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Music is present everywhere in the life of the Ababda. When I visit the excavation site on the first day of my stay, I hear a small boy humming over his work, a beautiful sound in the quiet of the desert. At night I hear the men singing, and I see them dancing by the fire, they move their bodies rhythmically to and fro and clap their hands. These concerts are repeated every night. They also play the five-string tambura, a kind of simple guitar or lyre, and other, improvised instruments: plastic containers, empty cans, pieces of wood, objects which can be used for drumming and to produce ecstatic rhythms. They sing and dance at the same time and always together, in a group. It is obvious that it gives the great pleasure and is something their souls need.

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