Ernst Aebi, Barefoot to Timbuktu

A fascinating portrait of a modern day adventurer, Barefoot to Timbuktu vividly chronicles the amazing life and travels of Swiss-born Ernst Aebi, who began his adult life as an artist and emerged as a unique social activist. Aebi left home to travel the world in 1960; in the 1970s he established himself in New York as an artist, after he began renovating lofts in Soho with a partner. A decade later, wealthy but eager for new projects, he found a calling in Sahara's desert in the nearly defunct oasis Araouane, seven days by camel from Timbuktu. With solar panels, seeds and hard work, Aebi worked with the villagers to plant to trees and cultivate a sustainable garden. That is only part of his remarkable story (27 minutes).

•