air stage. For just a few days a festive community is created here in the dunes. Stories are exchanged, songs shared, instruments passed around, many different languages are spoken. The tents where we all sleep are thoughtfully arranged in small circular camps. Wholesome Moroccan food is prepared by a dedicated team of cooks, and we all eat together, and drink sweet tea together.  It's impossible not to be aware of the fragility of the desert environment. Water is scarce, the solar-powered electricity supply is minimal. Years of droughts and creeping desertification have made a once fertile land virtually barren, forcing the younger generation to leave to seek work in the cities. And on the other hand, the recent floods washed away the bridge across the river on the outskirts of M'Hamid, creating an 80km detour to get from the town to the festival site. (The bridge was re-built a few weeks before the festival began). Yet there is something about the challenges of living here, the extreme climate and the vast landscape of the Sahara that draws people together. You have to be part of a community to survive. The independent urban lifestyle I'm used to in London quite simply becomes irrelevant. Just a couple of weeks in the Sahara in the midst of the Taragalte Festival puts everything into perspective. I feel grounded. 'Re-calibrated' if you like.

The opportunity to be here as the official festival photographer gives me both a point of connection to a culture very different to my own, as well as an objectivity. It enables me to get close, but also to stand back; to dive in, or simply to observe.

In the days before the festival itself started, some of the most rewarding moments were spent with the artists as they worked informally together, sharing musical material, improvising and developing ideas.

Abdallah Ag Lamida (Intidao) from Kidal in Mali – a guitarist and singer from the desert blues tradition, and former member of the band Tinariwen, rehearsing with members of the young band from M'Hamid, Génération Taragalte

Members of the band Tribes Draâ from Southern Morocco

Artist-in-residence Sandra Amarie from Canada trying out new material with Génération Taragalte and Zeidi Ag Baba from Kidal, Mali.

Zeidi Ag Baba from Kidal, Mali

Singer & guitarist Abdallah Ag Lamida "Intidao"

Intidao jamming with Mohamed Lagrissi from Génération Taragalte

Intidao jamming with a member of Génération Taragalte

Mohamed Lagrissi, the drummer from Génération Taragalte

The drummer from the band Tribes Draâ

A member of the band Tribes Draâ

the bass player from the band Tribes Draâ

Singer and Artist in Residence Sandra Amarie from Canada

Member of the band Tribes Draâ

Intidao

Intidado

Brahim Laghfiri, from Génération Taragalte

[sarahhickson]

"Welcome to the Taragalte Festival".

With just a few days to go before the official opening, final preparations were in full-swing. After breakfast of traditional pancakes with fragrant honey and local olive oil, accompanied by several cups of sweet Nescafe, Ibrahim & Halim, the festival directors, called a meeting of the core festival team and the volunteers, many of whom had arrived on the bus from Ouarzazate late the previous night. I was happy to see some familiar faces in the festival team from last year - Marika, Lahcen, Abbas, Abdul....

As early morning briefings go, there are many worse locations than a richly decorated bivouac in the desert, watching the sun climb high above the dunes.

A quick round of introductions revealed volunteers from Morocco, Holland, Lithuania, France, Bangladesh via Paris, Guinea, USA, UK.... Robert, who was in charge of logistics and production, ran through the schedule for the next few days. Everyone listened attentively....

Ibrahim Sbai, Artistic Director

Halim Sbai, Director, & Moise, stage manager

Lahcen, in charge of transport

Mohammed & Omar

Abbas, Artist liaison

Tina

...until someone cracked a joke....

Moise

Omar & Peter

The meeting over, I accompanied Ibrahim and his son to the main festival site.

Justifiably weighing on Ibrahim's mind was the fact that the stage and all the electrics had been delayed due to bad weather. The material was all on a lorry somewhere the wrong side of the Atlas Mountains. 

Meanwhile, other preparations continued on site:

.

Tina and Julia designed discreet signs reminding people to respect the desert environment.

.

Julia was probably the first Lithuanian to attend the Taragalte Festival.

[sarahhickson]

The Sahara - pristine dunes in M'Hamid

I awoke shortly after sunrise, and from the warmth of my sleeping bag watched the sun seep through the seams of the tent before venturing out into the chilly morning air. The dunes are magical at this hour. Pristine and glowing. Each contour, each ripple, perfectly defined. Sculpted and shaped by the wind. There was no one else about, and I stood at the top of a nearby dune, drinking in the weight of the silence, and enjoying the sun as it gently warmed my skin on this first morning in the Sahara for the Taragalte Festival.

.

.

.

.

From here I could see the camp - the Petit Prince bivouac, and just behind, the circle of temporary tents which I was to call home for the next 10 days.

Walking across the dunes in the opposite direction, a gnarled and twisted tamarisk tree caught my eye.

.

Back down at the camp, I was excited to see how the tree I had planted in November 2013 was doing.  I remembered it was the 8th pot in the line of grafts that were planted with the support of the Sahara Roots Foundation. I was so happy to see that it was thriving - my own small, but nonetheless important contribution to protecting the fragile desert infrastructure.

Behind the row of young trees the traditional bivouac bore all the signs of permanent exposure to the unforgiving climate. 

.

Despite being threadbare in places and clogged with sand, the intricate, geometric design of the coarse, hand-woven fabric was still clearly visible.

The perfect marriage of design and function.

[sarahhickson]

From Marrakech to M'Hamid

It had been raining heavily in Marrakech for 24 hours. The wind rattling the windows had kept me awake for much of the night. It was still raining when I took a taxi at 6.45am to the CTM bus station. I was on my way to M'Hamid El Ghizlane - an ancient oasis town on the edge of the Sahara, 460km away beyond the Atlas Mountains, to photograph the Taragalte Festival. This was not a promising start to a 10-hour road journey.

There was just one guy at the ticket desk, single-handedly dealing with pre-paid reservations, new ticket purchases, payment for luggage and general enquiries. He insisted that there was no reservation in my name. I insisted that there was. He finally located my name on the 'internet booking' list. Ah, two different lists.

The sky was heavy and grey. We sat on the bus at the terminus. And waited. By the time we pulled out of the station over an hour later than scheduled, the pouring rain all but obscured the city from view through the windows. 

.

.

The tourist shops lining the roads with traditional pottery and porcelain were reduced to an impressionistic blur. 

Signs of the recent severe flooding in the region were visible everywhere. Torrents of muddy brown water streamed down the hillside, swelling the fast-flowing river below.

The bus driver slowed down as the rain turned to sleet, lightly dusting the mountainside.

.

The weather deteriorated rapidly. Suddenly the snow was falling thick and fast - large, wet snowflakes slid down the window pane, and the road became increasingly treacherous. 

The bus came to a halt behind a broken-down van, and we waited as half a dozen buses and lorries crawled past in the opposite direction. 

The view out of the front windscreen was far from reassuring.

.

We stopped for a second time - another break-down ahead. Looking at the wintery landscape it was hard to imagine that in a few hours I would be in the desert.

Once we started to descend the mountain, the snow gradually eased up, a glimmer of sunshine leaked through the blanket of cloud, and I began to relax.

.

The sun finally broke through, and the intense colours of the South Moroccan landscape returned.

.

.

We made good progress to Ouarzazate, the hub of Morocco's film industry, and home to epic film sets and studios. Here I had arranged to meet up with some of the festival team to continue the journey by car. Within an hour or so of the snow blizzard subsiding, we were experiencing dust storms in the Drâa Valley.

.

But there were still plenty of indications of the heavy rainfall in the region in past weeks.

We made one final stop in Zagora, at the Auberge Chez Ali. I remember its pretty garden only too well from last time I was here - a welcome oasis from the hot, dusty streets.

The final hour or so of the journey was made at dusk, and we finally arrived at Le Petit Prince Bivouac, the heart of the Taragalte Festival after sunset.

.