Winter Arrives - Snow in the Atlas

Temperatures have plunged along with a lot of rain - but if you are travelling into the hills, be aware that some roads are blocked by snow

Meanwhile, The View From Fez Team are enjoying sunshine and oysters in Oualidia.

Our thanks to Fred Sola for the snow photo.

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"Les Chants des cèdres" - Ifrane Festival

The singer Hatem Idar and the Franco-Moroccan rapper Lartiste will open the second International Festival of Ifrane from 7 to 9 July under the sign "Les Chants des cèdres"

This festival, presented under the patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, has invited a wide range of musical talent including: Abdelwahab Doukkali, Egyptian singer, Sherine Abdelwahab, Lebanese pop star, Wael Jassar and Moroccan-Iraqi singer Shada Hassoun.

According to the national president of the Fez-Saîss Association, Driss Alaoui Mdaghri, after the first edition that focused on spectacular evenings and the discovery of the culinary facets of the Kingdom, the programme of this 2nd festival offers, in addition to the musical festivities, numerous activities with a cultural or playful aim.

Festival opener: Hatem Idar

The festival, which is organised by the Ifrane Forum for Culture and Development in partnership with the Fez-Saiss Association, offers a host of activities including ta forum "Environment, Mountain and Spirituality". There will also be opportunities to discover of the local fauna and flora, star gazing, painting exhibitions, a chess tournament and workshop, mountain walks and a "waste hunt".

Driss Alaoui Mdaghri says that the festival is a good opportunity to shed light on the important cultural and artistic landscape of Morocco "where diversity is everywhere celebrated, where the sap of the trees nourishes the creativity and where the winds Desert, sea and mountains combine the dreams of its men and women beyond the oceans and at the top of the highest peaks".

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The Stars Are Out For A New Festival In Ifrane

Master Gims, Kadim Al Sahir and Najat Aatabou are all lining up for a brand new international festival in Ifrane. The first edition of the event, organised by the Ifrane Forum for Culture and Development Association in partnership with the Fez Sais Association, will take place from 15th to the 17th of July under the theme "Convergence"

To open the festival, organisers have pulled out all the stops and enlisted the great master of romantic Arabic song, Kadim Al Sahir.  Kadim Al Sahir is not just famous for his saccharine, romantic songs, but also well known as the host of the Middle East version of The Voice

Still a heartthrob at 57 years of age

“I like pop music. I think it’s beautiful. But I prefer the classical Arab music. I want to feel. When I write songs, I have to feel it. And the difficulties of life in Iraq encourage Iraqis to go deeply into things. Suffering is important some times. In Baghdad, yes, we have had too much trouble. But if life isn’t always easy, that can make you stronger. That’s why I chose Nizar’s poems. I know they’re very difficult, but I love that. I love it. As a musician, I want my music to be heard. Because whenever I play, there are lots of people from Kuwait, Saudi, all together listening to the music. Because I don’t have any animosity, just love. Just romantic songs. You can see the whole Middle East at my concerts" ~ Kadim Al Sahir

Latifa Raafat

Latifa Raafat, the "diva" of the Moroccan song, is programmed for the same evening. While, next day, French rap superstar star Maître Gims, will be the star.

Maître Gims

Sunday, it is the turn of Amazigh legend Najat Aatabou. If Aatabou's performances in the past are anything to go by she should be the star of the Ifrane Festival. Aatabou delivers with a sensuality that is rarely seen in Morocco. Her songs have evoked social and political discussion in the country and raised many feminist issues.

Aatabou alone, is worth travelling to Ifrane for. She takes to the stage like a Moroccan Tina Turner, shimmying, striding, twirling and mesmerising the audience who know every word of every song and join in with gusto. As a pioneer Moroccan folk artist who appeared in the 1980s, Najat Aatabou's fame transcends the boundaries of her country. Foreign and Moroccan artists use her work, the most important of which are her songs Hadi kedba baina, Choufi Ghirou and J'en ai marre.

Hedi Kedba Bayna is about a woman whose husband is cheating on her. The title literally means "This lie is obvious" and was sampled by the Chemical Brothers on their song Galvanize. Choufi Ghirou, is about women who are in a relationship with married men, while in Morocco it is illegal to have such a relationship.

"Through my artistic work, I chose to adopt the path of defending women in all respects... . My artistic works contributed in encouraging some women to break the barrier of the forbidden. Thus, they have the opportunity to express their opinions freely. I am delighted when they tell me that I helped them to achieve that" - Najat Aatabou

Najat Aatabou - a Moroccan Tina Turner

The festival has some undoubtedly quirky additions to its programme. For a start, three famous Moroccan chefs, Chef Mouha, Meriem Tahiri and Chef Rachid, will be on hand to "prepare tasty dishes and animate this event", the organisers say.

In addition, the famous Jemaa el-Fna in Marrakech will be "moved" to Ifrane, for thirty days. This will provide visitors to the city a space for popular cultural traditions - storytellers, poets, and musicians.

The aim of the festival is, according to its initiators, "to contribute to the opening up of different cultures."


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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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Snow Fun in Morocco's "Little Switzerland"

The View from Fez is in debt to Al Arabiya News for a timely reminder that Morocco is not all sun and dessert. The Atlas and High Atlas mountains have a great reputation for trekking and climbing, but also, for skiing. Now, Ifrane,‘Little Switzerland', is holding its first ever snow festival.

Built by the French in a European style, Ifrane was once a summer resort for colonial families and has long been a popular winter destination for ski-lovers. But this year, the local authorities decided to hold the town’s first ever snow festival in a bid to widen the resort’s appeal and attract larger numbers of tourists.

“This festival has many objectives for the local population in the fields of tourism, culture and development. This is the first year we have done this initiative and we will see what further steps we may take for next year,” said chairman of the provincial council, Abdallah Ouhadda.

Visiting Ifrane in winter? Rug up, it gets very cold! 

The event, which took place on Saturday (February 2), attracted thousands of visitors, both from Morocco and abroad. Alongside a colourful parade, one of the main highlights of the day was the ‘snow princess’ contest, which saw ten girls aged between 8 and 13 compete for the coveted title.

Local girl Zineb Azira, who won the prize, received her crown from Ifrane’s provincial governor.

“I am very happy because by winning this title, I brought pride to Ifrane. I am very happy to win the title of snow princess,” she said.

The idea of organizing a snow festival in Ifrane was first mooted two years ago, to boost tourism and promote the region’s rich Amazigh culture. One of the organizations behind the competition said the aim was educational. The chairman of the Toutrit - or ‘garden’ in Amazigh - Association, said organizers wanted the younger generation to be proud of their local heritage and more aware of environmental issues.

“Why a snow princess and not a snow queen? Because we wanted to play an educational role in this province for young girls and boys. The other objective of this event is to help local development in the region and also the marketing of local products,” said Abdelkader al-Achni.

Michlifen

Twenty kilometers away from Ifrane, the Michlifen ski resort is popular with urban dwellers who want to escape the cities and enjoy some outdoor exercise.

But as well as winter sports, Ifrane’s cool summer climate means the region continues to attract tourists all year round, as residents from cities such as Fes and Meknes seek to escape the scorching heat of the summer months.

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