On December 13, 2019, Tarwa N-Tiniri, the Ouarzazate based Moroccan Desert Blues Band, will perform at the Sun Festival Marrakech. This international music event is hosted by the Institut Francais de Marrakech in collaboration with Maison Denise Masson, Le Hangar, and Riad Le 18. The festival will take place from December 9-15, 2019. The Sun Festival seeks to promote culture by placing youth in the spotlight. The one-week program will feature a wide range of contemporary art, conferences, artistic residence, art exhibitions, and several concerts.
Tarwa N-Tiniri will introduce both a Moroccan and international audience to the soul of Sahara nomadic music through their live performances at the festival. Their music conveys the stories and traditions of the Amazigh (Berber) culture of North Africa. They use a mix of African instruments such as the calabash, djembe, modern acoustic, and bass guitar sounds to set the tone.
The six-members of Tarwa N-Tiniri were childhood friends. When they were youngsters, one picked up an instrument at home which sparked interest by the others. Now a decade later the group who once created a homemade “Lohtar” guitar out of a gasoline tank, bicycle brake wires, and wood has inspired others to follow in their footsteps.
In March 2017, the song Taryet, performed on their YouTube music video reached over 800K viewers and by 2019 the numbers doubled. In November 2019, the first music album Azizdeg was released.
The majority of Tarwa N-Tiniri songs are composed by the band members while some melodies are written by Amazigh poets. Their music is performed in the Amazigh language. Their musical inspirations are Tinariwen, Bombino, and Tamikrest.
The group has performed internationally in Norway at Transform-World Music Festival in Trondheim, at the Atlas Music Festival and the Taragalte Festival in M’hamid.