Return to Timbuktu – a documentary by Michael Meredith
Wim has joined Michael Meredith for their fourth collaboration!
Return to Timbuktu is a documentary about the power of music and it’s ability to heal the war-torn country of Mali, in West Africa. For generations, Mali’s music has been an inspiration for blues and rock & roll music around the world. When Al Qaeda-backed fighters took over Northern Mail in 2012, including the legendary city of Timbuktu, more than 300,000 Malians fled. During the violence, the extremists banned music and destroyed some of Timbuktu’s rich musical heritage. For the first time ever, Timbuktu fell silent.
Now, a courageous group of Malian musicians are on a quest to keep the drums beating and the melodies flowing and to inspire thousands of refuges to return home. The camera follows their caravan of peace, bringing the key personalities to life in the midst of a humanitarian crisis that has threatened one of the world’s most significant musical traditions. The film reminds people everywhere that art is a force for peace.