Festival in the Desert: Timbkutu, January 6-8, 20100 The 2011 Festival in the Desert in Timbuktu, Mali is on! From January 6-8, 2011, this great city of the Malian north, at the edge of the Sahara Desert, will once again come alive with musicians, dancers, singers, and revelers from all over Mali, West Africa, and the world. Not only is this one of the most authentic and dynamic music festivals in the world, but it is one of the most welcoming. The people of the Malian north are gracious, open, curious, friendly and eager to show visitors a truly magical experience. Anyone who has been to the Festival in the Desert over its 11-year history will tell you this. Afropop’s Banning Eyre, a festival veteran himself, spoke recently with Mohmoud Ben Sidi Ahmed Arawani, the Director of Arawane Tours, and a mover and shaker in organizing this festival through its entire history. As one of the five founders of the festival, Mohmoud has more than a decade of experience in arranging unforgettable visits to this amazing event. He was in New York in his role as manager for the great Timbuktu singer Khaira Arby. Mohmoud spoke about the deeper reasons to make the spectacular and soul-fulfilling journey to Timbuktu next January. It turns out, attending the Festival in the Desert is not only a mind-blowing musical experience and an introduction to the awesome beauties of the Sahara—it’s also your chance to strike a blow against Islamic extremism and terrorism! Banning Eyre: Mohmoud, why don’t you start by introducing yourself. 
B.E.: For people who don’t know, tell us a little about the Festival in the Desert. The north of Mali is 75% of the nation’s territory, but people in the south have long been afraid to go in the north. This is understandable. It's far. When you try to send a government official there, they say they don't want to go. The war, the rebellion, has caused a lot of problems—racial hatred, separation, oppression. All these things, unfortunately. But the world has changed now. The world is changed in such a way that the whole planet is a village. We, the children of the north, endured a rebellion in order to get our rights. But now is a moment of peace. So we thought: what can we do to repair our hearts? To create reconciliation? Well, the best way to reconcile hearts in the entire world is through music. Music allows us to discover one another. Because our people do not know other people. They've been cut off in the desert, and the world has ignored us. Outsiders haven't joined with us, because they don't know us. So it became important to organize a festival of music so that the world could discover us, and so that we could discover others.  The truth is, before the Festival in the Desert, even Malians in the south never wanted to go to Timbuktu. That was for those who wanted to go very far away. But thanks to the Festival in the Desert, Malians—not just Americans—Malians have had the chance to leave their homes and come to the desert for the first time. The musicians of the south have come and play their music in the north. Citizens have discovered the people in the north. There were so many problems because we didn't know each other. And thanks to this festival, hearts have been reconciled, and we are now open to the world. Americans discovered that there were the Touareg people, and other people of the north, that Timbuktu was not a myth. It is a reality. We sang, we dance, we welcome, and we discover new things in Timbuktu. So the spirit of the festival is a spirit of peace, and this is the message I want to send today, to the entire world. And particularly to Americans, the most important people in the world. You are the biggest country in the world, the richest, most powerful, everything. I encourage you not to leave the north, the desert, in the hands of people with bad intentions. Because when we say it's dangerous to go to Timbuktu, then it becomes dangerous. Will we say it's dangerous to go in the desert, then it becomes dangerous. It is you, the powerful ones, who know how to deal with danger. Timbuktu is no more dangerous than Harlem. There are security issues everywhere. You must not abandon Timbuktu and the desert of Mali to those who are not open to the idea of peace on earth. We want Americans, Westerners, people from everywhere in the world continue to come. Do not say that it is dangerous. Because it is not true.  You can steal a car here, you can steal a car there. People get killed here in New York, here in the United States, and they get killed there. Every day. There are people who want to make it dangerous, and we must not give them the power. B.E.: Since 2010, the Festival is being held in Timbuktu, not Essakane anymore. I understand that there were no problems at all this year.  Because if the Americans and Westerners don't come and help us with security, with famine, with drought, then anyone can come and take control of this territory. They can kill, kidnap, demand ransoms. All this makes the terrorists richer. And I must tell you, this cannot happen. This is a great shame. To save one life, you might pay a ransom of 5-million to a terrorist, and then he goes and spends 5 million on his plans. How many bombs can he buy with that? How many innocents can he kill? If instead, we give food, and help, it's the opposite. Feed the hungry, and they will listen. And today, if there is insecurity among us, I blame the powers of the world. If the powers of the world wish there to be security, they should not ignore us. Come to Timbuktu! Come to the festival! I invite you all to come, and there will be no insecurity in Timbuktu. B.E.: How many people came to the festival this year?  As you know, there is a great drought going on in Mali this year. I stand before you having lost many cattle this year, dying because of the drought. Many people have become sick in the north of Mali. The first rains we had brought down houses in Timbuktu, in Gao, in Kidal. If there is no tourism now, it means the world wants us to die. We don't eat. We don't drink. Our animals die. Our houses fall down, and no one wishes to visit us. It's not fair. It's not right. There is a great drought in the north of Mali. There is much poverty in the north of Mali. There is a great need for liberty and life in the north of Mali. So help us live. Do not abandon us. Mohmoud Arawani, 2010Interview by Banning Eyre New York City,2010 B.E.: That's a powerful statement, Mohmoud. Afropop hopes to be there, and we join with you in encouraging people to make the trip. It is truly the experience of a lifetime. I hope we see you in Timbuktu in January!   
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