Timitar Festival

Timitar - the word means signs or marks in Tamazight - was founded in 2004 in Agadir with a stated programme: to put Amazigh music at the centre of a large festival rather than in a folklore slot at the edge of one, and to place it alongside international artists on equal terms. It runs over several days in summer on open-air stages, with rways - the sung poet-musicians of the Souss - alongside contemporary Amazigh bands, Sahrawi and Hassani groups from the south, and international African, Arab and Western acts. Most of it is free, which produces very large crowds. The context matters: Tamazight was given official status in the Moroccan constitution in 2011 after decades of campaigning, and festivals like this were part of the cultural argument that preceded that. Agadir itself was rebuilt entirely after the 1960 earthquake and has little old fabric, so the festival is much of what brings people in summer.

What you actually see

• Amazigh music centred - programmed as the main event rather than a folklore slot.
• Rways of the Souss - the region's sung poet-musicians on the same stages as international acts.
• Mostly free entry - which is why the crowds are large.
• A cultural argument - part of the movement that preceded official status for Tamazight in 2011.

When to go

Summer; dates are announced a few months ahead. Several days.

Honest expectations

Free stages are very crowded. Line-ups are announced late and change. Agadir has little historic fabric to fill the days around it. Summer heat and humidity on the coast are significant.

Nearby

Agadir's beach and the Souss estuary are close; Taroudant is inland.