Dear friends of the Festival au Désert,

Here next dates: Ségou, from 1st to 04 february. Tombouctou: 8-10 febraury. The giant concert : 23 february. Wassulu Festival for Oumou Sangaré, 8-10 march. Refugee Camp in Mauritania : it was from 04 to 05 January 2019.

Dear friends of the Festival au Désert,

it is with sadness that we inform you that the Festival in the Desert can not be held in Timbuktu this year.

Despite all the efforts that have been put in place by the Government of Mali, by MINUSMA and ourselves, to try to re-launch the festival in Timbuktu, it is clear that the security situation is not yet appropriate to allow to make our festival ensuring the safety of all persons.

We thank you for your understanding!

Dear friends of the Festival au Désert,

we are very proud to announce that the Festival au Désert won the WOMEX 13 Professional Excellence Award.

The award will be delivered on Sunday morning, 27 October 2013 at the WOMEX Award Ceremony.

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Dear friends of the Festival au Désert,

“Until the music can return to its roots with freedom of expression and dignity, the Festival au Desert has become, a Festival in Exile.”

Dear friends of the Festival au Désert,

it's a great pleasure to inform you that the Freemuse Award has been given this year to the Festival au Désert "which in spite of extreme Islamists’ attempts to silence all music in Mali, defends freedom of musical expression and struggles to continue keeping music alive in the region".

The Freemuse Award is sponsored by the Björn Afzelius International Culture Foundation (BAIK). Björn Afzelius, who died in 1999, was a Swedish rock singer who became a passionate spokesman for suppressed people around the world combining his musical career with political activism.

It is the first time that the Freemuse Award is given to an organisation. The award is given to an individual or an organisation that “has worked for freedom of musical expression in a remarkable way”.

AB25112012-festivalaudesert from braidens on Vimeo.