Page 4 - Weekly - 86

IV ans de fidélité

Weekly highlights

World Sacred Music Festival

The magic still works Princess Lalla Hasnaa chaired the launch of the 26th

edition of the Fez Festival of Sacred Music. The theme
of this edition is “Architecture and the Sacred” (Ph. MAP)

T HE 26th edition of the Fez
Festival of World Sacred
Music (FFMSM) was short.
Only four days (June 9 to 12) instead
of the usual ten, but it was a success
from start to finish.

n Distinguished guests
attended the Festival
After a majestic opening, Thursday,
June 9, in the presence of Her Royal
Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa, the
Minister of Culture, Mohamed Mehdi
Bensaïd, the President of BMCE Bank
Of Africa, Othmane Benjelloun, and
the President of the Economic, Social
and Environmental Council (CESE), After two years of shutdown, Fez will have completed its 26th festival by celebrating the spiritual voices of the world and offering the city’s tourist
and cultural ecosystem a chance to revive activity (Ph. MAP)
Ahmed Réda Chami, among others,
the Festival has invited distinguished of nomadic, soothing, and nostalgic n Recitals, poetry, Indian n Bab Makina, Dar Adiyel,
The Festival of World Sacred Music 2018
guests from Morocco and elsewhere music, coupled with oriental dance Sufism... Aben Danan...
to its journey into “architecture and and Lebanese and Kurdish songs. At The festival appeals to the audience The program has honored an excep-
the sacred”. Notably present were times, the artist invited festival-goers won over by a rich and varied pro- tional selection of artists and forma-
diplomats from France, Spain, Italy, to stand up to accompany his rhythmic gramme. Thus, at the Aben Danan tions in unique and rare sites that
and Israel, but also artists such as the music. In any case, that was a hell of synagogue, people were able to celebrate the heritage of the spiri-
couple of American actors Bart John- a party, this Saturday evening June 11, appreciate the magnificent reci- tual capital of Morocco, namely Bab
son and Robyn Lively, in addition to at Bab El Makina, for sacred music, tal by pianist Michaël Levinas and Makina, Dar Adiyel, the Aben Da-
Noureddine Bensouda, Treasurer Ge- carried by a hot wind coming from the soprano Marion Grange, “Espen- nan synagogue, and Jnan Sbil. The
neral of the Kingdom, and big bosses steppes. baum”: a cycle of melodies on texts conference room of Les Mérinides
such as Mohamed Karim Mounir, by the Romanian poet Paul Celan. hotel, for its part, hosted the Fez fo-
CEO of the BCP group, Dounia Taar- n A still palpable enthusiasm Festival-goers also savored, at Jnane rum under the theme of “Architec-
ji, president of the executive board of More than 26 years after its creation, Sbil, the mystical and philanthropic ture and the Sacred”. Under the lea-
the Hassan II Fund, and Ali Ghannam, the flagship event of the spiritual capi- music of the Al Zawya Ensemble. dership of Driss Khrouz, Director of
former president of the National Tou- tal has not aged a bit. The enthusiasm The sublime “Roohani Sisters”, the forum, Souad Belakziz, Andrea
rism Federation (FNT). The latter at- for this cultural event is still palpable. Dr Jagriti Luthra Prasanna and Dr Anastasio, Susana Calvo Capilla,
tended, on Saturday June 11, the show Evidenced by the media coverage pro- Neeta Pandey Negi, sketched out and Danielle Cohen-Levinas, answe-
of trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf and vided throughout the festival by the the traditions of Indian Sufism and red questions on the links between
his very cosmopolitan friends of ten Moroccan and foreign press, by the classical Jugalbandi music. The two “Spaces and ways of life in relation
years, the Haïdouti Orkestar with its support of the sponsors which remains sisters pulled off a most fascinating to the sacred in architecture” then
armada from Eastern Europe, North unfailing, as well as by the multiple and moving performance, drawing on “Symbols of the Sacred in Archi-
Africa, Northern Europe, Andalusia, requests for tickets received by its or- the audience into a powerful burst of tecture”. o
the Middle East... It was a cocktail ganizers, which are difficult to satisfy. spiritual elevation. Youness SAAD ALAMI

Friday 17 June 2022