First Fez Sufi Night a Success

The organisers of the first of this weekends two Sufi Nights in Fez had every reason to be pleased by the large audience that turned up. The beautiful Dar Mernissi venue was packed with standing room only for late comers

After an introduction by Faouzi Skali, the first half of the evening was given to a discussion on Sufi poetry. While appreciated by most of the audience, Americans and Australians and New Zealanders, who had no French, struggled to understand as no translation service was available.

A good night for Faouzi Skali (left) and the leader of the Wazzaniya (right)

However, once the joint tariqas of the Siqilliyya and Wazzaniyya commenced their performance there was no need for translation. This is what a majority of the audience had come for and they were not disappointed. While only a moderate sized venue, the acoustics in Dar Mernissi were perfect for the samaa.

Australian artist Michael Wright

The audience included many well known figures in the arts and music scene from Fez and as far away as Australia. Singer Annas Habib, who is now based in Europe, was back in Fez as was filmmaker Joe Lukawski. Australian Artist Michael Wright, whose fascinating exhibition of photographs and mixed media, Dead Car Dreaming: of the Rainbow Serpent is showing at the ALIF Riad until Sunday, had originally planned to attend the now postponed Festival of Sufi Culture was in attendance and pleased that the two Sufi Nights coincided with his visit to Fez.

A second Sufi Night tomorrow will follow the same format and feature the Tariqa Derkaouiya. Starting time for the discussion "The Seven Cities of Love" is 8.30 with the tariqa scheduled to perform at 9.30.

The beautiful Dar Mernissi was packed

For those unfamiliar with Fez, the Dar Mernissi venue is at 3 Rue Salaj, which is the street directly across the road from the steps coming down from the entrance to the Hotel Batha. Arrive early if you want a seat!

SHARE THIS!

Fes Festival ~ Has the Magic Gone?

Peter Culshaw is a Fez Festival veteran and much respected music journalist. Peter Culshaw recorded his thoughts about the Fez festival of World Sacred Music on The Arts Desk - a highly regarded online arts site. With his permission, we repost his article. (A link to the original article is at the bottom of the story.)

theartsdesk in Fes: Has the magic gone?

The top world music festival reinvents itself with an Africa theme

Fatoumata Diawara: Under the Barbary Oak

More than anywhere else, the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music has been the place where I have gone annually for most of the last 20 years to retune my ears, to get inspiration, and to discover new international music. For fans, it was always more than a mere music festival; there was a visionary, idealistic element. The founder, Faouzi Skali, is a Sufi who started the festival as a response to the first Gulf war and invited musicians, thinkers and practitioners from all religious persuasions as a counterpoint to extremism and intolerance elsewhere. That mission’s importance grew post-9/11 and continues to expand with the madness of ISIS and their psychotic ilk.

Fes itself is in many ways the star of the show – the ancient medina with the winding car-free streets, the call of the muezzin, the circling swallows in the Bab Boujloud at sunset. Last year Skali and many of his associates were pushed out and so the big question for fans of the festival centred on how it was being remade, and would the idealistic elements remain? Skali, incidentally, still runs an impressive Sufi festival in Fes earlier in the year.

"No mention of Skali ... at best a faux pas, at worst rude and ungrateful"

The printed programme was a disappointment – no mention of what many people see as the heart of the festival: the Sufi nights where followers of the local Sufi brotherhoods perform outside, very late, in Dar Tazi; no mention of the Festival of the City, which are the free concerts in Bab Boujloud (the big concerts are very expensive for most ordinary locals); and no mention of Skali himself, which seemed at best a faux pas, at worst rude and ungrateful. Fortunately, the excellent local blog The View from Fez kept us up to speed with the programme.

One great thing about Fes is the characters you meet, which illustrates the sheer strangeness of the place

I arrived in a unseasonal, torrential rainstorm and that night's concert of the always feisty Oumou Sangare from Mali was cancelled. But the following day I saw three top-notch shows which assuaged fears that the musical level might have gone down. There was an extraordinary and moving ritual in the medina from Burkina Faso called Masks of the Moon, like some Peter Brook 1970s avant-garde production, but centuries old and compelling both visually and musically.

"Masks of the Moon, like some Peter Brook 1970s avant-garde production"

There was a performance of Cuban pianist Omar Sosa and a wonderful, expressive dancer called Tamango with percussionist Gustavo Ovalles. Sosa is a consummate pianist who has musicality oozing out of every pore and the result was both plugged into the past in its use of Santería sacred rhythms of Cuba and modern in its presentation, with impressive video projections under the famous massive barbary oak in Musée Batha.

There was a curious but satisfying collaboration between Indian slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya and African kora maestro Ballaké Sissoko, both of them doing music that originated in the 13th century on different continents. These were all in the Nights In the Medina strand, which was like a delicious tapas miscellany of musics.

The music director of the festival, Alain Weber, did mention that he felt “less constrained” under the new regime and it is likely that the above selection would have been impossible in earlier years – notably the mix of dance and video projection. I went off the main programme to get my musical kicks for much of the rest of the week. Instead of seeing what were billed as US soul legends The Temptations (actually, the splinter group The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards, who joined the real line-up in 1968) I ended up seeing a fabulous group from the disputed territory of Western Sahara fronted by the charismatic figure of Saida Charaf, who dominated the stage in front of thousands of revellers in Bab Boujloud.

Saida Charaf

The theme of this year’s festival was Africa and Morocco’s relationship to it, but there wasn’t any gnaoua music, that most African of Moroccan of forms developed by slaves (a painful issue in itself not mentioned much at the morning discussion forum, I am told) who came over the Sahara, so I jumped at the chance of attending an all-night lila, or healing ceremony, in the medina. The close-up funk-spiritual rhythms at Casa Zohra were thrilling but I bailed out at 4am after a traditional harira soup. I’m not necessarily blaming the soup, but I was sick the next day and only recovered after two days, and this may have flavoured my perception of the rest of the festival.

One great thing about Fes is the characters you meet, which illustrates the sheer strangeness of the place. One local guy told me how he had had a nervous breakdown and the only way out was to invent his own religion based around birds. For three months he drank bottles of water with bird feathers in as a successful cure. One could do a whole book on such characters found in Fes and their stories.

Without Faouzi Skali and some of his friends and acolytes the festival normally attracts – the Sufi leaders, the social activists, the visionary academics – the audience seemed to consist more than previously of curious tourists. Some of the music, excellent enough, such as the collaboration between Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca and Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara, was the type of thing you can see at the Barbican and WOMAD and perhaps it’s too early to tell with the new set-up, but there was a feeling that the festival might be morphing into a superior world music festival, with some of the old soul or magic missing. I imagine this is a familiar refrain from those who went to the early Glastonbury, Burning Man or Festivals in the Desert (“you should have been there in the early years”), even if most newcomers think they are still impressive events.

The last night was exceptional with the Hamdouchiya Sufis

Although not advertised fully, the Sufi nights at Dar Tazi were on. The highlights were the wonderful Said Guissi, who takes traditional Aissawa music – described by one visitor in the 1920s as “a tempest of oboes and drums” – into a new place. I think of him as a kind of Miles Davis of old-style Moroccan trance music. The last night, too, was exceptional with a Hamdouchiya group featuring, unusually, a female singer and a couple of European interlopers who performed wild, off-kilter trance music to great acclaim.

The last night went out with a bang and was easily the most popular, with waiters begging me to get them in to the Emirati singer Hussain Al Jassmi, who charmed the overcrowded Bab Makina, where the old Palace walls were decorated effectively this year with gorgeous light projections. With a 20-odd piece band, he won over the local upper-middle classes (the women mainly turning up in heels and skirts as opposed to headscarfs). His big hit seemed to be “Habibi Bashaloni” about a lover who supports Barcelona football team, who will be celebrating the result of the Champions League final, no doubt.

Peter is a music and arts broadcaster and has written for the Observer, Guardian, Daily Telegraph and Songlines, among others in the UK and internationally. He has written a recently published book Clandestino: In Search Of Manu Chao published by Serpent's Tail and has produced and compiled numerous CDs. He was a founding Director of theartsdesk, and is co-editor of the New Music section.

See the original article here: Arts Desk

SHARE THIS!

Cool Weather for Opening of Fes Sufi Festival

Although the day started with fog, the weather for the Fes Festival of Sufi Culture is expected to improve during the week and be fine but cool for tonight's opening performance

Faouzi Skali

For the opening ceremony at 4pm in the Batha Museum venue, the sun should be out and temperatures around 22 degrees Celsius. The opening will be performed by Festival Director Faouzi Skali with Bariza Khiari and Roderick Grierson.

Local star - Marouane Hajji - photo Sandy McCutcheon

Sunset today is just before 8pm and the evening concert at the Batha Museum, an homage to Rabiaa Adawiyya, will feature Samira Kadiri, Fatim Azzahra Kortobi, Marouane Hajji and Salah Eddin Mohssine. The weather will be cool with temperatures around 15 degrees.


SHARE THIS!

Sufism ~ "a Bulwark Against Radical Islam"

In a recent edition of Le Monde, Faouzi Skali, the Director of the Fes Festival of Sufi Culture, was interviewed by Joan Tilouine. In the interview he shared some interesting observations about the role of Sufism in the modern era and particularly as an antidote to Jihadist movements. Here is an edited extract...

Moroccan Sufi followers at Sidi Ali

Joan Tilouine: Through your festival, you defend Sufism. Is it at risk?

Faouzi Skali: Throughout the Muslim world, from Asia to Africa, the Sufi culture is very large majority. Yet his spiritual heritage, artistic and literary often remains absent from public life.

The recent tragic events committed by individuals who claim a Wahhabi ideology and a simplistic and extremist conception of religion, monopolise the attention of public opinion.  Muslims themselves do not identify with this Islam. How can one identify with those barbaric acts in Mosul, in northern Nigeria, Paris or elsewhere? There is an optical effect which reverses the reality of Islam and the way it is lived and practiced. It seems to me that Sufism needs to be supported, explained, debated, to assert its reality in daily life.

A member of the Moroccan all female Hadra Chefchaounia 

Joan Tilouine: Can spirituality to cope with destructive impulses?

Faouzi Skali: It is urgent to change the perception of Islam as some Muslims may come to believe that the reality is that of computer screens showing the crimes filmed by extremists themselves.

When we say that Islam is tolerant and open to other religions, this may seem a minority discourse and a little naive. I created the Festival of Sacred Music Fes to make a demonstration. This festival was in harmony with the city, in harmony with its spiritual history, Arab-Andalusian heritage and multiculturalism.

It seems crucial to awaken the spiritual tradition of Islam that is the daily life of hundreds of millions of people. Witness, for example, the popular Sufi tradition, the rites of sama (ritual dance), songs and music. Or dissemination of works of the Persian mystic Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, the thinker Ibn Arabi, the Emir Abdel Kader and many others. This is far from marginal. But if many know Ibn Arabi, how many really read?

Joan Tilouine: Is Fez one of the major international places to counter the influence of the Wahhabism that is so very strong in Africa?

Faouzi Skali:  It would be too restrictive to say that it is to counter Wahhabism whose history is very recent [18th century]. It can not be compared to the rich Sufi heritage which born simultaneously with Islam in 8th Century.

To simplify: the same way that Saudi Arabia is an exporter of Wahhabism, Morocco, which is soaked in Sufism,  contributes this to Africa.

However, Moroccans are themselves not immune to the penetration of other Islamic currents and they need benchmarks. Fez is a place that allows thinking and free expression. It is a jewel of Islamic civilisation, facing the disarray into which ISIL plunges many believers.

A member of the Tidjannia Brotherhood at the mausoleum of Sheikh Ahmed Sharif Tidjane in Fez 

Joan Tilouine: For the uninitiated, Sufism may seem like a closed brotherhood. Is this what explains its privacy?

Faouzi Skali: The history of Sufism is first popular. In the past, Sufism was culturally and naturally integrated into the daily lives of Muslims. This reality is still very present, but it is less noticeable in modern culture.

With the Fes Festival of Sufi Culture we go beyond the limits of a particular fraternity, we bring this reality into the public arena. In Fez, strong links exist with the great mosque of Qarawiyine with the Tariqa Tijanya whose tomb of the founder Sheikh Ahmed Sharif Tidjane is located in the city and leads to a pilgrimage.  Sufi Islam's Maliki rites are widespread in West Africa and the historical relationship is very deep between the guilds and the theologians of both sides of the Sahara.

I think today we have to go beyond the marabout brotherhoods and Sufism. In Africa, I meet many scholars that are sometimes embarrassed that Islam is reduced to this. There are other riches in our civilisation shared: science, art ...

Joan Tilouine: How do you counter the proselytising by radical Islamist groups who have mastered the modern means of communication?

Faouzi Skali: Radical Islamists have a very materialistic background because they offer a consumer extremism. They do business, monopolising political and economic power in the name of religion to which they give a materialist appearance. Jihadism is the monstrous son of ultra-liberalism.

I think and I want to believe that there is a need for spirituality among youth, part of which is diverted by these groups. A young person who feels the need of a spiritual quest can be enlisted.

Whirling Dervish performers at Fez Sufi Festival 2014

Joan Tilouine: What about the political use of Sufism by states?

Faouzi Skali:  In Morocco, King Mohammed VI recognises and supports Sufism as a pillar of the country's history.  In Algeria for a long time, the authorities have reduced Sufism and heritage of the thought of Abdelkadder Emir, which was almost ignored. Today, Sufism has upgraded it. Is it a manipulation?

In Tunisia too, Sufism has been undermined but now finds renewed interest on the part of authorities. Defending a Sufi cultural heritage is an emergency escape route from the tendencies of political manipulation. Basically, it is a cultural war.

A member of a Sufi brotherhood to Massin, near Timimoun in southern Algeria

The Fes Festival of Sufi Culture runs from the 18th to 25th of April

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

SHARE THIS!

Festival of Sufi Culture in Fez 2015

The 9th Festival of Sufi Culture will be held in Fez from April 18 - 25, 2015 

The theme of next year's Festival of Sufi Culture will be a celebration of master poet Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, who greatly influenced Sufism. "We are developing a rich artistic and scientific program around the theme of Rumi: the religion of love, " says festival director Faouzi Skali.

Having recently left the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, Mr Skali is in full swing organising next year's Festival of Sufi Culture and has recently travelled to Paris, Berlin, Porto and Konya to select performers and promote the festival.

Rumi was closely associated to "whirling dervishes" or Mevlevi, a major Sufi order of Islam, which he founded in the city of Konya in Turkey. Next year's Festival of Sufi Culture will include the popular whirling dervishes and ensembles of traditional music from Iran.

As well as the rich musical offerings, the forum will discuss Rumi's life and thoughts, many of which encapsulate the true values ​​of Islam: tolerance, respect, and love. Rumi's concepts are particularly relevant in today's tense geo-political climate, especially those aspiring to intercultural and religious harmony.

Next year's festival will have an increased budget of 5 million dirhams, promising an expanded event from that held in 2014.

The program will be released on www.festivalculturesoufie.com

SHARE THIS!

Former Fes Festival Director Speaks

This week director Faouzi Skali broke his silence on his departure as director of the Spirit of Fes Foundation and the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music

Time to pack up the chairs: Faouzi Skali leaves the Fes Festival. Photo: Suzanna Clarke

Mr Skali said that after more than 20 years at the helm, it was time to move on, "The real reason alone, is the natural feeling that with the Twentieth Edition of the Festival and era has drawn to a close. To me, it's the first phase of this adventure, which is without limit. The Festival has become part of the memory and heritage of Fez and Morocco."

The new team running the Festival is President Abderrafih Zouitene and Director Ambassador Tajeddine Baddou. Mr Skali described the ambassador as,"A dear friend and long-time man of culture who has already achieved many great projects." Ali Benmakhlouf is now Director of the Fez Forum, the morning talk sessions which aims to build bridges between Eastern and Western cultures.

Mr Skali founded the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music in 1994, as a counter to the “clash of civilisations” rhetoric underpinning the first Gulf War. And in 2007, he initiated the annual Fes Festival of Sufi Culture.

Born in Fez in 1953, Mr Skali has a Ph.D. in anthropology, ethnology and religious science from the Sorbonne. At age 23, after reading the stories of Rumi, he became fascinated by Sufism and a year later met and became a disciple of Sidi Hamza al Qadiri al Boutchichi. Last year he was awarded the French Chevalier (Knight) de la Legion d'Honneur.

Mr Skali says Fez history and culture offers “the artistic, the spiritual and poetic; all this richness in architecture and music...It’s very important for a person like me to do something to transmit (those values) to a new generation...Sufism has this perfume of spirituality that you can share.”

"Today more than ever, we see the importance of Sufi dimension, which is the heart of Moroccan society. It is a bulwark against extremism. There is a need to bear witness in the world...It requires an approach which is beyond purely security: it is a battle of ideas."

Apart from a brief period a few years ago when Mr Skali stepped down amid rumours of significant problems in the organisation,  Mr Skali has been involved in the management of the Festival with former President Mohamed Kabbaj. He said this week that, "The foundation of collective endeavour involves a certain degree of organisational complexity. Nothing like this is immune from tensions, conflicts, differences of approaches and visions."

Mr Skali recalls "his deep respect and friendship Mohamed Kabbaj, who always agreed with courage

to take risks when he thought the result was worth it...Kabbaj has always impressed me with his sense of responsibility and commitment." When Mr Kabbaj decided to retire from his post, Mr Skali felt it was a natural time for him to move on.

"Like any project with a significant cultural significance, this festival is to survive beyond the people," Mr Skali said. "The perpetuation of this Festival is primarily a responsibility that requires alertness. It is in this context that I have left the festival management...After more than 20 years of organizing, which is epic, I feel that a cycle has been completed...I am always ready to contribute at any level whatsoever if a need is expressed."

Mr Skali's successor, Director Ambassador Tajeddine Baddou (pictured right), has had a long career as a diplomat. Born in Meknes in 1943, Mr Baddou was Morocco's ambassador to Italy between 2003 and 2008 and has had an active involvement in many cultural organisations. He indicated a desire to expand the Fes Festival to reactivate the festival of culinary arts, to create a festival of crafts, and other events that will enhance the potential of the region. He said he also wishes to have a greater degree of youth integration with the activities of the Foundation.

SHARE THIS!

Faouzi Skali Ousted from Fes Festival Director's Role

It has been announced that Faouzi Skali, the president of the Spirit of Fes Foundation (Fondation Esprit de Fes) has been replaced by Abdelkader Ouazzane. The news came in a short note from the foundation

Faouzi Skali

The decision comes into effect on 1/07/2014.  Abdelkader Ouazzane will take on the role in an interim position for the next six months.

It is unclear what other positions will change. but a festival insider told The View from Fez that the Artistic Director Alain Weber is likely to remain in his position. The same source said that tensions had been apparent for some time and that this latest news was not unexpected. However, some have found the rapidity of the move, coming as it does just after the 20th edition of the Festival, to be surprising.

Abdelkader Ouazzane is also on the board of the Fes Festival of Sufi Culture as is Faouzi Skali. The future direction of the Sufi Festival is also in question, as is Skali's role in the festival

More news and comment to follow.


SHARE THIS!

Fes Festival Founder Faouzi Skali awarded Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur

Faouzi Skali, the founder and Director General of the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, has been granted France's highest award. In a ceremony in Paris on Thursday 1 May Dr Skali was created a Chevalier (Knight) de la Legion d'Honneur by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius

Faouzi Skali - photo Suzanna Clarke

The award recognises Dr Skali's pioneering work as a standard bearer for cultural diversity, religious pluralism and spiritual and humanitarian values. He founded the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music in 1994 – after he was horrified by the implications of the First Gulf War.

“I felt I had to do something to focus on peace and understanding between nations and religions”, he says, “music is a universal language for people all over the world”

The festival celebrates its 20th anniversary this year from 13-21 June.

Faouzi Skali was born in 1953 in the Moroccan holy city of Fes. He is a doctor of anthropology, ethnology and the science of religions. – and a Sufi scholar and practitioner. Sufism is the esoteric and pluralist branch if Islam. It is practised worldwide by both Muslims and non-Muslims.

Dr Skali was invited to join the European Commission's Groupe de Sages (group of wise people) and in May 2011 King Mohammed VI appointed him to the Moroccan government's Audio Visual Communications Committee.

In 2002 Dr Skali inaugurated the forum Giving Soul to Globalisation which happens during the Sacred Music Festival and in 2007 he founded The Sufi Culture Festival, which takes place as an annual event in Fes.

There are five classes in the Legion of Honour – Chevalier is the highest. To qualify at least 20 years of public service is needed, together with “eminent merits”. The eminent merits citation requires “the flawless performance of one's trade as well as doing more than ordinarily expected, such as being creative and contributing to the growth of others.”

The View from Fez congratulates Faouzi Skali on the much deserved award.

For further information www.fesfestival.com
www.festivalculturesoufie.com


SHARE THIS!

Fes Festival of Sufi Culture - The official opening

Batha Museum - Photo Maha McCutcheon

The official opening of the 2014 Sufi Festival took place in glorious weather in the beautiful gardens of the Batha Museum. Festival Director Faouzi Skali, speaking in French and Arabic, welcomed the British Ambassador and his family before proving that if he were not a festival director he would make a great reciter of Arabic poetry. His reading of the work of Ibn Arabi was warmly appreciated by the capacity crowd. 

Faouzi Skali

The proceedings opened with flamenco and samaa singing from Marouane Hajji and Curro Piñana. The two will appear at tonight's first major concert at 9pm in the same venue.

British Ambassador to Morocco Clive Alderton and his family

Marouane Hajji and Curro Piñana - Photo Maha McCutcheon

SHARE THIS!

Fez Forum on The Alliance of Civilisations - March 2013

A major conference to be held in Fez will be supported by The Spirit of Fes Foundation  

The Fez Forum on The Alliance of Civilisations  Cultural Diversity and Euro-Mediterranean Partnership around the theme : « Investment in Education, Science and Community Development: a Challenge for the Arab World »  will be held in Fez, 28-29-30 march 2013

Organising the forum is the Moroccan Centre for Interdisciplinary Strategic and International Studies (CMIESI) - a think tank dealing with strategic issues of Moroccan diplomatic, political and international nature, but also that of other countries and geopolitical areas. It is a centre for reflection, study, research and multidisciplinary expertise which benefits from the public.

Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser

At the forum a tribute will be given to Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development who will be present at the meeting.

"We will pay several historical tributes during the opening of the Forum of Fez to Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development who will be present on this occasion. These tributes will celebrate a woman of great conviction. Present for this celebration will be the Arab Muslim world in all its legendary diversity, mother Africa, cradle of all civilizations, the United States of America, and ageless Europe." - CMIESI

Sheikha Mozah with her husband at the White House Washington D.C.. From left to right: Sheikha Mozah, First Lady Michelle Obama, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, and President Barack Obama

The tribute to Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser will be attended by personalities representing more than a hundred countries. These are experts, government officials, intellectuals, thinkers, writers, academics, politicians, and representatives of civil societies. Such an event will highlight the role of Arab women working for change through emphasizing the importance of education in fostering societal development. Furthermore, it will stress the outstanding efforts made by the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development chaired by the Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser. The Foundation has, since its 1995 creation, been one of the world’s most pioneering institutions.

The Spirit of Fes Foundation and its director, Faouzi Skali, are supporting this meeting. It is to be hoped that Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser might be interested by developing a close relationship with the Spirit of Fes Foundation and in particular with its Fes Festival and its forum.

Today, most Arab countries face various challenges including the well-being of their populations, employment, etc. In order to do so, Arab States should have well thought out strategies of development within a highly critical context where the expectations of the population are high. According to CMIESI, only if challenges are faced can democracy succeed in its consolidation, and only then can collateral damage from the uncertainty and transition period be reduced.

The crisis of Arab development is so complex that it requires the full engagement of all the Arab citizens in global reform effort promoting a regional rebirth or renaissance. The partial reforms, no matter how different, are no longer effective or possible. Perhaps, they have never been efficient, insofar as reforms require a favorable and conducive social environment to take hold.

In the end, no other cause is nobler than this: providing an education for our children and ensuring sustainable development in our countries through knowledge and the valuing of human capital. Indeed, is there any greater project?


SHARE THIS!

Fez Festival of Sufi Culture Dates Announced

Fez for the Festival of Sufi Culture 13-20 April 2013

To enjoy the concerts held each evening during the Festival all you need to do is simply let your emotions join in and express yourself in your own way, but it can also help if you understand the philosophy behind the performance.

To find out more about previous festivals... follow this link: Fez Sufi Festival

MAKE SURE YOU BOOK YOU ACCOMMODATION EARLY! 

SHARE THIS!

Remembering Ravi Shankar - Faouzi Skali

The legendary Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar, a major influence on Western musicians including The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, died on Tuesday in a hospital in San Diego where he had travelled to undergo surgery. He was 92. Shankar collaborated with Harrison, violinist Yehudi Menuhin and jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, as he worked to bridge the musical gap between the West and East. He pioneered the concept of the rock benefit with the 1971 Concert For Bangladesh. To later generations, he was known as the estranged father of popular American singer Norah Jones.

Ravi and daughter Anoushka

The most heart-felt tribute to Ravi Shankar was paid by the Director General of the Foundation Esprit de Fès, Faouzi Skali:

Ravi Shakar died last night. May his soul rest in peace.

We grow accustomed to the presence of some iconic figures that have the power to change our emotions and our memories, that is until we hear the words informing us of their disappearance and we realize that an entire chapter of our lives has come to an end.

I still remember this 78 rpm record sleeve that I had when I was twenty years old and in which we could see Ravi Shankar with his violinist Yehudi Menhuin. I still remember those moments when this great artist, who emerged from India, met the Beatles or when he took George Harrison as a disciple.

At that time, it was hard for me to imagine that a day will come when I will invite him to Fez - it was for the 11th edition of the World Sacred Music Festival, in 2005 - where he will give, with his daughter Anoushka, a concert with incredible power, power that transcended beyond space and time.

The concert made me dive into a deep meditative trance, before someone came to me while I was hardly opening my eyes, quietly tapping on my shoulder, announcing that my little girl was just born.

With this I recall the memory of the two most natural moments that conjoin the wheel of life; death and birth.

How could I forget such a man! How could I forget such a moment!

Un message de la part de Faouzi Skali, Directeur Général de la Fondation Esprit de Fès

Ravi Shankar est mort hier soir! Paix à son âme.
On s’habitue au voisinage de certaines figures emblématiques qui marquent nos émotions et nos mémoires jusqu’à ce que la nouvelle de leur disparition tombe et que l’on se rende compte qu’un chapitre entier de notre propre vie vient de se tourner.
Je me souviens encore autour de mes vingt ans de cette pochette de disque 78 tours où Ravi Shankar figure avec le fameux violoniste Yehudi Menhuin ou encore de ces moments où ce grand artiste du sitar, sorti de l’Inde millénaire, rencontre les Beatles ou prend comme disciple Georges Harrison.

Il m’était difficile d’imaginer à l’époque que viendrait un temps où je l’inviterai à Fès -c’était pour la 11ème édition du Festival des Musiques Sacrées du Monde, en 2005- où il donnerait avec sa fille Anoushka ce qui restera pour moi, et probablement pour tous ceux qui étaient présents à Bab Makina ce soir là, un concert d’une puissance inouïe, qui échappe à l’espace et au temps.
Un concert qui m’a plongé dans un état second, méditatif, profond, avant qu’une personne ne vienne discrètement me tapoter l’épaule alors que j’ouvrais difficilement les yeux, pour me murmurer à l’oreille : « votre petite fille vient de naître ! »
Ainsi se rejoignent dans ma mémoire la rencontre entre ces deux moments fondateurs qui constituent la roue de la vie ; la mort et la naissance.

Comment oublier un tel homme ! Comment oublier un tel instant!

SHARE THIS!

Fes Festival update no. 6: Calling all Moroccan students

FEZ FORUM
The Spirit of Fes Foundation, organisers of the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, is inviting Moroccan students to attend the Fez Forum, free of charge.

The Forum takes place from 09h00 to noon, 4-8 June at the Batha Museum in Fez. With the general theme of 'Giving Soul to Globalisation', this year's event goes under the title 'The debate on wisdoms'.

Director General Faouzi Skali explains that in recent years, the fate of the world seems to have come to rest on two opposite poles: western culture that is dominated by reason, creativity and technology, and societies that are agitating for new, irrational beliefs based only on identity or religion.

"What is important, and indeed urgent," he says, "is to unlock our systems of thinking, our mental habits and automatic responses, to allow us to become more attentive and receptive to other sources of wisdom, other paths, and other words.
It doesn’t matter if our resources are supported by old or new philosophies, whether they come from north or south, east or west. What is essential is that by recognising them, they can support our relationship with the world. And through this exchange of resources what will emerge will not be just a quantitative diversity justified by some kind of relationship between cultures, but true diversity, both demanding and rich in thought and social ideas, looking out at the world and inward to ourselves."

Here is the programme:

Saturday 4 June: Which wisdoms for our times?
Sunday 5 June: What future for the Middle East?
Monday 6 June: The Arab Spring: New horizons for the Maghreb
Tuesday 7 June: The roots of the financial crisis
Cultures, governance and corruption
Wednesday 8 June: The ups and downs of democracy
Ecology as a political strategy

The Forum always attracts a wide range of people with specialist knowledge who can contribute to the debate. Among the invitees this year are Rajmohan Gandhi, Katherine Marshall, Salamatou Sow, Edgar Morin, Majid Rahnema, Wim Wenders, Leila Shahid, André Azoulay, Karen Amstrong, Bariza Khiari, Jacques Attali, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Michel Thao Chan, Michael Barry, Leili Anvar, Katia Légeret, Mohamed Valsan, Assia Alaoui Bensalah, Marie Miran-Guyon, Mohamed Ghalmi, Kamal Oudghiri, Xavier de Catheu, Patrick Busquet, Henri Joyeux, Patrick Viveret, Jean-Claude Carrière, Amal Arfaoui, Saad Khiari, Nahal Tajddod, Abd Al Malik, Setsuko Klossowska de Rola, Adel Rifaat, Pierre Rhabi, Bahgat Elnadi, Joseph Maila and Zeyba Rahman.

Debates are held in French and Arabic, with simultaneous translation in English.

If you're a Moroccan student and would like to make your voice heard on these topics, contact the Festival at contact@fesfestival.com.

Moroccan culture highlighted in New York City

The French Institute and Alliance Francaise (FIAF) in New York presents their annual World Nomads festival from 30 April to 31 May. This year's focus is on Morocco.

There's a rich programme of concerts - everything from Gnaoua to Andalous to a rapper from Rabat - exhibitions of architecture and art, film and talks. Faouzi Skali, Director General of the Spirit of Fez Foundation and the man behind the Fez Festivals of World Sacred Music and of Sufi Culture, will be in conversation with Andre Azoulay and Dr Benjamin Barber. Their talk is entitled Essaouira and Fes: Sustaining Cultures.

Francoise Atlan will be joining other artists to speak about Women, Artists in Morocco; architects Aziza Chaouni and Jean-Louis Cohen will discuss the preservation of living environments, the challenge of mass housing and sustainable desert tourism. Artist and novelist Mahi Binebine and author Abdelfattah Kilito will explore artistic imagination and identity from a writer's perspective.

Soultana will make her New York debut on 6 May

Chief Curator of World Nomads, Zeyba Rahman, explains that the festival celebrates 21st century transculturalism through the arts while advancing critical thinking and dialogue among cultures. The festival will explore Morocco's parallel ancient/modern culture, sustainability, women, and the environment.

For the programme, see www.fiaf.org.

Fes Festival of Sufi Culture: the programme

The fifth annual Fes Festival of Sufi Culture will take place from 16-23 April. The festival, directed by Faouzi Skalli and under the auspices of the Spirit of Fes Foundation, becomes more and more popular every year. This time, the theme of the festival is Women in Sufism. We're pleased to bring you the provisional programme of music that will accompany the festival.

All concerts start at 20h30, and those given by the Sufi brotherhoods are free of charge

SATURDAY 16 APRIL at Batha Museum Dh200

Farida Parveen (Pakistan) The quest of the thirsty soul

Qawwali: the mystic song of Pakistan

SUNDAY 17 APRIL at Batha Museum

Tariqa Qadiriyya Bouchichiyya (Morocco)

MONDAY 18 APRIL at Batha Museum

Tariqa Charqawiyya (Morocco)

TUESDAY 19 APRIL at Batha Museum

Tariqa Khalwatiyya (Turkey)

WEDNESDAY 20 APRIL at Batha Museum

Tariqa Wazzaniyya (Morocco)

THURSDAY 21 APRIL at Batha Museum

Tariqa Siqilliyya (Morocco)

FRIDAY 22 APRIL at Batha Museum (Dh200)

Karima Skali with the Al Kawthar Ensemble of Granada (Morocco/Spain)

A Tribute to the Sufi Poets of Andalucia

SATURDAY 23 APRIL at Hotel Jnan Palace (Dh200)

The great samaa voices of Morocco

From Melhoun to Spiritual Noubas

(in association with the Association des Amateurs de la Musique Andalouse du Maroc Andalussyat)

Sufi study day in London

Morocco's ambassador to the United Kingdom, HRH Princess Lalla Joumala Alaoui, was guest of honour at a Study Day given by the Temenos Academy in London on Saturday 27 November. Faouzi Skali, the recently re-appointed Director General of the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, was one of three eminent Islamic scholars who spoke on the topic of Ethics, Virtue and Spiritual Chivalry in the Sufi Tradition. Our northern correspondent Aurora Borealis reports.

Faouzi Skali and Princess Lalla Joumala Alaoui in London

About 100 people gathered at The Window in Islington, London, to take part in the study day. The Window is a centre dedicated to inter-faith and spiritual activities. It provides excellent facilities and employs chefs who lay on a delicious lunch.

The day was organised by Sir Nicholas Pearson, Chairman of the Temenos Academy (www.temenosacademy.org) and a long-standing supporter of the Fes Sacred Music Festival. Princess Lalla Joumala has been a member of Temenos for five years and is well known for her interest in Sufism.

The first speaker was Dr Leonard Lewisohn who is a Sufi practitioner and Senior Lecturer in Classical Persian and Sufi Literature at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter, UK. Dr Lewisohn is the author of numerous works on Sufism and co-translator with Robert Bly of The Angels Knocking on the Tavern Door: Thirty Poems of Hafiz (HarperCollins 2008). Dr Lewisohn gave a fascinating account of the development of chivalry in medieval Persia. He spoke about how the groups that espoused it have long since died out, but that the principles are embedded in modern Iranian society – for example hospitality, generosity, compassion and modesty. He highlighted these virtues as both the groundwork for spiritual growth and the characteristics that manifest as a result of contemplative endeavour.

Princess Lalla Joumala arrived for Faouzi Skali's speech, following a very tasty vegetarian lunch. Dr Skali spoke eloquently in English about how the principles of chivalry laid the foundations for modern civilisation – and that the Sufi way is relevant both at an esoteric level and socially. It provides inspiration, he said, so that practitioners can develop personal transformation which extends into their daily lives. Sufism, he said, has its roots in both contemplation and social action. He did, however, acknowledge that the modern world seems to be engaged in a conspiracy against spiritual life – ego, he said, is the veil that conceals the truth.

The final talk came from Dr Lloyd Ridgeon, Reader in Islamic Studies at Glasgow University, Scotland. He is the author of Morals and Mysticism in Persian Sufism:A History of Sufi-futwwat in Iran (Routledge 2010). Dr Ridgeon's contribution included a Powerpoint presentation illustrating the contemporary Zurkhaneh movement in Iran which has its origins in chivalry, but which today gives young men opportunities to practise a variety of physical exercises and skills together – under the leadership of a master. The disciplines they practise include stick fighting, wrestling, spinning (like dervishes), weight-lifting and postures that resemble yoga. This was fascinating insight into an ancient tradition transposed into a contemporary context. It echoes with the Falun Gong movement in China.

There were question and answer sessions. During one of them, Faouzi Skali was asked to recommend a daily meditation. His response was la illah ha illah la.

Faouzi Skali returns to the Fez Sacred Music Festival

NEWS FLASH!  NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH !

For the last few weeks, The View from Fez has had to keep quiet about some amazingly good news. Now, we can officially announce that Faouzi Skali, the founder and inaugural director of the Fez Sacred Music Festival is to return to take charge of the festival once again.

Dr Faouzi Skali - photo Sandy McCutcheon

The return of Faouzi Skali was by invitation of the Director General of la Fondation Esprit de Fès. The good news is also that with Dr Skali as Director General of the Sacred Music Festival we will see a return to the vision that first created the festival. The Sufi Festival will now come under the Fondation Esprit de Fès so there will be a continuity of direction that will benefit both festivals.

We can also announce that in 2011 the Sufi Festival will take place between April 15 and 18.

It is to be hoped that Dr Skali will also bring back many of the talented team who worked with him over the years and who departed when he and the festival parted company.

Reaction around the city of Fes has been overwhelmingly positive.

"This is the best news for the city of Fez in a long time," said one well known business identity. "Not just the Festival, but the city as well, because we need people who have a vision that is about peace and harmony, not simply of making a profit."

And in the Medina of Fes, the reaction is just as upbeat. As one riad owner, who caters for tourists, told The View from Fez, "I can now tell my guests that the great days of the festival will return. I am very excited that Faouzi is back,"

Dr. Faouzi Skali, an anthropologist and an ethnologist; he is a professor from the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Fes; an author of many publications including "La Voie Soufi" (The Soufi Path), "Traces de Lumiere" (Traces of Light) and "Le Face à Face des Cœurs: Le soufisme aujourd'hui" (A Dialogue of hearts: Sufism Today).

The team at The View from Fez are also thrilled that Faouzi Skali will take control of the festival again. Over the years we have worked closely with the festival and have been the major source of news and reviews for readers and news organisations around the world. We wish Dr Skali great good fortune in his new position and look forward to working closely with him and his team, inshallah !