Festival Taragalte – Meet-up in the Sahara
By: Stephanie Ackland – Sahara Dreams – 1st June 2024
Every Autumn, late October, early November, the desert town of M’hamid El Ghizlaine in Morocco, known locally as M’Hamid, becomes a flurry of activity and excitement as the annual “Festival Taragalte” hits town. The Festival is the brain child of Halim and Ibrahim Sbai, two brothers local to M’Hamid who conceived the festival back in 2009. Created as a celebration of desert life and nomadic traditions, the Festival quickly gained renown for attracting high-level of artists and musicians. International bands, including the Touraeg blues band Tinarawen, have graced the Festival, together with several local talented artists such as leading Moroccan band Generation Taragalte, young musicians Les Jeunes Nomades and vibrant Daraa Tribes, who all bring their own rendition of the mesmerizing desert blues.
The Festival takes place over several sites across M’Hamid. Artisanal demonstrations take place in the center of the village, with the lively, animated camel races held in the expansive riverbanks of the town. The main Festival stage and the bulk of the action are on the outskirts where M’Hamid’s palm trees slowly merge into the golden sands of the Sahara. There are plenty of lively workshops where you can learn about desert life and the traditions that are as alive now as in times gone by. Watch local women thread tents from camel hair, and weave carpets with deft and precision, transforming traditional symbols into vibrant pieces of art. Basketry is also popular, with shoes, mats and decorative items woven from local palm tree leaves. Date palm trees are big in M’Hamid, there are lots of them. In fact, the date palm grove of the South of Morocco is the world’s largest. Planning the Festival for autumn is a masterstroke, as the dates turn crimson, ready to harvest; set against the ancient Kasbahs, it’s a wondrous sight to see.
The Festival’s lively programme changes daily. There are plenty of food stalls where locals sell the delicacies they’ve made. Hearty soups and fresh tagines are not to be missed. Bread made in the sand, yes, the sand, it’s a local tradition and tastes delicious hot. All the food in M’Hamid is bio, the meat, the diary, the vegetables, with all the space of the Sahara it makes sense, and you really can taste the difference.
Nighttime is when the stars come out, literally. M’Hamid’s skies are a site to behold. Travelers visiting the Sahara for the first time are astounded by the night sky, clear, bright and over-filled with stars, the ideal backdrop to the evocative desert music playing on stage till the early hours of the morning, and perfect for an evening relaxing in the dunes and dancing under the light of the moon.
The Festival also addresses the more serious issues faced by nomads and the local people of M’Hamid, with experts and speakers discussing, amongst other topics. the very real problems of desertification and droughts, and the impact this has on agriculture and life in the region.
M’Hamid and the Sahara are a world away from the life most of us know. The Festival Taragalte is a celebration of this life and the people of the Sahara. Be part of it and experience 3 days that could be life-changing or at the very least great fun.
The 13th Edition of the Festival Taragalte runs across 1st, 2nd and 3rd November, 2024.
Written by Sahara Dreams, organisers of private tours and events in the desert of M’Hamid, Morocco. www.sahara-dreams.com