Provisional Program for the 9th Edition of the Fes Festival of Sufi Culture

The 9th edition of the Fez Festival of Sufi Culture April 18 to 25, 2015 with the theme "Religion of Love From Rabi Ibn Arabi, Rumi to today ...." The opening ceremony will take place on Saturday the 18th of  April at 16.00, with a general introduction by Faouzi Skali followed by a musical presentation.

In the evening at 20.30 the first concert will feature  a mystic recital dedicated to Rabiaa al Adawiya.

The rest of the programme at this stage:
(This program may be subject to modifications)

Sunday 19 April

10.00 Round Table and poetic readings. "Tribute to Abdelwahhab Meddeb: Sufi moments".

16.00  Round Table: “Is there a revival of Sufism in the Muslim world?”

20.30 Samaa of the Tariqa Boutchichiyya Qadiriyya ( Morocco).

Tariqa Boutchichiyya

The Boutchichiyya Brotherhood are from the small town of Mardagh, near Berkane, in north-eastern Morocco and has become an important pilgrimage destination. The sheikh is Sidi Hamza el Qadiri el Boutchichi and the brotherhood is active in many countries, particularly in the UK.

The Boutchichiyya are an offshoot of the Qadiriyya tariqa, one of the oldest Sufi orders, which was brought to Morocco (initially to Fez) by the descendants of the two sons of ‘Abd al-Qadir from the 16th Century. The Boutchichiyya take their name from the 18th Century sheikh Sidi Ali al-Boutchichi, a Qadiri who was given the title “al-boutchichi” because he used to serve “cracked wheat” (bou tchich) to the poor who came to his zawiya.

The Brotherhood of the Samaa Qadirya Boutchichiya performs a sacred music, and produces a spiritual state "where celestial music becomes audible," says Moroccan musicologist Abdelfettah Benmoussa. "It combines the primordial sound and the absolute divine word. Through the practice of Samaa, it becomes possible to experience the depths of being in universal harmony".


Monday 20 April

10.00  Round Table: ‘Persian Mystical Poetry and the Message of Love’ Discussion led by Faouzi Skali with Hossein Gomshei, Leonard Lewisohn, and Alan Williams

16.00  Round Table: ‘Rumi and the Mevlevi: Poetry of Ecstasy and Love in Persian and Turkish’ Discussion led by Faouzi Skali with Leonard Lewisohn, Alan Williams, and Roderick Grierson

20.30 Concert: ‘Aşkın Sesi: The Voice of Love’ : Mevlevi music for the ney: Kudsi Erguner.


Tuesday 21 April

10.00  Round Table:  ‘Rumi and the Legacy of Persian Music’ Discussion led by Faouzi Skali with Jane Lewisohn, Leonard Lewisohn, and Hossein Gomshei

16.00  Round Table:  “Listen to This Ney”: Music of the Mevlevi ‘Visions of the Mevlevi: Eastern and Western Depictions of Semazens’.  Discussion led by Roderick Grieson with Kudsi Erguner and Faouzi Skali

20.30  Samaa of the Tariqa Khalwatiyya : Chaykh Nur Allah Fath ( Turkey).
These musicians, singers and dancers (Semazens) represent one of the most interesting aspects of the mystical culture of Turkey. The Sema - the whirling dance - and the Zikr - the hymns sung by the sacred choir - are connected to each other, a spiritual ambience that leads the Dervish enter a mystical universe.

Wednesday 22 April

10.00  Round Table:  "The scriptural foundations of the Religion of the Love ".

16.00  Round Table: "Presence of Rabiaa".

20.30 First part : Samaa of the Tariqa Rifaiyya ( Turkey)
         Second part: Samaa of the Tariqa Naqchbandiyya (Bosnia).


Thursday 23 April

10.00  Round Table: Sufi Amazigh culture and poetry

16.00  Round Table:  Bards of the spiritual Love of East and West.

20.30  Samaa of the Tariqa Charqawiyya and of the Tariqa Wazzaniyya.

Tariqa Charqawiyya

Tariqa Wazzaniyya

Friday 24 April

10.00  Round Table:  Writings and poems about spiritual love in Morocco and Andalousia .

16.00  Round Table: Culture and expressions of spiritual love in Sub-Saharan Africa.

20.30 First part: Samaa of the Tariqa Siqilliyya
          Second part: Sufi songs of Alep: Homage to Jalaleddine Weiss

Tariqa Siqilliyya

Saturday 25 April

10.00 Round Table:  Love and Futuwwa, the path of the Spiritual Chivalry.

20.30 Sufi Samaa and Andalusian Music.

Conferenciers Lecturers ( alphabétique order ) :

Abdelillah Arafa, Abdou Hafidi, Abdellah Ouazzani, Abdussamad Romero, Alan Williams Bariza Khiari, Eric Geoffroy, Hossein Gomshei, Ines Safi, Jaafar Kansoussi, Jane Lewisohn, Katia et Gabrielle Legeret, Kudsi Erguner, Lila Anvar, Leonard Lewisohn, Michael Barry, Michel Boivin, Mounir El Kadiri, Roderick Grierson, Saad El Khiari, Saïda Bennani, Salamatou Sow, Souada Maoulainine, Suad El Hakim, Touria et Layla Iqbal, Xavier Guerrand-Hermès.

We have fallen into the place
where everything is music.
The strumming and the flute notes
rise into the atmosphere,
and if the whole world's harp
should burn up,
there will still be hidden instruments
playing, playing
This singing art
is sea foam.
The graceful movements
come from a pearl
somewhere
on the ocean floor. ~ Djalal al din Rûmi

This year, you can now book your tickets online. Indeed, given the large crowds, and to guarantee a seat at the festival events, we recommend you book and pay your tickets directly on the website. To do this, go to: http://www.festivalculturesoufie.com/ in the tab 'Booking / حجز / booking'.

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Interactive "Magic Carpet" Opening in Fez

Miguel Chevalier

Last night saw the opening at Dar Batha of Digital Arabesques - an installation by digital artist Miguel Chevalier.

The installation, a digital virtual reality light show projected onto the floor of Dar Batha, is inspired by various geometrical elements of traditional Moroccan design.

The installation is part of the France-Morocco Cultural Season 2015 and sponsored by the the French Institute in Fez.

The opening was well attended both by the public and a number of well known artists, photographers and writers.

Miguel Chevalier said he was extremely happy with the reception given to his work and was obviously delighted by the way the public became involved with the interactive nature of the work.

The installation works on several levels. Firstly, the sheer brilliance of the visual effect is spellbinding and viewers found themselves mesmerised by the kaleidoscopic display, shifting and changing before them. 

Secondly, came the transition from being a viewer to being a participant by stepping onto the floor. Moving into and onto the lights created a strangely discombobulating sensation for a few brief moments.  

Standing in the installation, the viewers faces and clothing were bathed in the ever-changing display, faces looking as if they had been given living, shape-shifting tattoos  - instant body art

Tattooed by light ~ Instant body art 

An interesting extra element came in the form of two young men who gave an acrobatic display of break dancing amidst the shifting patterns. 

Miguel Chevalier's work, using software developed by Cyrille Henry and Antoine Villeret, will be seen at four French Institutes in Morocco: Fez, Agadir, Tetouan and Essaouira. The exhibition will run in Fez until March 5th. It is certainly worth visiting.

DETAILS

Installation Digital Arabesques 2015
Miguel Chevalier

Opening night in Fez -  Friday, February 27, 18:30 at Dar Batha
The exhibition runs from February 27 to March 5
Monday to Friday: 9 am - 17h
Free admission

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Collective Exhibition at Cafe Clock

A talented group of photographers present vastly different perspectives on the beauty of daily life, street photography, abstract images and portraits. Some are locally based, while others work abroad

Organiser Omar Chennafi says, "This event is intended to heighten people's awareness ofthe power of photography and its ability to make changes in people's lives."

Photo: Anass Med El Issmaeli

Photo: Tarik Labrighli

Photo: Alaoui Kinany

When: Opens Sunday March 1, 4.30 PM, until April 1
Where: Cafe Clock, Fez Medina
Info: omarchennafi@gmail.com or 06 59 66 15 02

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The Fez Dyers Souk Gets A Makeover

There has been concern in the Fez Medina that the ancient street of the dyers - the Dyers Souk - was being destroyed. However, the latest news on the street is that the souk is the recipient of some royal largesse - and will be restored, in a more environmentally friendly location

The Dyers Souk as it was 

According to locals, it was an initiative of King Mohammed VI, who offered the dyers twenty thousand dirhams each to take a holiday while the work was being done. In addition they were offered interim work on the new construction.

Workmen cleaning up the old souk - it will no longer pollute the river

The old dyers souk was seen as polluting, and with the work being done on cleaning up the river in R'cif, something had to change. Hopefully the new souk and its drainage system will be an improvement.

The souk has been in action for several hundred years and is where many small businesses bring fabric or skeins of wool to be dyed. Everything from old jeans to cotton shirts are treated and then resold. The souk was also a popular tourist destination and it is the restoration aims to ensure that this will continue.

Construction work is forging ahead at Rcif

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Medina Children's Library Open Day on Saturday

On Saturday the Medina Children's Library officially opens and you are invited! While enthusiastic children have been eagerly attending the small space for several weeks now, tomorrow the general public are invited to check it out between 12 PM to 5 PM 

American photographer Heather Binns shares her impressions of a recent visit.

Before the Prints for Prints/Peace Corps photography workshop kicked off in Outat El Haj, the Prints for Prints team spent a couple days in Fez. Several weeks before I left for Morocco, I connected with Cathy Bellafronto and she mentioned that a children’s library had just opened in Fez (in the Medina - old part of town). Books and Kids are two of my favorite things, so I knew I would make it a priority to visit the library. Before I left Portland, I popped in to Powell’s to pick up a few books to donate.

Cathy was out of town when I arrived in Fez, so I emailed the library and received a speedy response from Suzanna Clarke inviting me to visit the library. After a few emails back and forth, my foggy jet-lagged brain made the connection that Suzanna was the author of “A House in Fez” – a great book that was gifted to me by a good friend for my birthday. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Fez – or renovating an old house!

The library is currently open 3 hours per day, mainly in the afternoon. (And all day on weekends.) I arranged to meet Suzanna on a chilly Thursday afternoon. We arrived earlier than the 4 pm opening time, since we had allowed for extra time to navigate the maze of the Medina. At 3.45 PM there was already a crowd of kids milling around the door. The library had only been open for a few weeks, but the word had clearly spread. In fact, the library had to hire a guardian to manage the door and keep order. Only 10 kids could be allowed in at a time due to space constraints and they could stay for an hour before the next group came in.

The library is a wonderfully cozy space, with comfy carpet and a space heater. The walls are lined with bookcases containing children’s books in English, French and Arabic. Arabic books are in the highest demand. I brought a few English books (including my favourite of all time – Where the Wild Things Are) but wished I had checked Powell’s for Arabic books as well.

Safae Lahjouji, the librarian, watches over the kids with gentle authority, occasionally stepping in to help a child pick out books or remind the spirited boy that books are for reading, not hitting his brother over the head with.

The majority of children are girls and sit together in small groups but remain very intent on their reading. I spent a huge amount of time in libraries growing up and it was really wonderful to see kids so interested in books and reading. There are usually 1-2 volunteer storytellers every day as well.

Plans are in the works to create a non-profit to manage donations and the administration of the library. The library hopes to increase its supply of Arabic books and potentially move to a bigger space once funds allow. (Editor's note - The Fez Association for the Children of the Medina is now official, and is on the lookout for partners for the library.)

You can find out more about the library on their facebook page: www.facebook.com/medinachildrenslibrary

And if you know anyone traveling to Fez, ask them to pack along a few children’s books to donate. A visit to the Children’s Medina Library is a wonderful and unique experience.

Please come to the Open Day at the Medina Children's Library, from Saturday noon to 5 PM. The library is at 41 Zkak Rouah, off the Ta'laa Sghira - close to Riad Laaroussa, and at the top of the street from Resto 7. 

Info: www.facebook.com/medinachildrenslibrary or medinachildrenslibrary@gmail.com
Phone: 06 60 12 44 40 or 06 77 31 39 04

Photos and text copyright 2015 Heather Binns. To see her website and blog, CLICK HERE. 

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French Tourist Numbers Down ~ Again

The number of French tourists in Morocco fell again in January, according to figures from French travel agencies.

Morocco is the country most affected by the general decline in tourist reservations by the French. This is revealed by figures collected by the National Union of Travel Agencies (SNAV). It should be noted that the figures do not include Internet bookings. For all destinations, the number of bookings fell by 13.7% in January compared to January 2014. But in Morocco, the drop in bookings is 60%. The number of passengers had already begun to decline the previous month (-46% in December). The number of departures also fell to - 38%.

In terms of bookings, Morocco still remains the fifth destination of French tourists booking through a travel agency. The top four are Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal.

As France is the number one provider of tourists to Morocco, this downward trend is taken very seriously. In early February, the Ministry of Tourism announced a Dh100 million plan to support the sector. The plan, developed with the National Confederation of Tourism, aims to "mitigate the impact of events in Paris (especially the terrorist attack against Charlie Hebdo)"

Though the number of French tourists has recently declined in the kingdom because of their government warnings, Morocco stays the most attractive Islamic country which they still prefer to visit. According to a survey launched by Easy Voyage, 73,7% of the French participants won’t change their intentions concerning visiting the Islamic countries. 46,4% of them are heading to Morocco , which makes it on the top position among the visited destinations. Tunisia comes the next with 29,3% , followed by Arab Emirates with 21,2%.

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Folk-Opera in Sefrou on Saturday

The contrast between modern urban life and the social structure of a village is the theme of a folk-opera to be performed in Sefrou on Saturday February 28th 

Village Dial Waheda (A Village of One) was developed by Paula Jeanine Bennett (pictured above), a New York based vocalist, percussionist, composer and artist, and first performed in Indonesia. It has been adapted as part of a month long residency with Culture Vultures in Sefrou.

The original concept was inspired by Bennett’s observations of the loneliness of daily life in her home of Brooklyn, New York, a city where fifty percent of people live alone. Bennett has contrasted this to the social structure of the small market town of Sefrou in the Middle Atlas.

Forty local women auditioned for a cast which includes a small choir in addition to traditional musicians and a local storyteller.

Sefrou locals audition for Village Dial Waheda

Following the performance in Sefrou on Saturday, February 28th, Bennett will visit the American Language Centers in Meknes, Fez and Casablanca where variations of the production will take place. Her Moroccan tour wraps up at the ALC in Tetouan,

A scene from the performance in Java

Bennet has performed in Italy, Indonesia, London, India and Japan. In New York City she as appeared at the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, and Brooklyn Academy of Music. Paula is on the staff of the prestigious Juilliard School as well as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center.

When: Saturday 28th February at 2.30 p.m.
Where: Town Hall, Sefrou
Info: Culture Vultures

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Moroccan Photo of the Day ~ Ifrane

Ifrane under a blanket of snow looking like a little bit of Switzerland

See more in our series Photo of the Day 

The View from Fez welcomes contributions to our Photo of the Day Series

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France's Orange Set to Take Over Meditel

Morocco World News is reporting that Morocco’s number two telecom operator Meditel is set to be majority owned by French telecoms giant Orange and renamed Orange Morocco

The French group, chaired by Stephane Richard, reportedly appointed a financial expert on January 19 to assess the value of Meditel and the amount of the transaction ahead of its acquisition of a 9 percent stake with 10.10 percent of voting rights by exercising a buy option.

Orange had already acquired 40 percent of the company for 640 million Euros in 2010. In late December, Orange estimated in its financial statements that its 40 percent Meditel stake was worth 320 million Euros.

Orange chairman Stephane Richard

The French company is expected to pay a little more than 72 million Euros to take control of the second mobile operator in the kingdom. Moroccan telecom regulator ANRT will have to give the green light to this operation.

With 13.59 million subscribers at the end of 2014, Meditel faces fierce competition from Maroc Telecom and Wana Corporate.

The transaction will all allow the French group to include its Moroccan subsidiary in its group accounts and rename it Orange. Orange has declined to comment on its plans.


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French or English ~ Morocco's Language Debate Continues

The move to drop French as the second language in Morocco is gaining momentum. In recent times The View from Fez has been charting the groundswell of support to change to English. Back in January we reported that experts agreed that French as a second language has long been acknowledged as a major problem for Moroccan education, and the Education Minister's statement, "French is no longer valid, English is the solution" was greeted warmly by educators and the tourist industry.

Mohammed Belkhayat, the President of HMEMSA (Home of Moroccan Educators & Moroccan Students in America),  added his voice, saying, in an open letter to Morocco's Ministers of Education, "French is obsolete"

Now the Prime Minister, Benkirane, has weighed into the debate, calling for the adoption of English as the first foreign language in Morocco

Larbi Arbaoui, writing for Morocco World News says the Moroccan government is moving inexorably towards elevating English over French within the Moroccan educational system.

During the monthly political conference dedicated to the reform of education and training, the Head of the Government highlighted the importance of adopting English and using in it in Moroccan schools.

In a video posted on YouTube, Abdelilah Benkirane said that “we all agree on teaching languages, and we have to teach our students to be excellent at both English and French,” but he added, “if we have to choose, we will choose English because it is the language of today’s science, technology and commerce.”

“To be clear, in all Arab nations, we need the English language,” ~ Moroccan PM Abdelilah Benkirane.

Benkirane confirmed that Morocco and France have very “strong bonds that can’t be broken, but it is not our destiny to keep using French. Personally, I regret having not learned English very well because I need it the most during my official visits, even when I go to Saudi Arabia,” he added.

The Justice and Development party (PJD) wants “the Arabic language to remain the language of instruction at all levels” in Moroccan schools, and hopes that the Amazigh language, another official language in Morocco, can be “developed so that it can be fully integrated in education.”

The Strategic Report of the Supreme Council for Education, Training and Scientific Research, which will be submitted to King Mohammed VI soon, is recommending replacing French with English in Moroccan education.

French speaking residents in Fez were quick to point out that such a change would be a "generational" change, rather than something with immediate impact.  Bien sur!

Meanwhile...
Another language battle is underway; that between Arabic and Darija (the Moroccan dialect). A few days before the presentation of a report on education to King Mohammed VI, Benkirane warned of the dangers of introducing "Darija" in Moroccan schools saying it was a threat to the "throne" and "stability" of the country. The PJDiste claim that calls to integrate "Darija" in the pre-school curriculum are the work of people who speak French. "People," he said, "who have no connection with the case." He also added that "in the past, they tried to mount a conflict between the monarchy and the Amazigh, the second language Moroccans, but without real success."

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Moroccan Photo of the Day - Takes the Cake

Morocco's chocolate dessert in the 2009 Pastry World Cup, complete with chocolate scorpion!

Our thanks to Kevin Ashton for the slice of culinary history!  Kevin is an International Chef and Food Columnist living in the Stourport-on-Severn, England.   His blog is here

See more in our series Photo of the Day 

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