Marrakech Art Fair

The Marrakech Art Fair has just closed, but all reports indicate that the event's founder,Vanessa Devereux, is extremely pleased with the positive reception for this year's event. As we reported back in August, the art fair has been given great support, with 45 international galleries exhibiting their major artists and 20 additional galleries joining the 2010 exhibitors.

Robert Longo's large work is offered at $275,000

Italian gallery, Continua, did well in Marrakech, selling a trio of small iron sculptures by Antony Gormley for £30,000 each as well as a glass figure of a naked man by Cameroon artist, Pascale Tayou, priced at 3,500 Euros.

As the UK's Daily Telegraph reported, the issue of censorship was never a problem. Gormley's naked man might have raised a few eyebrows in other Muslim countries, but in relatively liberal Morocco, it did not appear to be a problem. In any case, most artists had found a way round the censorship issue. A textile relief that read 'Save Mohamed’ (18,000 Euros), was by an artist called Mohamed el Baz, so it could have been autobiographical, said his dealer from Casablanca. Photographing women in Saudi Arabia is still forbidden, but Saudi artist, Jowhara al Saud, has done so, printing from negatives in which facial details have been eliminated.

The next Biennale, for which a number of site specific works have been commissioned, will be held in the beautiful ruins of the 16th century el Badi Palace, in January 2012.

British Tourists Return to Morocco

In one of the first signs of a turn around in the tourism slump that has hit Morocco following the Marrakesh bomb attack in April 2011,a UK firm reports that holiday bookings to Morocco are returning to a level that is more in keeping with this time of year.

With the explosion taking place at Cafe Argana, located in one of Marrakesh's most popular tourist spots - Jema el-Fna square, it was certainly intended to hit one of Morocco's most important industries – tourism.

Packyourbags.com's Managing Director Mark Kempster who was in Marrakesh at the time of the attack commented, “To see our booking levels to Morocco return to what we are used to at this time of year is really encouraging. Not only do we promote travel to this beautiful country but it's a personal favourite of mine too, and the bomb attack was very sad news for Marrakesh and Morocco. However, recent figures show our bookings are bouncing back which is fantastic news and once again I think this demonstrates just how resilient British holidaymakers are.”

The latest travel advice published by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office is that there are no travel restrictions in place for Morocco. However, for those holidaymakers who are planning on travelling to Morocco it is worth visiting the FCO website to check on their latest advice, plus the site also provides travellers with some excellent guidance regarding travel around the country more generally.

National Geographic on Fez

The latest edition of National Geographic on line (http://natgeomusic.net) carries an extensive feature on Fez and its Sacred Music Festival, written by Evangeline Kim.

"Where but in Fes," asks Kim, "Morocco's renowned spiritual, cultural, and intellectual center so imbued with powerful Sufi saints' histories over 1200 years, could such an event take place?"

"Giant keyhole-arch palace gates, museum interiors, riad courtyards, and restaurants in the Medina burst with arabesque patterns in intricate mosaic zellij tile work, finessed plaster carvings, and interlacing polygonal geometric or flowering patterned cedar woodwork. Andalusian gardens bloom with fragrance in cooling foliage. By moments, an almost palpable crystalline light seems to illuminate the air while it materializes in the gentle yellow ochre shade covering palace walls and older buildings. Five times a day, polyphonies of the muezzin call to prayer roll across the city."

In two finely-crafted, in-depth articles, Kim gives an excellent overview of the Festival, from the afternoon concerts at the Batha Museum, to the evening events at Bab al Makina, as well as the Festival in the City concerts at Dar Tazi and Bab Boujloud (read the full article here).

It often seems that journalists covering the Festival attend a concert or two and then disappear to submit one short piece. But Ms Kim, it seems, not only explored the Festival and the city itself, but also took the time to meet local people and investigate local institutions.

TIJANI SUFI BROTHERHOOD

Cherif Brahim Tijani (photo: Evangeline Kim)

"Part of Morocco's great charm, interest and attraction lies with her people", explains Ms Kim. "We met the young scion of the great Tijani Brotherhood, Cherif Brahim Tijani. It was his great grand-father the venerable Cheikh Ahmed Tijani, who inspired the spread of Sufism in sub-Saharan Africa and all over the world.

Youssou N'Dour's concert was a tribute to this brotherhood. In his press conference, when urged by the Moroccan radio Chaine-Inter's incisive journalist/producer Aziz Hachimi, "Tell us in one word what Fes signifies for you, Mr. N'Dour? His answer: "Fes Tijani." And, in the medina neighborhood souks surrounding Cheikh Ahmed Tijani's mausoleum, business cards of the redolently aromatic Univers des Herbes (the local Berber pharmacy) and of a great traditional tailor of djellabas and robes, Abdelaziz Cohen, proudly proclaim their addresses as "next to Sidi Ahmed Tijani."

Cherif Brahim is an intriguing Sufi leader for the future. Although still young, he is well-versed in the cultural and spiritual history of the Tijani order, and quietly ponders his forthcoming responsibilities and hopes for Fes and Morocco. With a keen intellect and wisdom far beyond his age, he was in constant demand for interviews about his pride in the festival. He is well worth seeking out for greater knowledge about Sufism and its profound significance in Islam."

THE FES CRAFTS TRAINING & QUALIFICATION CENTRE
The National Geographic team also visited this Centre in Batha that was opened in 2009. Ms Kim reports:

"We met with the center's director, Ahmed Aboujaafar, whose enthusiastic and very careful management planning within the region's first apprenticeship program for artisans promises a greater, ensured socio-economic and cultural future for Fes and Morocco. The center has recently entered into a cultural exchange program with the UK under the auspices of Prince Charles. And will soon open another center in Casablanca. Mr.Aboujaafar has great hopes for and seeks to encourage increased international exchange programs.

The center was established to halt the decline in artisanal training since the beginning of the last century. Craftwork provides work and income to more than 53,000 artisans and a living directly or indirectly to more than 260,000 people in Fes, or 27 percent of the city's total population and 70 percent of the medina's population. It is a critical institution. To have visited the training ateliers and watched the crafts men and women at work was essential to a deeper appreciation of Fes' spiritual environment - especially during the festival.

According to Mr. Aboujaafar, a team of the center's master craftsmen of arabesque zellij, carved woodwork and plaster are already at work here in New York in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In early November this year, the museum will unveil a whole Moroccan royal courtyard as centerpiece in the Islamic Arts halls. It will be breathtaking in visual splendor and the scope of its ingenuities, a true homage to the arts and culture of Fes." (See our story here.)

NEXT YEAR IN FEZ?
Ms Kim sums up her visit to Fez as follows:
"The mark of a superb festival must lie in its capacity to make one long to attend the next edition, to seek answers to lingering questions long after its conclusion - especially about Sufi symbolisms embedded in the ancient decorative arts of Fes. To wish to experience once again the extraordinary beauty of Fes' spiritual culture as it welcomes musicians and visitors from far and near, now remains part of a supreme memory."

Ben Harper Closes the Fez Festival in Style

"I made it here. I made it here. Now my life can begin." - Ben Harper

For those few in the audience who had wondered how Ben Harper would fit into the spirit of a "sacred music festival" - the answer was "beautifully". From the moment he walked on stage and said "shukran" (thank you) to the last fading chord, Harper had Fez in the palm of his hand. His Moroccan t-shirt, with the word "Fez" emblazoned across it, was hugely popular with the audience and his music even more so.

To the surprise of some, Ben Harper elected to do a mixed set - acoustic, soul, gospel, rock. What he delivered was perfect for the Fez Festival and confirmed why Harper is considered musical royalty in France. Yet there was no ego on display. When he ripped out a solo on slide or acoustic guitar, it was because the music demanded it, not the musician.

Seated alone on the big Bab Makina stage, he played some extraordinary arrangements of traditional folk tunes. He teased out the melodies, squeezing sweet notes out of the slide guitar on his lap. Then, just as notes dripped like honey, he would bang the guitar producing a deep, dark bass response. It was a superb start.

Then changing instruments (the first of many changes) he began to sing... "Life is much too short to sit and wonder who's gonna make the next move and will slowly pull you under when you've always got something to prove". The audience erupted. The song was "Lifeline". Harper immersed himself in the lyrics, his eyes closed; transported. Then there is the voice, described by critics as "a mesmerizing godsend". He swoops amid highs and lows, falsettos and bass. Harper propels his voice like wings and the vibratory effect is truly uplifting.

From there it was on to the aspirational "With My Own Two Hands" and the tender "Don't give up on me now."

Then he paused and, mindful of the disappointment caused by his failure to appear at last years festival, acknowledged the fact by saying "I made it here. I made it here. Now my life can begin." This received ecstatic reaction from the standing room only crowd.

His next song was an echo of previous festivals - a Blind Boys from Alabama number - There Will be a Light. Again Harper poured himself into the song and brought it to life as if it were not an old song, but rather a moment of revelation. From that point on, Ben Harper could do no wrong.

Joined on stage by three members of his group, Relentless7 -  the wonderful Jason Mozersky on lead guitar (pictured above), Jesse Ingalls on bass and Jordan Richardson drums -  the party kicked off into rock and worked its way steadily to become one of the most successful concerts to ever close the Fez Festival. The closing moments, audience taking to the stage was a delight to everyone.

Photo: Ben Harper website

It is doubtful that Fez has seen the last of Ben Harper. Following as long wander through the Old Medina yesterday, Harper was hooked. He will be back, inshallah. And we will be waiting to greet him.

i don't want to wait a lifetime

yours or mine

can't you see me

reaching for the lifeline

 -Ben Harper

Review and photos: Sandy McCutcheon
Click images to enlarge

Asmaa and Kazem at Bab Makina in Fez

Selling out the Bab Makina venue at the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music is a big ask. The venue is huge. But the secret appears to be to programme a concert that will attract the locals. Thousands turned out last night and every ticket sold. The View from Fez sent freelance writer Josslyn Luckett on a mission to capture the atmosphere. Here is her report and her photographs.

All week long I've crammed inboxes of friends and family back in the States with photos of the breathtakingly beautiful Bab Makina; still I've wondered who or what it would take to fill up the World Sacred Music Festival's premier venue. Now I know. Saturday night's double bill of Moroccan pop singer Asmaa Lmnawar and legendary Iraqi balladeer, Kazem el Saher was standing room only. The area to either side of the stage that previously had been sprinkled with camera operators was jammed six to seven rows thick with cheering fans…and yes, many of those fans were festival workers themselves. I happened to sit next to the wife and four children of one of the employees I've seen working round the clock all week. (And forgive the private detail but this man's wife was nursing their infant while waving her free hand in time to Saher's greatest hits—that's devotion!)

Not only was the crowd size different than the concerts I've seen all week, the crowd's make-up was different too, easily 95% Moroccan. For the pricey Bab Makina concerts this was quite a shift and such a welcome one. While I have enjoyed a Fes Fest filled with a radiant and eclectic international mix of music lovers, I've felt the palpable absence of locals at the Bab Makina and Musée Batha concerts. Tonight I experienced a whole new Fez. Rows filled with men and women aged eight weeks to 88 who seemed to know every lyric of every song both singers performed. The women, yes, the grandmas and the babies were screaming particularly loudly for the dashing Saher. I don't know the Arabic for "That Brother is Fine" but that's what we'd be saying where I come from. Mr. Saher was as elegant as he could be, dressed in all black (more George Clooney than Johnny Cash). Ms. Lmnawar was sparkling in her red, gold and black gown…though I must say there was quite a rumble amongst the women seated around me about her belly. They confirmed for me that the singer is pregnant, though they weren't sure who the father was. As gossipy as this sounds, I include this because I really want to capture the different scene at this show. Love was in the air and as far as I could tell, not so much the sacred, high-mosque/high-temple/high-church kind of love, this was something much more romantic. It seemed everytime I'd ask my seat partners to describe the content of the songs, they'd sigh, dreamy-eyed: "l'amour!"

Ms. Lmnawar, who opened the show with Aziz Lachhab skillfully conducting the grand Orchestra of Fez, presented a warm, bubbly set of clearly beloved tunes. Her enormous smile and tenderness with the audience made me nostalgic for Tejano pop legend Selena. When she joined Mr. Saher for just one tune, their distinct styles became clearer to me. She is much more bouncy, hair flipping, playful, and he is much more still, classic, both hands grabbing the microphone stand almost as if to contain the power of his "amour"-filled lullabies and swooning tales of yearning.

Mr. Saher seems aware of his affect on the crowd, but never takes it for granted. He passionately delivered each lyric, often with eyes closed, consistently turning to Maestro and the musicians of the orchestra with deep appreciation for their creative collaboration.

The entire show went for over three hours, again a first for Bab Makina this festival, Mr. Saher triumphantly crooned his last lines about 11:45pm. Though I saw a few teary, punch drunk babies carried off to a jammed packed parking lot and long taxi queues, there was a remarkable amount of energy in the eyes and strides of the profoundly satisfied fans of these pop stars of the Arab world. You ask me, it might as well be spring.

Josslyn Luckett is a freelance writer from Los Angeles, California, and this is her first trip to Fez. She is currently completing her Masters of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School with a focus on sacred jazz and interfaith dialogue. Please visit her blog: jazzhallelujah.wordpress.com

Aissawa Sufis party at Bab Boujloud

Our music correspondant, Chris Witulski, was at the Festival in the City Aissawa performance at Bab Boujloud on Friday night. Here's his report:

When I walked backstage before last night's Aissawa performance, I could immediately tell that, as I had guessed, this would be a party. A number of small clusters of performers, dressed in their iconic carpet-like red and white striped djellabas sat at small plastic tables, sipping cups of coffee. A typical troupe is 10 or so individuals, but this was obviously going to be scaled up, an effort to relentlessly pound the audience with sound. And that's exactly what they did.

The eight muqaddams, each typically leading their own group, traded lyrics while sitting in front of a veritable wall of musicians. The second row, seated and hidden a bit from view, contained a number of 'ud (fretless relative of the guitar), bendir (large frame drum), ghaita (oboe relative), qraqeb (iron castanets borrowed from the Gnawa), and small clay drum players. This massive funky upbeat and off-beat rhythmic bed of sound, though, was nothing compared to the 21 - yes 21 - standing chanters in the back. They held six large colorful banners, framing the stage, and six long trumpets (longer than the performers were tall) that, when they punctuated the intensity of the performance, literally pushed you backward a step - their syncopated single-pitch blasts effectively thwopping the listeners, creating the true experience of feeling sound.

Abdullah Yaqoubi

While Abd ar-Rahim Amrani, a local Hamadsha muqaddam (another Sufi brotherhood here in Fez) directed, at times conducting the lines of people behind him, Abdullah Yaqoubi and the other seven muqaddams sang a litany of well-known melodies. Often it felt as if it was they who were singing along with the audience, not the other way around. This was popular Sufism in Morocco. It was epic in scope, Wagnerian Sufism, if you will.

DAR TAZI'S SUFI NIGHT

After the onslaught, and seeking some reprieve, I escaped to Dar Tazi. I found that, well, I was exhausted in mind, body, and ears. The Wazzaniyya Brotherhood of Fez, though, gave the peace that I needed. I only stayed for a moment (the drain of the previous onslaught won out), but it seemed that, after almost a week of trying, the Sufi nights had found their sweet spot. The group's instrumentalists played beautifully, connecting chants with creative and meditative melodies, and there was no distraction from the heart of the performance - the texts. Perhaps I'm being unfairly nostalgic, but this is what I remember from the Sufi Nights of past festivals, this balanced and pensive sound is what gives the festival its power, and more so, its purpose.

Photos Chris Witulski - click images to enlarge

Don't miss the Aissawa Sufis tonight @Fes Festival

Chris Witulski, our music correspondant, interviews the leader of the Aissawa Sufi Brotherhood in Fez (pictured below). This group will be performing at Bab Boujloud tonight, as part of the Fes Festival in the City.

Last night I had the opportunity to speak with Abdullah Yaqoubi, an Aissawa maqaddam who will be performing tonight at Boujloud. This is going to be a party, perhaps the after-party from the Makina concert, and will absolutely be worth stopping by. Like last night's performance by Fatima Zahra La'aroussi, Aissawa music is best known by many Fessis as wedding music. The group's distinctive long trumpets (nfar) and oboes (ghaita) can be heard before weddings, naming ceremonies, or circumcisions as the musicians process through the streets of Fez. But the music is, at its heart, Sufi dhikr, the remembrance of and communion with Allah.

The brotherhood stems from the work of its namesake, Mohammed Bin 'Aissa (d. 1526) of Meknes. He is now known as Shaykh al-Kamil, the complete, or perfect, shiekh. The Aissawa path and ritual, unlike some others in the area, includes sung poems (qasida, pl. qasa'id) on topics relating to their Shaykh, the Prophet, and Allah. These typically have simple percussion accompaniments. But it is the outrageous dakhla (literally, entrance) and hadra (trance portion) of the rituals for which the brotherhood is known. The high-energy and complex upbeat rhythmic patterns support the recitation of the dhikr phrases, which are shorter and more repetitive than the poems. Trumpets, an army of hand percussion, excruciatingly loud oboes, and (occasionally, when things get going) screamed lyrics animate the atmosphere, first opening the space, charging it with spiritual blessing, and later inviting participants into higher states or possession trances.

A number of teams of Aissawi musicians work in each city in Morocco, but the sound especially permeates Fez and Meknes. Each group is led by a muqaddam, literally a presenter or leader. Abdullah is one such muqaddam, one that is known throughout the country. His father and grandfather were both Aissawa muqaddams, it runs in his family. He lamented that he has no son to continue the family business and, although he has two daughters who are well steeped in the style, he is concerned about the future. He and another prominent figure from Fez's Sufi community, Abd ar-Rahim Amrani, will be joined onstage by maqaddams from Rabat, Fez, and Meknes, giving tonight's performance an all-star cast. Amrani, an orchestrater of this week's events, will bring elements of his own Hamadcha Brotherhood to the stage, insha'allah (God willing). These two are revered outside of Morocco as well - they just returned from a short stay in California where they performed and gave workshops to students at UCLA.

While we have listened to a number of things this week that fall under the term "Sufi," it is the Aissawa music that captures so many Moroccan ears. When you descend Tala'a Saghira and pass the small carts of CDs, it is often the sound of the Aissawa and Hamadcha that blares from their ear-splitting stereos. This, unlike the quiet and retrospective sounds that we hear at Dar Tazi, is Moroccan party Sufism.

Fes Festival in the City

Our music correspondant, Chris Witulski, reports on two more of the three events he attended on Thursday evening at Morocco's premier music festival. All these events were free offerings at the Fes Festival in the City.

FATIMA ZAHRA LAAROUSSA AT BAB BOUJLOUD


At Boujloud, the band was ready to go. The bandleader, a violinist, started the group off before their singer arrived, warming up the thrilled audience. Pictures of Fatima Zahra La'aroussa adorned the stage, the crowd waved around glossy photos of their own (or perhaps some that were given to them before the show). Then, as she walked up the stairs behind the stage and made her way to the front, caftan glittering, her orchestra kicked it into another gear.

She is considered the "Blossoms of Tarab" here in Morocco. Tarab refers to the music of 1940s and 50s Egypt, embodied by Um Kulthoum, Abd al-Wahab, Abd al-Halim Hafez, and others. Yet her sound is distinctly grounded in the rhythms and textures of her country. The high paced, amplified violins, unabashed synthesizers, and percussion say Morocco "miya fi miya," 100%. The music would sit just as easily at a wedding or celebration as it did here at Boujloud. The dancing crowd had long since forgotten the heavy beats of Muslim, and rejoiced as if they were there, at one such family holiday.

I snuck out early during "You left and you left me" ("Mshiti w-khliti"), but not before noticing that she would take entire verses off, letting the excited crowd fill in the long lyrics. Impressive! And trusting!

SUFI NIGHT AT DAR TAZI


The Medina Group of Russia (pictured above) was on stage at Dar Tazi when I walked in, with the Khalwatiyya Brotherhood of Meknes to take over soon afterwards. These events were an exercise in new technologies, some of which were better choices than others... The four Russian singers had this wonderfully crystalline sound, embedded with familiar harmonies and minor scales, everything that screams "Russian!" Yet for the majority of their pieces, they chose to perform with taped accompaniment, which, and I may be wrong, sounded like a computer's MIDI file, something typed in and rendered electronically instead of a recording of musicians. The result was stiff and dry. The women ventured into harmonies less often, relying on the "accompaniment" to provide some of the musical interest. The result was not far from a karaoke performance of Russian and Arabic Sufi poetry.

The Khalwatiyya Brotherhood fell into a similar trap. Perhaps this is why they were pared, the synth-Sufi night at Tazi. The instrumental melodies were long and awkward, and although two or more performers would play together (mostly the violin and Korg keyboard), they did not ornament or add rhythmic textures, as do most groups, and because of this lack of freedom with the melody, they struggled to play in unison. The keyboard player would change his sound between phrases, from the classic 70s synthesizer to a theater organ (think Phantom of the Opera) to a jazz organ (think The Doors, actually), to that 90s Michael Jackson ballad sound. It was distracting, and the real problem was what it was distracting from!

After the long introduction, the group's leader, Abdallah al-Makhtubi (pictured above), opened with two phrases of "Allahu Akbar," the words that open the call to prayer. His high tone was not strained, and he sat perfectly on the Arabic consonants, as a master reciter does. Immediately the audience oooh-ed and ahhh-ed, astounded by the sound coming from this humble-looking man, and perhaps exhausted by the instrumental work that came before him. As he continued, everything that came from his voice dripped like honey, that space of perfection in recitation that rests between strain and ease, giving the voice the color that is so identifiable in this festival.

Wednesday's events at the Fes Festival

Wednesday at the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music sees the last of the Fes Forum morning debates, held from 09h00 to noon at the Batha Museum. The subject is:

The ups and downs of democracy
Is democracy a panacea? What are the conditions of its vitality and, above all, its capacity to be of service to the development of the best part of our humanity, both individual and collective?

16h00 BATHA MUSEUM
Urbain Phileas from Reunion presents Le Maloya, voice of the ancestors (see our story here)

18h00-20h00 official openings of the following exhibitions:

Infinite Care by Mohamed Mansouri Idrissi at l'Etend'Art Gallery

Memories of Morocco by MOhamed Krich and Abdelhay Demnati at the Orientalist Gallery

Riad Alkantara: The Art of Plaster with Abdelfettah Seffar: guided visits of a maximum of 15 people. Phone 05 35 94 45 45 for reservations.

20h30 BAB AL MAKINA

Abd Al Malik from France, with his concert A New Poetic Inspiration

22h30 LE JARDIN DES BIEHN

Terra Maire: Ancient and Sacred Songs of Occitane

23h00 DAR TAZI

Sufi Night: tribute to Haj Tazi Massano, directd by Mohamed Briouel

23h00 PALAIS (formerly Riad) SHEHERAZADE

Soundwalk: The Passenger
This is an fascinating collection of sounds from daily life from Marrakech, Fez and Tangier. This guesthouse will also be hosting an exhibition throughout the festival of the work of Said Qodaid.

Omar Chennafi to be official photographer at Fes Music Festival

The Festival is just days away, and The View from Fez will be posting daily updates including coverage of concerts, and all the Festival news.

The Festival is coming!

Fez photographer Omar Chennafi has been selected as the official photographer for the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music. The news comes just days before the festival opens. Omar is well known to regular readers of the View from Fez. Omar received the 'Highly Commended Award' for his photo Fez Doorway in The View from Fez Photographic Competition last year.

When on a recent trip to Senegal, Omar's camera was stolen our readers kindly donated funds to help Omar buy a new camera.

Being the official photographer at the festival is a big task and we wish Omar well for the Festival

Omar Chennafi

Fez Festival in the City

The Fes Festival of World Sacred Music isn't just about concerts with high ticket prices. For some years now, there's been a Festival in the City that brings the Spirit of Fes to the local inhabitants and visitors, free of charge.

the audience waits for a concert to start at Boujloud Square, 2010

Each year the scope of the Festival in the City grows larger. This year there will be ten art exhibitions (see our story here). The exhibitions take place throughout the festival - the times given below are for their official launches with the artists in attendance. Films will be projected onto the ancient walls at Boujloud Square as well as at the Complex al Houria, and several riads will host interesting musical and dance events. Plus, of course, there will be the usual evening concerts at Boujloud and the ever delightful Sufi Nights at Dar Tazi. Best of all, everything's free!

Here's the full programme:

FRIDAY 3 JUNE

22h30 at Bab Boujloud: film screening on the city walls of Home, by Yann Arthus Bertrand

SATURDAY 4 JUNE

18h00 Complex Al Houria: film screening of My Land by Nabil Ayouch

22h00 Bab Boujloud: Saida Fikri

23h00 Dar Tazi: Harakiya Brotherhood from Safi

SUNDAY 5 JUNE

22h00 Bab Boujloud: Nass Al Ghiwan

23h00 Dar Tazi: Derkaouia Brotherhood from Essaouira

MONDAY 6 JUNE

18h00-20h00 Opening of Exhibitions:

Elusive Encounters by Jamal Benabdeslam and Mustapha Meskine at the Batha Museum;

Of Roots & Signs by Mohamed Nabili at Bab al Makina

20h30 at Bab Boujloud: film screening on the city walls of Home, by Yann Arthus Bertrand

22h00 Bab Boujloud: Laabi Brothers Orchestra

TUESDAY 7 JUNE

12h30 at Batha Museum: opening of the Exhibition The Wisdom of Proverbs

18h00-20h00 Opening of Exhibitions:

Hymn to Nature: by two Fassi artists, Cheikh Zidor and Youssef Titou at Dar Tazi;

Not very wise by Paul Biehn at Le Jardin des Biehn;

Interior – Exterior by Sonia Ouajjou at Dar al Mokri

20h30 at Bab Boujloud: film screening on the city walls of Home, by Yann Arthus Bertrand

22h00 Bab Boujloud: Muslim

WEDNESDAY 8 JUNE

18h00-20h00 Opening of Exhibitions:

L'Etend'art: Infinite Care by Mohammed Mansour Idrissi. This gallery is at 10 Avenue Abou Oubaïda Ibn Jerrah, Fès, Ville Nouvelle. Tel. : 06 61 35 90 09

Orientalist Gallery: Memories of Morocco by Mohamed Krich & Abdelhay Demnati. This gallery is at 38, rue Abdelaziz Boutaleb, Fès, Ville Nouvelle. Tel. : 05 35 94 45 45

Jnan Palace Hotel: On The Disciple's Path. The hotel is on Avenue Chaouki, opposite Kai Tai restaurant.

22h30 Le Jardin des Biehn: Terra Maire, with Beatrice Lalanne (vocals, shruti box and dance) and Maria-Angela (vocals and dance). This concert features ancient and sacred songs from Occitan, land of the Troubadours and Cathars. It will be held on the riad's rooftop terrace - get there in plenty of time as there's only space for around 70 people.

23h00 Palais (formerly Riad) Sheherazade: Soundwalk 'The Passenger'. This is an fascinating collection of sounds from daily life from Marrakech, Fez and Tangier. This guesthouse will also be hosting an exhibition throughout the festival of the work of Said Qodaid.

THURSDAY 9 JUNE
22h30 Bab Boujloud: Fatima Zahra Laaroussi

23h00 Dar Tazi: 1st part: Medina Group (Russia)

2nd part: Khalwatiyya Brotherhood from Meknes

FRIDAY 10 JUNE

10h00 at Complex al Houria: film screening of the documentary Allumons la Lumiere de la Paix

22h00 Bab Boujloud: Issaiwa Brotherhood

23h00 Dar Tazi: Wazzaniyya Brotherhood of Fez

SATURDAY 11 JUNE

10h00 at Complex al Houria: film screening of Bab 'Aziz: the prince who contemplated his soul by Nacir Khemir, with original music by Armand Amar

22h00 Bab Boujloud: Malhoun evening

23h00 Dar Tazi: Siqiliyya Brotherhood. This interesting Sufi group featured at the Sufi Festival in April and are well worth watching (see our review here).

SUNDAY 12 JUNE

22h00 Bab Boujloud: Asmaa Lmnawar and Hamid el Kasri