Zero Gravity Films

'Agadez, the Music and the Rebellion'

The Film:

"One of the overlooked gems of 2011! Stirring and unforgettable, 'Agadez - The Music And The Rebellion' is as remarkable as the people it documents.", Richard Marcus, blogcritics.org

The CD:

iTunes "Breakout world music album of the year"

NPR: "One of the top 50 albums of 2011"

Agadez, the Music and the Rebellion, a documentary film about the Tuareg culture of the Sahara Desert features the music of the extraordinary Tuareg musician, Omara Moctar, "Bombino" - one of the great guitar players and performers in the Sahara and Sahel regions of Africa. Buy the DVD

"I can't imagine any album being better than this in 2011" - Derek Beres, Huffington Post

"…one of the best African discs of the year and without a doubt, the most magical!" - Les Inrockuptibles, Paris

"This is a record that can be placed in the category marked 'spellbinding.'" - Montreal Mirror

“His desert rock and roll guitar had the audience cheering. It is the new sound of Niger and with his new album and a film he'll soon be widely known. A member of the rebellion in Niger, Bombino brings a message of peace to the world and is an example of the spirit of changing guns for guitars." - Afropop.org reporting from Festival In the Desert, 2011

The film is "magnificent…takes our breath away and lets us know we're entering into an environment far removed from anything most of us have experienced" - Richard Marcus, Blogscritics.org

I first heard Bombino’s music two years ago while I was finishing a documentary with the Tuareg nomads in the Agadez region of Niger. Our driver had one cassette; Bombino’s music. We listened to it over and over for about two weeks! It never got old and became the soundtrack for traveling in one of the most magnificent regions in the world; the edge of the Sahara Desert and the Air Mountains.

Soon after we finished filming and returned to the U.S., this region became inaccessible due to a rebellion that the Tuareg staged against the Nigerian government.

Bombino’s guitar playing is exquisite and the rhythms are infectious. I decided then that I had to track him down and explore the idea of producing a film about him and the Tuareg culture. When we got back to Agadez, I realized that Bombino had a cult like following; everyone loved his music. His cassettes and CDs were all home made – he did not have a record label or any ‘produced’ recordings – but his music was everywhere.

During the most recent Tuareg rebellion the military executed two of his musicians, driving Bombino into exile for several years. He has now returned home to Agadez. In January, 2010, with the Sultan’s blessing, he staged a concert outside the Grande Mosque to celebrate the end of the war and the beginning of a lasting peace. A thousand people showed up, and after three years of rebellions, drought and a devastating flood, Agadez found a reason to celebrate. His soaring guitar solos brought the entire crowd to their feet dancing.

Ron Wyman – Producer

In Agadez, The Music And The Rebellion Ron Wyman has done an excellent job of not only depicting their life without romanticizing or sentimentalizing it, but showing what they are doing to preserve it in the face of increasingly difficult odds. Follow his camera into one of the harshest environments on earth and meet the people who not only live there, but cherish the freedom it brings them. You will also meet the remarkable young musician, Omara “Bombino” Moctar, whose story of exile and return is typical for his generation, but whose talent is unique. Buy the DVD

'Agadez, the Music and the Rebellion'

ZeroGravity Films

@agadezmovie