Afropop Classic September 20, 2012
Festival in the Desert
The Festival in the Desert continued successfully, growing each year, until January 2012. For the past three years, as security concerns in the region mounted, the Festival was moved from Essakane to Timbuktu. This year, 2012, with a record international crowd and Bono in attendance, the Festival literally ended as Tuareg-led forces armed with heavy weapons from Libya after the fall of Gaddafi were moving forcefully into the area. The Festival was not disrupted, and visiting attendees left unharmed--but it was close.
The festival has continued as a "caravan" edition at the February festival in Segou. It has never returned to Timbuktu.
