Cabaret in Marrakech raises questions

The BBC's website carries a story about Folies de Marrakech, just outside the southern city, that is catering to a mixture of wealthy Europeans, Gulf Arabs and Moroccans. Is cabaret un-Islamic?


Say the word cabaret, and you think straightaway of scantily-clad can-can girls kicking their legs in the Moulin Rouge or Folies Bergeres in Paris. But now cabaret has come to Morocco - and there's not a topless girl in sight.

Folies de Marrakech has been toned down to fit in better with local cultural norms in this Muslim country. But even so, the dancers have been kicking up controversy.

The creator, Claude Thomas, is a veteran of cabarets in France, Las Vegas and Reno. He says he has had to sacrifice a few cabaret favourites to cater for the taste of local performers and public.
"Here you have to forget the G-string - forget, forget, forget," he exclaims, with perhaps a touch of regret. But he's keen to have a happy family of performers and to please the audience. See a video clip here.

Inspired by the street performers in Djemaa el Fna, Thomas trained the artists for almost a year, and took into consideration their reservations about the risque nature of some cabaret routines. The performers come from diverse backgrounds - some were professional dancers, others students, one was a member of the national gymnastics team and several came from a circus school for street children. They get paid a decent - and regular - wage, which isn't always the case with artists.

Amina, Folies de Marrakech dancer

Amina, one of the performers, says that dancers in Morocco, especially oriental dancers, are not accepted because they are attractive. She couldn't face telling her father that she was leaving her studies to join the cabaret, so she pretended she had a job as a waitress.

Folies de Marrakech has not only been criticised for its dance routines, but also because alcohol is served at the venue, though that can be said of many places in Morocco.

"I think that the Moroccan audience, that the majority of Moroccans, don't appreciate this kind of cabaret," says Youness Benslimane, from the moderate Islamist PJD party.

"People like dancing and singing. But a style of cabaret like the Moulin Rouge, I don't think Moroccans are ready to accept this kind of show."

Nevertheless, the fact that the cabaret is here at all is testimony to Marrakech's open nature. It's not only the city's monuments, history and scenic location that attracts tourists, but also its nightlife that attract tourists. Folies de Marrakech is not quite Moulin Rouge, but it is racy for Morocco.


Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news