Tinariwen and Liam O'Maonlaí for free Temple Bar Mali gig

In what promises to be one of the musical highlights of the summer in Dublin city centre, a special concert has been lined up to bring the music from the acclaimed film Dambé - The Mali Project to the stage. The Irish Malian concert will feature, among others, both Tinariwen and Afel Bocoum and Alkibar, whose music was such a highlight of the film.

The film-makers, Luachra Productions, are staging the event, in conjunction with POD concerts and the Temple Bar Cultural Trust. The concert, which is free, will take place in Meeting House Square on Wednesday July 23rd, with both the Irish musicians from the film and the Malian musicians they collaborated with taking part.

Performing (in first-name alphabetical order!) will be: Afel Bocoum and Alkibar, Liam O'Maonlaí, Paddy Keenan and Tinariwen. Special guests, will include Caoimhín O'Raghallaigh, with more to be added.

The free concert will celebrate Irish and African musical connections and Malian, Tuareg and nomadic culture and music.

The documentary Dambé - The Mali Project, directed by Dearbhla Glynn, screened at the Dublin International Film Festival 2008, where it came runner-up in the audience award.

Hailed by Hot Press as a fascinating and superbly shot documentary, the film was described by Grainne Humphreys, director of DIFF, as a wonderfully authentic portrait of these travelling players, their endless curiosity about music and the musicians they meet. "Their truly extraordinary musical ability is both inspiring and quietly humbling," she added.