Danto Ava

Danto came to UK as a refugee five years ago leaving his native southern Libya. His people, The Tuareg, have been oppressed across the Sahara by governments who don’t always recognise them - and are often not recognised in turn by the Tuareg. His music is the music of the desert - generally known as desert blues and he has played with some of its leading lights including Tinariwen. He came to many people’s attention at Musicport in 2010 when he played a set with Tim O Connor, Paul O Daley and Sura Souso only hours after they’d all met - a set that many who were there claimed was the best Muiscport set on the previous 10 years!

He repeated this at his first Trades Club appearance in 2011 when he performed with local musicians having only met them the same afternoon. Recently he has created the three piece Acacus Band playing Tuareg and Imazghan music of his native land. Acacus is a mountain in Southern Libya.