Comments on: Interview | Mali’s Festival au Désert | Manny Ansar: “We remain optimists, despite the circumstances”

By: Speaking truth to power — Contrary Blog

Speaking truth to power — Contrary Blog — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 10:54:14 +0000

[...] Festival in the Desert, originally conceived as a nomadic travelling tour, also transformed its plans for 2013, working with international activists, musicians, and fans to create an “in exile” tour across five Sahel Saharan countries. Manny Anwar, director of the Festival in the Desert said in a recent interview, “it is the first time we do it, and sure, the challenge is immense. We’ve been sleeping three to four hours a night, but we now more than ever believe it necessary to stand strongly for our values.” He went on to say that the “Festival au Désert is unwaveringly standing in solidarity with Timbuktu and vowing to extend Northern Mali’s tradition of tolerance to world populations in similar distress”. Read more of the interview here: http://ceasefiremagazine.co.uk/malis-festival-desert-manny-ansar-interview/ [...]

By: Speaking truth to power — Contrary Blog

Speaking truth to power — Contrary Blog — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 10:54:14 +0000

By: BONO COMPROMETIDO CON ‘EL FESTIVAL DEL DESIERTO’ | @U2Three

BONO COMPROMETIDO CON ‘EL FESTIVAL DEL DESIERTO’ | @U2Three — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 15:15:19 +0000

[...] moral”, afirmó el Director del ‘Festival del Desierto’, Manny Ansar, en una entrevista publicada el miércoles pasado. Pese a que este año no se celebrará el concierto en Malí, luego de que [...]

By: Bono Involved Again with Festival au Desert - @U2blog - U2 news and discussion

Bono Involved Again with Festival au Desert - @U2blog - U2 news and discussion — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 02:52:41 +0000

[...] the area, the festival has essentially been cancelled. But Manny Ansar, the original founder, said in a recent interview that they’re instead planning “events and caravans across the Middle East, Asia, Europe [...]

By: Vanessa Perumal

Vanessa Perumal — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 19:48:50 +0000

It’s important for the world to know that the efforts of pacifist humanitarians like Manny Ansar -pioneering visionaries have already reached a global audience through critically important supportive networks. The Caravan for Peace may be stifled due to the war and may not be able to be realised in the SAHEL Desert for now – I do believe that the FestivalauDesert will return to its natural home in Timbuktu as is its destiny. For now it’s important that the global music industry and humanitarians at large offer musicians and cultural workers from the region work throughout the 2013 year. The fundamentalists may have started out to stop the music what they have managed to successfully do is create demand for indigenous Desert music. We salute the bravery of the cultural workers and musicians and stand in solidarity with the FestivalauDesert now banned and in exile

By: George glezmann

George glezmann — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 15:31:24 +0000

Thank you Qualid, very good report. Hope Mali, one day, will be able to shake off those damn religious fanatics, destroying the treasures of ancient cities, such as Timbuktu’s, and opressing people in the name of a goddamned god, and forcing to pay tribute to the same!.
Thank you!.