Footage from the Sahara

Tom Freston's article "Showtime In The Sahara" for this month's special Africa issue of Vanity Fair gives readers a good sense of what it's like to go into the Sahara in search of "the world's most remote music festival," the Festival in the Desert. On the trip with Tom, Jonathan Brandstein captured the festival on camera, and wrote a few words about his "Tracks in the Sand" video for (BLOG) RED.

To get the soundtrack for their trip, go to iTunes and get yourself a copy of Tracks In the Sand, an album for Africa, by Africa. 100% of the sales price of the album goes to the Global Fund, to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. --bn



From Jonathan:

I hope this video gives people a feel for our trip, which was featured in Tom Freston's article for Vanity Fair, "Showtime in the Sahara." I shot all the footage during the trip. I hope you get a sense of the journey that one takes when going to Timbuktu and Essakane, (home of the Festival In the Desert). Most of those attending the festival arrive by camel; we did it in SUVs. In his article, Tom accurately describes the journey by saying "the ride shakes us to the bone." Despite the rattling, bumps and getting stuck in the sand, the landscape is visually stunning. You'll notice that the environment isn't consistent. One thing I didn't expect was the ever-changing topography – driving in the Sahara you see crystal white sand dunes, transitioning to patches of tamarisk trees followed by giant dry lake beds that eventually fade back to sand. Everything except a man-made structure or shelter for miles. An image that remained with me long after the trip was the sight of a lone nomad walking through the Sahara with a flock of goats, with nothing but sand dunes in front of him. Life is hard out there.

Four and a half hours later we get to the festival. Living up to expectation, one of the first things that we saw was the arrival of a band of Tuaregs by camel. You quickly realize you've arrived someplace special. Next I had my camera rolling while uber-photographer Jonas Karlsson was trying to capture Habib Koite. While Jonas was working I managed to get his producer Ron Beinner to give us his thoughts. Later I ask Habib what he thinks of the festival, his response sums it up best: "This place, crazy place. You can lose yourself here." He is an amazing performer and mesmerizing. The long shot of him singing "Cigarette Abana" I actually shot last year, but it was the very song that turned me into a huge fan. The last shot in the video is of Rachid, an amazing young guy from Morocco that I met at Essakane. I turned the camera on him and he started telling me that he hitchhiked from Casablanca to get to the festival. It took him 12 days to hitchhike through the Sahara. No small feat. However, what amazed me more was when he told me his guiding principle. This was an unexpected but sublime response. It also shows the power of music...

Most people think the Festival in the Desert is just a music festival. It isn't. In fact, it's much more. Since the inhabitants or Tuaregs of the Sahara are nomadic, their way of life depends of having "gatherings." Many things happen here: settling of differences, trading, marriages; and at night, in the true spirit of coming to together, they play music. In the last several years the outside world has been invited to participate in this event. The result is the ability for Tuaregs to improve their way of life and export their culture to a global audience. While it might be the most remote music festival on the planet, it does not lack talent. An assortment of musicians, with boundless talent to match.

--Jonathan Brandstein