The Music of the Sahara at the ‘Festival Au Désert’ 2026

Alessio Bondì

Wed. 8 & Thurs. 9: FESTIVAL AU DÉSERT 2026.  PARC Performing Arts Research Centre and Ultravox Firenze, Cascine Park. All performances start at 9:30 pm.

The festival represents a cultural bridge between Africa and Europe: a space for exchange and dialogue where music becomes a powerful and evocative language, capable of addressing important social, cultural, and political issues.

Through concerts, the festival promotes cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue, and knowledge of Malian and Tuareg traditions. A multidisciplinary program further enriches the audience experience, offering opportunities for deeper engagement and active participation.

The Festival au Désert of Florence was established in 2010 through a partnership with the renowned Festival au Désert of Timbuktu. Inspired by the culture of the Sahara Desert, the festival became a symbolic meeting place for cultures, artists, and traditions, promoting dialogue through music. Over the years, it has brought together African and international musicians.

Among the highlights of the upcoming edition are artists who embody the richness and diversity of today’s musical languages. The group led by Kader Tarhanine brings to the stage the sounds of the desert and Tuareg traditions, reinterpreted through a contemporary lens. Savāna Funk offer a powerful blend of funk, rock, and Afro-inspired influences, while Alessio Bondì enriches the program with an intimate musical research deeply rooted in Mediterranean tradition, while the presence of Mamah Diabaté evokes the great musical heritage of West Africa, weaving together ancestral rhythms and oral storytelling.

The Festival au Désert of Florence is not only a musical event, but as a far-reaching cultural project, capable of bringing together diverse communities while hosting a unique experience of sharing, dialogue, and cultural resilience.

PROGRAM

Wednesday, July 8

“Mali Blues” in concert with DIMITRI GRECHI ESPINOZA, GABRIO BALDACCI, ANDREA BENINATI and MAMAH DIABATÉ (Mali).

Thursday, July 9

ALESSIO BONDÌ
KADER TARHANINE (Mali)
SAVĀNA FUNK

THE MUSICIANS

MALI BLUES. Building on the experience of Dinamitri Jazz Folklore, a project that has made the African roots of the blues its defining artistic signature, two of its founding members, Dimitri Grechi Espinoza and Gabrio Baldacci, venture into desert landscapes and circular rhythms with a musical project featuring the collaboration of multi-instrumentalist Andrea Beninati on cello and drums. Espinoza’s long-standing work with Tuareg and Berber musicians, including Tartit and Bombino, as well as Malian artists such as Samba Touré and Afel Bocoum, has shaped this project into an open platform of cross-cultural influences.At Festival au Désert 2026, the group will be joined by MAMAH DIABATÉ, master of the traditional ngoni and a musician who performed for many years alongside the Malian music icon Rokia Traoré.

ALESSIO BONDÌ is a Sicilian singer-songwriter whose music blends the ancient sound of the Palermo dialect with contemporary rhythms and sonic textures. In 2013 he won the Premio De André with “In funn’o mare”, followed in 2014 by the SIAE Award at the Premio Andrea Parodi for “Rimmillu ru’ voti”. His debut album, “Sfardo” (800A Records/Malintenti Dischi), was released in 2015 and was shortlisted for the Targhe Tenco awards in three categories: Best Debut Album, Best Dialect Album, and Best Song for “Vucciria Venice Film Festival and was nominated for the David di Donatello Awards 2023. Since 2022, he has also been a member of Lero Lero, a collective devoted to research and experimentation in Sicilian oral folk music traditions.

KADER TARHANINE, one of the brightest new voices in Tuareg music, has become one of the Sahara’s most popular young artists thanks to his innovative style, the freshness of his sound, and his remarkable natural talent. His music combines traditional rhythms with rock influences and poetic lyrics in Sahelian and Arabic traditions. Following his first tours in Africa and Europe, he was widely acclaimed as one of the finest voices of his generation and an exceptional guitarist. Today he is regarded as the natural heir to the first generation of internationally renowned Tuareg musicians.

SAVĀNA FUNK are a powerful, high-energy live band whose music blends funk, rock, blues, and African influences, making groove their universal language and the stage their natural habitat. Formed in Bologna in 2015 by Aldo, Blake, and Youssef, the trio has developed a distinctive sound that now also embraces Afro-Cosmic Disco, further enriched by their prestigious collaboration with internationally acclaimed producer Gaudi.