Sunday - Music in Fez

Peace, quiet and a touch of henna

The View from Fez women's affairs reporter, Annah, has been out and about in the Medina on International Women's Day. Here is her report.

A fantastic day!

International Women’s Day was celebrated in fine style at Fes et Gestes cafe in Ziat with a full house enjoying lunch in the sunny garden courtyard. Henna artists demonstrated the intricate art of traditional henna hand adornment and the all-women singing and drumming group from Fes Medina, Jilaliyat, provided spirited entertainment into the early evening.


Further Moroccan music entertainment was to be had Café Clock’s Sunday Night Traditional Music Concert where popular Fes entertainer, Nourdine, performed songs by the legendary Moroccan group Nass el Ghiwane.


Formed in the late 60's by four young men from the poor district of Hay el Mohammadi in Casablanca, Nass el Ghiwane broke all the moulds of popular music in Morocco with their unique and often allusively political music. By mixing the Sufi chants and litanies of the Zaouias (brotherhoods) with the poetry of Melhoun and ancient rhythms of the Berbers and Gnawas and introducing modern instruments and multiple mellifluous voices, they bought ancient traditional music back into the lives of Moroccans, and Moroccan music to the larger world.


Nourdine embodies the great soul of Nass el Ghiwane, with a heartfelt voice powerful enough to fill the rooms of the Café without amplification and the Nass el Ghiwane styled instrumental skill of turning a banjo into an Arabic musical instrument.
The enduring quality of Nass el Ghiwane music and it’s ongoing appeal to young people was illustrated by the heartfelt and extended sing-a-long that unfolded when Nourdine made his way to the upstairs gallery.


Café Clock continues to provide a welcome platform for local musicians, artists and traditional music and the Sunday night concerts are becoming ‘book first’ events.

Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news