Festival au Désert is a multicultural music festival and a network for contemporary creation between Africa, the Mediterranean and Europe, starting from the collaboration between the Festival au Désert in Essakane (Mali), the most important festival in sub-Saharan Africa, and Fondazione Fabbrica Europa, which wants to extend from Florence to the European capitals of culture.
The Festival focuses on the meeting between prestigious African musicians and European artists, such as Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni, Cheick Tidiane Seck, the Amanar group, Vieux Farka Touré, Badara Seck, Jean Philippe Rykiel, who share their stories and involve emerging artists in a festive atmosphere.

PROGRAMME

July 8

6pm
Sabar – dance and percussion (Senegal)
Adji Dumbia, Odette Mbaye, Patù, Keba Seck, Lamine Touré, dance
Aziz Seck, Ismaila Mbaye, Pap Seck, Ismaila Mbothe, percussion

7pm
Wambelé, panther and kaiman dance – ritual dances (Ivory Coast)
Ensemble Senoufo con Sanà Soro, Lassanà Coulibaly, Oulogo Soro, Alama Seydou Koné, Ablo-Ablassé Ouédraogo

8.30pm
La Renaissance Africaine – meeting
50 years of independence of African countries
with Diop Mbaye, President of FAT, Federazione Africana in Toscana
and Pape Diaw, President of Associazione Oltre l’Africa

9.30pm
PAUL DABIRÉ
with Michele Staino, Ferdinando Olivieri, Roberto Russo, Brahima Dembélé (Italy), Burkina Faso)

10.30pm
BADARA SECK Ensemble
Badara Seck, Assan Fall, Malick Diaw, Ismaila Mbaye, Pap Seck, Ismaila Mbothe, Aziz Seck (Senegal), Daouda Diebate (Burkina Faso), Matteo Agostini, Giosi Cincotti, Aurora Loffredo, Ezio Zaccagnini (Italy)
with
PAPE GURIOLI (Italy)

12am
Global Kan Kan live set
Marco Dalmasso and Mattia Tuliozi (Italy)
with Alberto Becucci (Italy) and Kalifa Fassia (Burkina Faso)

July 9

6pm
Da Tripoli al Messak, Racconti di viaggio e di scoperta
presentation of the book by Luca Cosentino

7pm
Tindé, voices from traditional Tuareg music – Toufenette Walet Boubacar (Mali)
Stories from Mali – Alhousseiny ag Assaleh, Cissé Athaher (Mali)

8.30pm
L’Africa that thinks 
meeting
with Yassine Belkassem, President of Rete Associazioni Comunità del Marocco in Italia

10pm
ABDALLAH AG ALHOUSSEYNI (Mali) 

AMANAR (Mali) 
Ahmed ag Kaedy, Hamida ag Fanaw, Halima Walet Awrak, Ahmad ag Eljmitt, Khalifa ag Eljmitt, Abdrahmane Kamissoko, Abdallah ag Amano, Oumar Ould Badi (Mali)

JEAN-PHILIPPE RYKIEL (France)

HAMID DRAKE (USA) 

12am
Nin.Dub Freddie Blackbeat Villarosa dj
Kunto Bertiaka ElettroPad and percussion live set (Italy / Guinea Bissau)

July 10

6pm
Tindé, voices from traditional Tuareg music – Toufenette Walet Boubacar (Mali)

7pm
Si eseguono riparazioni dell’anima, Sicilian traditional music – Matilde Politi, Gabriele Politi and Lajos Zsivkov (Italy)

8pm
Tiebou Yapp, performance – Marina Arienzale (Italy)

9.30pm
DJELI-KAN GROUP (ItalY / Burkina Faso)
Founé Dembélé, Yacouba Dembélé, Souleymane Dembélé, Kalifa Diarra, Sekou Dembélé,
special guests: Mino Cavallo, Arlo Bigazzi
featuring HAROUNA DEMBÉLÉ

10.30pm

CHEIK TIDIANE SECK (Mali)
VIEUX FARKA TOURÉ (Mali)
ABDALLAH AG ALHOUSSEYNI (Mali)
AMANAR (Mali)
JEAN-PHILIPPE RYKIEL (France)
BADARA SECK (Senegal)
GABIN DABIRÉ (Burkina Faso) / JACKIE PERKINS (USA)

July 8 / 9 / 10

SUNZIP – light installation
by Gli Anelli Mancanti and Marco Dalmasso

TUAREG TENT – VideoS, CDs, Books, Handicraft
by Associazione TransAfrica

Every day, from 6pm:
Bar with cocktails and traditional Italian and African dishes

Festival au Désert is a project by Fondazione Fabbrica Europa per le arti contemporanee, Essakane Production-Festival au Désert, Institut français Florence, Centre Culturel de Bamako, Associazione Fabbrica Europa
as part of Firenzestate 2010 / Comune di Firenze
in collaborazione with ARCI, Federazione Africana in Toscana, Coordinamento Associazioni Senegalesi in Toscana, Associazione Oltre l’Africa, Transafrica, AdArte, Associazione Multietnica Gli Anelli Mancanti onlus, SWITCH Creative Social Network, Scandicci Cultura, Architetti Senza Frontiere Italia

Photogallery

photos: Barbara Lomonaco

photos: Francesca Fravolini