The Sahara Desert Comes Alive

After a few formal announcements and greetings the quiet rippling desert erupted into colorful pandemonium. Belly dancers, snake charmers, trained stallions, fire breathers, Bedouin musicians, jugglers and acrobats took center stage for the next hour and a half. Everywhere I looked there was something to see.

Musket shots blasted into the air while brave horsemen dressed in flowing white turbans galloped at moc speed waving their sabers in the air. The Nomads did the same with their children perched on their shoulders waving to the crowd.

The 42nd International Festival of the Sahara kicked off in the southern town of Tozeur yesterday. Nicknamed the 'Rhythm of the Southern Oases', about 3000 smiling Tunisians and delegates from Italy, France, Jordan, Algeria, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait crowd the stands for a performance spectacle.

The show began with dozens of youth carrying a giant red Tunisian flag and a life-size portrait of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali while a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem, Humat Al-Hima, played. Local guide, Wadya - we call her Zena because of her attitude - showed a tender moment by breaking into tears while taking photos.



Traditional folk musicians dressed in silk tunics beat their drums loudly while a caravan of horses carry in a wedding Jahfa which brings the bride to her future husband according to the old customs.

The Saharan version of an American Wild West show continues for 3 days. This morning we depart in white Jeep 4x4s to the town of Douz for a continuation of camel racing, dog and rabbit hunting and more reenactments.

The festival is so much more than a one-day circus - it's a way of preserving a proud and ancient Saharan heritage.