The imzad, a one-sided violin, is an ancient instrument that is an integral part of Tuareg tradition. The sound of the imzad is a moral support in Tuareg culture. In July 2010, the new Imzad school in Kidal, Mali, was launched by the Taghreft Tinariwen association together with the Jutta Vogel Foundation. Ten women have started to learn to play this instrument with an imzad player from Kidal.
Mohamed Ag Erless, the cultural representative of Kidal, and Koci Walet M’Bareck have jointly taken on the leadership of the project. At the end of July, the women and their teacher spent two weeks visiting a very old Imzad player in a nomad camp 50 km outside Kidal, learning various old songs from her and also some traditional ways of making the instrument, which is made from a calabash, goatskin, horsehair and soft wood.
On February 9, 2011, the new Imzad School was allowed to perform two songs during a visit by the President of the Republic. Of course, this performance was not yet perfect, but it made the Imzad School known throughout Kidal, but also in Bamako, the capital of Mali. In December 2013, UNESCO recognized the IMZAD, its playing and the knowledge and practices associated with the instrument as an intangible world cultural heritage.
