See ‘Tombouctou – projects in Touareg villages’ for more images: http://www.placesandseasons.com/2010/05/travel-photograpy/ 

Note on current situation:
Since writing this article, pre-existing difficulties for rural populations in the Timbuktu region have been exacerbated by the current security situation in northern Mali. In April 2012 Touareg rebel group the MNLA (‘Mouvement National pour la Libération de l’Azawad)  declared independence in northern Mali following an armed uprising. However armed Islamist groups appear to now be in control of the town of Timbuktu. Together with a military coup which overthrew the Government of Mali in March this has resulted in the breakdown of the economic infrastructure, shortages of electricity, water, food and medicines, and an exodus of over 200,000 refugees from the northern regions of Mali into neighbouring countries of Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Niger.

‘Jump4Timbuktu’ has recently raised over £8000 in funds in order to continue to assist the villages in the food and water security projects throughout this exceptionally difficult time, and to ensure that the work undertaken so far can continue in some form during the current period of instability, and can resume in full once the situation becomes more stable. The aim is to ensure that the funds raised reach those most in need, and with this in mind discussions are ongoing with the director of local NGO partner AMSS (‘Malian Association for the Survival of Sahel People’), and the president of the Artisan Associations in Timbuktu. 

The impressive image of a Touareg nomad in traditional robes, traversing the Sahara desert astride a camel is one that has captured the western imagination for centuries. Whilst the Touaregs featured in the photographs on this website do still dress in brightly coloured robes, and ownership of camels is still an essential part of what it means to be Touareg, the reality of day to day life in one of the harshest regions in the world has forced many Touaregs to adapt their traditional way of life in order to survive the challenges of climate change and desertification.

In recent years Touareg tribal lifestyle and culture in the Timbuktu region have come increasingly under severe threat. Poverty, climate change and geographic isolation pose serious challenges to their nomadic tribal way of life. In discussion with tribal leaders and the artisan associations, the UK charity ‘Jump4Timbuktu’ has agreed a long term plan to meet these challenges, starting with projects to improve their capacity to trade from their workshops in Timbuktu, and also projects to improve water and food security in five of the desert villages in the region of Timbuktu. The initiatives in the villages were planned with the full participation of the villagers, who are also making a financial contribution, and provided all the labour necessary for the projects.

In 2011 I visited food security projects in three of the villages that ‘Jump4Timbuktu’ is working with. These include pilot garden schemes which have stimulated very positive community involvement, some of which produced quantities of vegetables within 4 months, with the potential to double and treble the growing area. Other villagers are requesting to be involved now that they have seen the success of the first group of villagers to try gardening.

In the village of Togha I spent time with some of the women of the village, and they told me about the main challenges facing the village, and their hopes for the future. All of the women spoke about the importance of education for their children – ‘pour avoir un avenir’ – to have a future – yet the nearest school is 6 km away, and there is no transport; the children have to walk there and back. Azhara (pictured) spoke for many of the women when she said that a mechanical mill for grinding grain, rather than pounding it by hand would improve their lives immeasurably. There is also no hospital or even a dispensary nearby, and no transport to take people to the nearest hospital when they are ill.

All of the women acknowledged the importance of the garden in enabling them to earn some money from the sale of vegetables, and to supplement their diets, but there is clearly much more to be done before these communities will be in a position to lift themselves out of poverty.

A second well has been sunk in N’Dala / Tagouft, one of the villages that I visited, due to increased demand for water as more families have come to settle in the village. This new project has been developed in close collaboration with the local population, and with Malian organisations; ‘Malian Association for the Survival of Sahel People’ (AMSS), and ‘Touareg Relief’ who organised the fundraising for the project.

During our visit to N’Dala we witnessed the ‘laying of the first stone’ for the new well – or rather, ‘the first digging’ to mark out the spot in the vegetable garden where the new well was to be sunk.

Huge progress has also been made in the village of N’Dala with the building of a school and a health centre, assisted by money raised from the sale of jewellery and leather work made by artisans from the village, and by direct donations from individuals in the UK. Up until the recent rebellion and upheavals in the region, the school was attended by 100 children, taught by teachers who were paid by contributions from the villagers. It is to be hoped that once the situation in northern Mali has stabilised, lessons will resume. On the day I visited the school, I witnessed very young children grasping the intricacies of French grammar far more impressively than I ever remember doing at that age….

Five gleaming new computers greeted us on entering the new ‘Centre de Ressources pour l’appui des artisans’ – a computer andresource training centre – which has just opened in the town in partnership with ‘Jump4Timbuktu ‘. The centre plans to provide training in computer skills, French and English, and promises to provide invaluable assistance to enable the many highly skilled artisans of Timbuktu to market their work abroad.

The manner in which these communities have successfully risen to the challenges of climate change is inspiring. Rather than allowing their entire culture and way of life to be destroyed, they have embraced the need to change and adapt in order to retain their community and much of their traditions, and to be able to remain in the region they have always lived in. Both the garden projects and the artisan training centre will eventually assist these communities in taking back a degree of control over their lives, and will help place them back on the path to self-sustainability.

© Alice Mutasa 2011
 For more information on the food and water security projects, and updates on the current situation in the Timbuktu region, please visit: http://www.jump4timbuktu.org/

http://www.varldskulturmuseet.se/smvk/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=851&a=17150&l=en_US

The Festival Lafi Bala this year celebrated 20 years of mutual cooperation between the towns of Chambéry – in the Rhône-Alpes region of France – and Ouahigouya in Burkina Faso, West Africa.

For 3 days the Jardin du Verney in the centre of Chambéry was transformed into a colourful, exuberant African village, with stalls selling traditional African crafts and food; exhibitions; story-telling; giant puppets, drumming and dance workshops, discussions, and a main stage hosting musicians of exceptional quality from Burkina Faso, France and other parts of West Africa. For the whole month of June, two highly talented Burkinabe artists took up residence in the ‘Cité des Arts’ in Chambéry, and ran workshops with local schoolchildren in the weeks leading up to the festival.

The biennial festival – now in its 7^th year – celebrates not only the richness of cultural exchanges between the two towns, but also a sustained program of projects and investment (‘decentralised cooperation’) in the town of Ouahigouya, including health, urban and economic

Read more: http://www.chambery-ouahigouya.com/development, restoration of buildings and roads, sinking of wells and reforestation.

More can be read about the food and water security projects and other initiatives among the Touareg artisan community, at: http://www.placesandseasons.com/2011/04/gardens-in-the-desert/

The projects are supported by ‘Jump4Timbuktu’ – more information can be found on their website, at: http://www.jump4timbuktu.org/

My latest photos from the ‘Festival au Désert’ in Mali are now online in the Travel gallery – http://www.placesandseasons.com/2010/05/travel-photograpy/ I was commissioned this year as the festival’s ‘Official Photographer’, and had full access to the stage during the concerts; I was therefore able to capture completely exclusive images of the concerts and artists which will not be available elsewhere. I was also present on the site to photograph the festival from start to finish – from the construction to the dismantling of the stage, and everything in between….

Most of the photographs are available for purchase; the selection on my website is a very small sample of the images available. A wider selection should shortly be appearing on the Official Festival website, but if there is a particular artist that played / gave a press conference at the Festival that you are interested in, please contact me: alice@placesandseasons.com

The 11th edition of the ‘Festival au Désert’ in the Sahara Desert in Mali took place in spite of numerous difficulties – including the advice of several European governments to its citizens against travelling to the Tombouctou region. Those of us who ignored such advice and made the journey were treated to a unique and unforgettable experience full of inspiring people and astonishing music – including impressive performances from Bassekou Kouyaté, Oumou Sangaré, Vieux Farka Touré, Khaira Arby, Koudede, Amkoullel, Tartit, Etran Finatawa, Samba Touré, Baba Salah, many invited artists from across Europe and the USA, and of course numerous incredible Touareg musicians who came from all over Mali and from Niger.  This year’s edition also hosted a visit from the President of Mali, and camel races to mark the 50th anniversary of Mali’s independence.

A selection of my photos of the Festival can also be viewed on  the official festival website: http://www.festival-au-desert.org/index2.cfm?m=3