Fez Festival of Sufi Culture - Day Four Review

The Tuesday night concert with the Tariqa Sharqawiya on Wednesday offered the public a genuine evening of dhikr and religious songs - in a high-octane performance.

Compared to the groups performing on the previous nights, The Sharqawiya are a very small group of only eight members. But, while small in numbers , they are big on impact.

They entered chanting and then took their seats as Festival President, Faouzi Skali did the introductions.  Their seating arrangement was interesting as they sat facing each other on four sides.

After starting their performance is a restrained low-key style, they soon broke loose and with the addition of a beat-box and increased the tempo and volume. Along with the surge of energy came a surge of joy that the audience responded too with pleasure.

The beat box repainted since their 2017 performance when it was dark green.

The Sharqawiya have a colourful history which includes the story of their zawiya  being destroyed by the Sultan in 1786 because it was thought to be harbouring "bandits and outlaws"! By the 19th Century they had regained their power and the Sharqawiya, based at Boujad near Tadla, held sway in the Middle Atlas.

The group leader 

There is always something wild and infectious about a Shaqawiya performance and as in previous years when they were a festival favourite, it proved to be so again.

It didn't take long for both regular devotees and visitors to get out of their seats and become involved.  The intense energy they created was shared.  It was raw and untamed and exactly what many people had come to Fez to experience. It was a pity that it was such a small audience, but it was one that left the evening, knowing they had been part of something special.

Tomorrow at the Festival
10h – 12h: Table ronde : « Soufisme et Art contemporain »
15h- 17h : Table ronde :« Ibn Abbad Ar-Roundi et le modèle de la spiritualité maroco-andalouse »
20h00 :Tariqa Rissouniya
Tomorrows Weather:
Sunny and 27 degrees Celsius.

Buy a ticket online " Ticket Sales"

The View From Fez is an official Festival Media Partner

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