Come on a transcendent journey to Timbuktu for a concert of a lifetime before the music was silenced.
The Last Song Before the War is a feature-length documentary that captures the inspiring rise and uncertain future of Mali’s annual Festival in the Desert. Told through stunning high definition footage captured at the 2011 festival, the film is a lyrical road trip to legendary Timbuktu to hear Grammy-award winning musicians play their hearts out in the dunes of the Sahara. Shockingly, the music and the festival were silenced in 2012 due to the violent occupation of Northern Mali by extremists, destabilizing the entire Sahel region. To date, the festival and hundreds of thousands of refugees remain in exile.
It was a festival that we were proud of. It was something which raised up Malian culture. People from all over Africa would want to participate in that festival. It was a festival which put people in touch with each other, creating a certain atmosphere, which was good for that country. It also reflected an image of old Mali, the Mali where everyone greeted each other, were unified, slept well, woke up in peace.
— Vieux Farka Toure, May 7, 2012