In Undertows: A Tuareg Tale, Malian film director Intagrist el Ansari captures the way of life of his people – the Tuaregs. Filmed over 10 years in nomadic settlements and refugee camps, the documentary bears witness to a world "that no longer quite exists".
Issued on: 10/05/2026 - RFI
In his documentary Undertows: A Tuareg Tale, filmmaker Intagrist el Ansari preserves the words of his elders. © Intagrist el Ansari / Prosodie Films
The stars of the documentary Undertows: A Tuareg Tale are between 60 and 90 years old – the uncles, friends and role models of the film’s director, Intagrist el Ansari, a descendant of the Kel Ansar, the ruling tribe of the Timbuktu region in northern Mali.
Released this week in France, the film is structured as a letter to his son, and traces the history, resistance and culture of the Tuareg people.
Nomads and herders deeply connected to the land, the Tuareg have inhabited the Sahara for centuries. Today, however, their traditional way of life is under threat from political instability, drought and forced settlement.
The stars of the documentary Undertows: A Tuareg Tale are between 60 and 90 years old – the uncles, friends and role models of the film’s director, Intagrist el Ansari, a descendant of the Kel Ansar, the ruling tribe of the Timbuktu region in northern Mali.
Released this week in France, the film is structured as a letter to his son, and traces the history, resistance and culture of the Tuareg people.
Nomads and herders deeply connected to the land, the Tuareg have inhabited the Sahara for centuries. Today, however, their traditional way of life is under threat from political instability, drought and forced settlement.
Undertows: A Tuareg Tale – Trailer
Traditions under threat
“Clearly, the Tuareg world as it existed until the 1980s, as I knew it, can no longer survive in that form,” the filmmaker told RFI.
“All the children of this generation, born in exile and into a scattered Tuareg world, will at some point ask themselves who they are,” he says. “The film offers some answers.”
Over the course of two hours, the documentary explores Tuareg traditions, knowledge and ways of life – particularly their nomadic culture, increasingly eroded by drought and displacement.
Still from "Undertows: A Tuareg Tale". © Prosodie Films
Mali Tuareg peace deal raises hopes but faces challenges
“After the great era of caravan trade, the Tuareg world relied primarily on livestock farming,” el Ansari explains. “But the Sahel and Sahara were among the first regions to be clearly affected by climate change.
“And the major consequence for Tuareg communities has been the decimation of their herds. Without livestock, there is no longer any reason to follow the transhumance routes," he added, referring to ancient, seasonal migration paths used by shepherds.
But the erosion of Tuareg life did not begin with climate change. Colonisation and regional conflict also profoundly reshaped their society.
“There is a divide within the Tuareg world,” el Ansari says. “During colonisation, the Tuareg communities of the north were cut off from those of the south, as colonial powers reorganised Africa between North and West Africa. After decolonisation, that divide deepened further, as borders were drawn between the newly independent states.”
Undertows: A Tuareg Tale mourns this disappearing world, while displaying a determination to keep its memory alive. As el Ansari says, people disappear but their legends remain.
This article has been adapted from this article in French and this interview by Léa Boutin-Rivière.
Mali Tuareg peace deal raises hopes but faces challenges
“After the great era of caravan trade, the Tuareg world relied primarily on livestock farming,” el Ansari explains. “But the Sahel and Sahara were among the first regions to be clearly affected by climate change.
“And the major consequence for Tuareg communities has been the decimation of their herds. Without livestock, there is no longer any reason to follow the transhumance routes," he added, referring to ancient, seasonal migration paths used by shepherds.
But the erosion of Tuareg life did not begin with climate change. Colonisation and regional conflict also profoundly reshaped their society.
“There is a divide within the Tuareg world,” el Ansari says. “During colonisation, the Tuareg communities of the north were cut off from those of the south, as colonial powers reorganised Africa between North and West Africa. After decolonisation, that divide deepened further, as borders were drawn between the newly independent states.”
Undertows: A Tuareg Tale mourns this disappearing world, while displaying a determination to keep its memory alive. As el Ansari says, people disappear but their legends remain.
This article has been adapted from this article in French and this interview by Léa Boutin-Rivière.
Dozens killed in jihadist attacks in central Mali
Jihadist fighters launched a fresh wave of deadly attacks in central Mali that killed dozens of people, local and security sources said on Saturday. One local official said the latest attacks brought the death toll to more than 70 in recent days, as Islamist armed groups intensify assaults on villages across the region.
Issued on: 10/05/2026 -
By: FRANCE 24
Jihadist fighters launched a fresh wave of deadly attacks in central Mali that killed dozens of people, local and security sources said on Saturday. One local official said the latest attacks brought the death toll to more than 70 in recent days, as Islamist armed groups intensify assaults on villages across the region.
Issued on: 10/05/2026 -
By: FRANCE 24
Malian soldiers stand near a truck during a patrol following the attack on Mali's main military base Kati, outside the capital Bamako, in Kati, Mali, April 27, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. © Stringer, Reuters
A fresh wave of attacks by jihadist fighters in central Mali killed dozens of people, local and security sources said Saturday.
Friday's attacks were claimed by the al Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), who had already killed at least 30 people in attacks on villages on Wednesday.
One local official said the latest attacks by the armed groups had brought the toll to more than 70 in recent days.
Another local official put the death toll at 80.
"Our hearts are bleeding," one local youth leader said, accusing nearby army detachments of doing nothing to help, despite multiple calls.
One security source described the situation in the region as "worrying". "JNIM is targeting villages that refused to sign local agreements," the source added.
The latest attacks come after JNIM and the Tuareg-dominated Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) carried out an unprecedented assault against the ruling junta in Mali last month.
Since then, Mali's security situation has become critical, with several areas in the north now controlled by armed groups.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
A fresh wave of attacks by jihadist fighters in central Mali killed dozens of people, local and security sources said Saturday.
Friday's attacks were claimed by the al Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), who had already killed at least 30 people in attacks on villages on Wednesday.
One local official said the latest attacks by the armed groups had brought the toll to more than 70 in recent days.
Another local official put the death toll at 80.
"Our hearts are bleeding," one local youth leader said, accusing nearby army detachments of doing nothing to help, despite multiple calls.
One security source described the situation in the region as "worrying". "JNIM is targeting villages that refused to sign local agreements," the source added.
The latest attacks come after JNIM and the Tuareg-dominated Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) carried out an unprecedented assault against the ruling junta in Mali last month.
Since then, Mali's security situation has become critical, with several areas in the north now controlled by armed groups.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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