| TARAGALTE FESTIVAL 2010 ACTUALITES | HOME 2010 | |
2nd Edition of the Taragalte Sahara Culture Festival, 25-27 February 2010 My son Laurens and I would represent the Sahara Roots Foundation during the festival but also travelling with us were Hester, Charlotte and Jolanda of Butterfly Works Foundation, Amsterdam. www.butterflyworks.org. They had recently been asked to help in the development of a new eco-lodge/culture centre in the area. Halim and Ibrahim Sbai, the organisers of the festival, were focusing on the "Women of the Sahara" during this 2nd edition of the Taragalte Festival and so during this festival Butterfly Works would be setting up workshops together with the women of this area. Travelling through the area of the Draa south of the High Atlas Mountains towards M'hamid it became quite clear that a lot of rain had fallen during the past few days before we arrived on the 19th of February. The extent of the rainfall became really visible as we arrived in M'hamid. The normally dry Draa River bed which passes through this area was now flowing again with all it's furry. The inhabitants had not seen this much water in 30 years! |
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| Knowing that this area was suffering from an extreme drought during the past years we were really happy to see the riverbanks filled to the brim. People were strolling along the riverbanks as if it was the Seine in Paris! Little did we know that it would present us with a big problem due to the fact that the bridge leading from the new town of M'hamid across to the old villages, had completely disappeared under the strong current of the now streaming river. We were unable to cross and the festival terrain was on the other side. Tomorrow the river would subside, Insha Allah. It took 4 days for the water level to drop. Festival volunteers and visitors were stuck on one side of the riverbank, others that had already started with the set up of the terrain were stuck on the other side of the river. However we remained positive and started the different workshops on our side of the river together with women from different villages that we were able to reach. Butterfly Works had also been asked to help create a plan for a new Culture Center/ Eco Lodge in this region together with architects from Bureau EAST from Fez/Toronto (www.bureaueast.com), Halim and Ibrahim Sbai, the local L'Association Zaila and Sahara Roots. This project will become a "Pilot Project' in Morocco. |
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The Taragalte Festival gave the opportunity for all those present from these different organisations to meet each other and discuss the project. It was also an opportunity to interact with the inhabitants living here, to enjoy the traditional music and the dances from this region. On the 24th of February we finally crossed the river by jeep. We were happy to see the farmers working hard to make good use of all the water to irrigate the palm trees and their fields. The festival terrain had been well prepared for the 3 day festival that would start the next day. For the opening ceremony, which was held on the 25th , a separate terrain had been set up just before entering M'hamid and had been beautifully decorated in a traditional style. Many officials attended as well as local inhabitants, visitors and journalists, all enjoying the exhibitions and different musicians that were present as well as a theatre performance by various children of M'hamid. The theatre performance had been organised by the " Manivelle- Theatre en mouvement" from Switzerland, and Frernand Veuthey and Anne-Claude Liardet worked very hard with the children to prepare this presentation. See: www.manivelle-theatre.ch They had been asked by the Taragalte festival organisers to attend the festival and it was a great success. |
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| Mr. Issa Dikso, (secretary, academic, speaker, co-founder of The Festival in the Desert and member of Terakaft) had also come from Mali to be present, during the days of the festival, enjoying many discussions as well as many of the musical festivities. The Association Taghreft Tinariwen www.keltinariwen.org is a trans-Saharan non profit organisation with charitable aims based in Kidal, North Eastern Mali. Taghreft Tinariwen, whose name means "the development of the deserts" in Tamashek, the language of the Touareg of the southern Sahara. The Taragalte Festival' s goal is also to strengthen the cultural heritage in compliance with the ecological potential of the region. We were able to learn a lot from Issa Dikko and his experience for which we are truly grateful. During the evenings and nights everyone enjoyed the conversations, the poetry, the chants, the story telling about desert life, the dancing and the music presented by women, men and youngsters from the region in the Moroccan Sahara stretching from Tata to Merzouga. However on the 2nd day of the festival tragedy struck the town of M'hamid. a young 16 year old boy had drowned in the fast currents of the now streaming Draa River. The organizers decided to cancel the 3rd days program in solidarity with the victims family. |
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| In the afternoon of the 27th of February we were able to plant a few trees on a site close to the festival terrain. Tree planting is an activity of Foundation Sahara Roots (www.sahara-roots.org ) together with the local foundation Zaila and the inhabitants of this area. Our aim is to combat desertification of the oasis villages by planting trees. During some of the workshops given by Butterfly Works women of different villages had been asked to decorate the plastic water containers that are generally used to fetch water from the wells. During this festive event the women and children present where singing while they used these containers to water the newly planted trees. Although the main music festivities of the festival had been cancelled there were still a lot of musicians and visitors present in the bivouac where we were staying and as the sun was setting the chanting of men and women alike could be heard as they slowly started singing. It was magical, in the quiet of the desert. The voices of the women became stronger and stronger as they became more confident and we were to witness something that previously had only happened within families and during wedding ceremonies. |
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| It was an honour to be present, to listen to men and women singing back and forth, to listen to fire crackling in the silence during a break in the singing and to taste the freshly baked bread that had been prepared in the sand in the traditional way. This truly was a traditional festival and so the idea for the 3rd edition of the Taragalte festival was born. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those present during Wanda Hebly |
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| ACTUALITES DU MAROC 2009 | ||
| FESTIVALS AU SAHARA A DAKHLA ET TARAGALTE 2009 Video http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9selk_festivals-au-sahara-a-dakhla-et-tar_music |
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| Ouverture de la première édition du festival "Taragalte, Sahara et culture" à M'hamid El Ghizlan 26 February, 2009 12:24:00 BM Taille de la police: M'hamid El Ghizlane - La première édition du festival "Taragalte, Sahara et culture" a démarré, mercredi à M'hamid El Ghizlane, par un défilé haut en couleurs des troupes populaires marocaines et étrangères. Situé en plein désert, le site du festival a vu ainsi se produire les troupes locales de Chamra, Guedra, Lekrab et Bounou, ainsi qu'une troupe populaire congolaise et le groupe musical de la chanteuse mauritanienne Alia Bent Lmeddah. Lire la suite....... |
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| CASAFREE ACTUALITES Les Tinariwen, apothéose du festival de Taragalte à M'hamid El Ghizlane Apothéose. Un seul mot résume l'état du site du festival "Taragalte" dimanche soir à M'hamid El Ghizlane. Le célèbre groupe touarègue "Tinariwen" venait de présenter une sublime prestation artistique. Dès leur annonce, le ton est monté d'un cran. Resté éloigné d'une vingtaine de mètres de la scène, le public s'approcha de plus en plus. Il n'y avait plus d'obstacle. Entre les Tinariwen et leurs fans, une communion absolue "Ils sont vraiment là, devant nous à M'hamid et particulièrement au site de L'hnanich, c'est tout simplement fabuleux", dit Said, jeune chauffeur touristique qui parlait de son groupe fétiche, Tinariwen qui veut dire étendus sahariens en tamachekh, parler touarègue. Il n'en croyait pas ses yeux.. Lira la suite...... |
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| Ouverture de la première édition du festival 'Taragalte, Sahara et culture' à M'hamid El Ghizlane 26-02-2009 12:30:13 M'hamid El Ghizlane, 25 fév (MAP) - La première édition du festival "Taragalte, Sahara et culture" adémarré, mercredi à M'hamid El Ghizlane, par un défilé haut en couleurs des troupes populaires marocaines et étrangères.Situé en plein désert, le site du festival a vu ainsi se produire les troupes locales de Chamra, Guedra, Lekrab et Bounou, ainsi qu'une troupe populaire congolaise et le groupe musical de la chanteuse mauritanienne Alia Bent Lmeddah.Marquée par la présence de MM. Mustapha Ktiri et Lahcen Aghejdam, respectivement Haut commissaire aux anciens résistants et anciens membres de l'Armée de libération et gouverneur de la province de Zagora, la cérémonie d'ouverture a connu également l'organisation d'une exposition de photographies retraçant l'histoire de la résistance dans la région. Lira la suite....... |
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| MENARA.MA M'hamid El Ghizlane: Les musiques du sud aux couleurs d'une multitude ethnique La deuxième soirée du festival "Taragalte, Sahara et Culture" s'est poursuivie, jeudi, sur les rythmes de musiques locales hautes en couleurs ethniques, et sous une exceptionnelle pluie qui s'est abattue sur le site désertique du festival. La soirée, animée par des troupes régionales du sud, avait fait montre d'une richesse culturelle et ethnique extraordinaire, dans la mesure où variété artistique et authentique de chants amazighes, sahraouies, âarib, gnaouie... s'est alternée sans que le public ressente la moindre des transitions. Lira la suite..... |
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| LA TRIBUNE Apothéose, ce seul mot résume l'état du site du festival "Taragalte" dimanche soir à M'hamid El Ghizlane. Alors que le célèbre groupe touareg "Tinariwen" venait de présenter une sublime prestation artistique. Dès leur annonce, l'ambiance est montée d'un cran. Resté éloigné d'une vingtaine de mètres de la scène, le public s'approcha de plus en plus. Il n'y avait plus d'obstacle. Entre les Tinariwen et leurs fans, une communion absolue. "Ils sont vraiment là, devant nous à M'hamid et particulièrement sur le site de L'hnanich, c'est tout simplement fabuleux", disait Said, jeune chauffeur touristique qui parlait de son groupe fétiche, Tinariwen, ce qui veut dire « étendues sahariennes » en tamachekh, le parler touareg. Il ne croyait pas ses yeux.Lira la suite.... |
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