Saturday, November 08, 2008

Festival of the "strange" in Morocco


For those wanting something a little different, a trip to Essaouira may be just what you need. The second "Festival de l'Etrange" - Festival of the Strange - opens in Essaouira on November 26 and continues through until December 6.


The Festival of the Strange, delightfully themed "Surprising without shocking", will be marked by a series of cultural and artistic activities, including an exhibition-contest on "strange matters". The mind boggles!

According to organizers, the festival is meant to contribute to the dialogue of cultures and will include work from nearly 150 artists from different countries. Participants have submitted artworks (sculptures, paintings, pictures and videos) that offers to to transport visitors on a journey deep into "creativity and boldness".

A couple of stand-out events caught our eye. The first is "musique imaginogène" from the Montanaro company commissioned especially for the festival. The music will accompany a performance by the French-Hungarian performance artist Nike Nagy. The second performance worth a mention is a choreographic work by the Moroccan artist n Noureddine Madrane - which is described as (excuse rough translation) designs with fire and a dance amidst the fragrance - "dessins avec le feu et danse sur des odeurs".

The event is initiated in partnership with the "Essaouira-Mogador" association and with the support of France’s Embassy in Morocco.


Tags:

No comments: