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Director Axel Digoix Reveals Tinariwen’s True Story in “Erghad Afewo” Music Video

Posted on Thursday, April 2, 2026

In his latest video for Saharan collective Tinariwen, director/animator Axel Digoix details the band’s incredible origin story of how two Tuareg children fell in love with music and persevered despite intense conflict and censorship.

Axel Digoix: “Paris-born, I am neither Tuareg nor Berber. I had no connection to the Sahara. Then chance led me to meet Tinariwen. What was meant to be a straightforward professional collaboration became a deeply personal journey.

“The film offers a poetic immersion into the world of the Sahara, and into the story of two Tuareg children who become the voices of their people through music they refuse to let be stifled.

“The direction draws on the imagery of the Western Sahara: vast horizons, solitary figures, and a tension between stillness and action.”

“The drawing style deliberately embraces a free and expressive approach. Lines remain alive, sometimes imperfect, preserving the spontaneity of the gesture and the raw power of reality. This aesthetic gives the film an energy akin to that of Tinariwen’s music.

“The direction draws on the imagery of the Western Sahara: vast horizons, solitary figures, and a tension between stillness and action. The desert becomes a monumental stage on which the paths of two children — destined to become musicians — unfold.

“The film also pays tribute to the central role of women in Tuareg society. Through the character of Dassine — inspired by matriarchal traditions — the video celebrates this quiet strength that carries the language, culture, and values of the people.”

Images

Two people stand atop a pile of debris, one shielding their eyes and the other holding something. Smoke or mist rises around them, with a vehicle in the foreground. The vivid yellow-orange sky gives the scene a surreal music video feel, reminiscent of Tinariwen. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

Two trucks overloaded with people drive across a green-hued landscape under a glowing sky with a single dark orb, in a stylized, surreal digital art style inspired by the sounds of Tinariwen and visual influences of Axel Digoix. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

Animated image of a woman playing an electric bass guitar, surrounded by blue and purple hues. She has hoop earrings, looks to the side as pink clouds fill the sky behind her—a scene inspired by the vibrant energy of Tinariwen. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

An animated man with a mustache sits against a green wall, looking up. Next to him, a woman in a red dress and jewelry lifts her shawl, both bathed in dramatic lighting—like a scene from a Tinariwen music video. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

A cloaked figure walks across a vivid, purple-hued desert in the style of the Tinariwen "Erghad Afewo" music video by Axel Digoix and WIZZ. Shadowy people, camels, birds, a rocky mesa, and an off-road vehicle appear under an orange-yellow sky. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

Credits

Artist: Tinariwen

Production: WIZZ
Director: Axel Digoix
Art Director: Axel Digoix
Lead animator: Axel Digoix
Animator: Camille Lherminier, Léo Schweitzer, Jean Courtois, Anaïs Maumet, Paul Surmont
Background artist: Paul Duru, Mélodie Charrier Rangel, Alessandra Rosmarino
2D FX artist: Matis Inserra
3D artist: Hugo Garnier
Compositor: Benoit Galland
Production: Amanda Stubbs & Julie Bellemare
Editor: Anne Pulce
Production coordinator: Sara Burgio, Alice Sammut, Akito Martel

Support: Le CNC

Stephen Price

Stephen is the co-founder/CD of Stash Media Inc. and the executive editor of Stash Magazine and the Stash Permanent Collection.
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Category: Animation, Character Animation, Featured, Music Video · Tags: Axel Digoix, Tinariwen, WIZZ