Word: tuareg
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
There's little of the hustle and bustle that Ghadames saw in its heyday, although there are a few stalls where hagglers can pick up handicrafts made by the local Tuareg tribe - and in contrast to many other North African medinas, there's no pressure to buy. Ghadames is a town attuned to the desert, and this relaxed atmosphere is one of the real joys of going there. As the renovations continue, tour buses will follow. But, for now, this is one of the few places where you can still intentionally get lost alone...
...those accustomed to the typical North African couscous of Paris (moist yellow semolina granules doused with spicy stew - fast, cheap and filling), Wally's $55 Tuareg banquet is a camel of a different color. Diners have one choice: red wine or white. The set menu is a cavalcade of flavors so perfectly balanced that it hasn't changed in 30 years. First is chorba, a spicy tomato soup rich enough to restore life even after a day fighting the hordes at Versailles. A refined pastilla, a sweet-savory pigeon pastry dusted with cinnamon and sugar, floods the senses with visions...
...track quickly mutates into a soaring, optimistic epic as Plant declares, "These are the times of my life/ Bright and strong and golden." He's right, and the album shines brightest when Plant mixes his two musical loves, Western rock and third-world rhythms. Takamba (a word the Tuareg tribe use to describe a camel's gait) splices hypnotic African grooves with crashing drums. He can even inject a dose of politics: Freedom Fries, a cutting attack on the Bush presidency, welds an offbeat guitar lick to the furious pounding of a Moroccan bendir drum. But call it world music...
...comparison to Havana is more than skin deep. Rumba and salsa are muy caliente here. While each ethnic or social group (ranging from the singer-storyteller caste known as griots to the Fulani and Tuareg tribes) has its own musical tradition, modern Malian music throbs with the influence of Cuba. The result? A heady m?lange that spans infectious Afro-pop, Latin grooves, hip-hop and a mosaic of traditional genres...
...many music venues crank up the bass. Perhaps surprisingly, there is more than a little flavor of Cuba here - partly due to commerce, and partly due to shared rhythmic heritage. Yet each ethnic or social group (ranging from the singer-storyteller caste known as griots to the Fulani and Tuareg tribes) has its own musical tradition. The result? A heady mélange that spans infectious Afro-pop, bluesy grooves, hip-hop and a mosaic of traditional genres. That mix is best encountered at La Refuge, tel: (223) 223 3799. It has no street address, so taxi drivers might have...