Latest news with #FezFestivalofSacredMusic
Morocco World
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Morocco World
Fez Captivates the UK's Daily Telegraph
Rabat — In a glowing travel feature— straightforwardly titled 'Ditch Marrakech for Fez, Morocco's Real Capital of Culture' — British newspaper The Daily Telegraph invites readers to explore the spiritual and artistic richness of the ancient city. From the rooftop of Riad Fez to the winding alleys of the medina, the piece paints Fez as a city that rewards those who slow down and dive deep. 'Marrakech may hog the headlines, but elegant Fez is the country's cultural heart,' stressed the author Paula Hardy. Fez is described not just as a historic gem, but as Morocco's true cultural capital—'a Tardis that rewards those who make the effort to get beneath the surface.' The article highlights the city's layered past, with nods to figures like Idris II and Fatima al-Fihriya, founder of the world's oldest university, and follows the footsteps of poets, scholars, artisans, and spiritual seekers. The Telegraph praises the recently reopened Al Batha Museum, the spellbinding architecture of Bou Inania and Attarine madrasas, and the sensory richness of the souks—filled with spices, incense, carved cedarwood, and colorful zellige tiles. 'Drama and intrigue is knit into the fabric of this great labyrinthine medina,' writes Hardy. The author encapsulates the city's charm most vividly through the lens of photographer Omar Chennafi who describes Fez as 'a place of intense, condensed human experience,' while rooftop views over the Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and the Fez Festival of Sacred Music evoke a sense of timeless wonder. Whether sipping mint tea at the Chouara tannery or listening to flamenco under the lanterns of Jnan Sbil, Fez offers, in the Telegraph's words, something 'beautiful, fascinating, and unlike anything ever seen.'
Morocco World
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Morocco World
Senegal's Mouride Brotherhood Brings Spiritual Power Fez Festival
Fez – On the fourth evening of the Fez Festival of Sacred Music, the serene Jnan Sbil garden echoed with the deep, devotional sounds of Senegal's Mouride brotherhood. Represented by Cheikh Ahmadou Bambandaou and his ensemble, the performance offered an intimate look into one of West Africa's most influential Sufi traditions; rich in rhythm, reverence, and rooted spirituality. Hailing from Dakar, Bambandaou and his group are spiritual artists devoted to the teachings of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, the 19th-century founder of the Mouride order and the holy city of Touba. Their performance was far more than a concert, it was a living form of prayer. Through layered chants and lyrical praise, they brought to life panegyrics dedicated to the Virgin Mary, written by Bamba himself. The result was a powerful blend of devotion and musical mastery that captivated both seasoned festival-goers and newcomers alike. 'We were responsible for delivering this sacred chant,' Bambandaou told Morocco World News 'to honor a moment of shared reverence through the lens of our tradition.' The Fez Festival, now in its 27th edition, is known for bringing together diverse spiritual voices from across the globe. Yet there was something especially moving about this Senegalese performance. The Mouride brotherhood's deep-rooted Sufi philosophy, centered on surrendering to God, renouncing material excess, and emulating the Prophet's example, resonated strongly with Morocco's own Sufi heritage. 'Fez is a magnificent city,' Bambandaou said to MWN. 'We were touched by the warmth and openness of the people, and by the cultural similarities between our communities.' Jnan Sbil, with its fountains, ancient trees, and twilight atmosphere, was the perfect setting for such an encounter. As the chants rose into the night air, they seemed to dissolve borders: geographical, linguistic, and even religious. This kind of performance is what the Fez Festival does best: it reveals common ground through sacred sound. Bambandaou and his group didn't just share their music, they invited the audience into a living tradition, one shaped by spiritual discipline, artistic continuity, and cultural pride. And they left an impression. As the final chant faded and the applause echoed through the garden, it was clear that something meaningful had transpired, something that spoke not only to the past and present of Senegalese Sufism, but also to the future of global spiritual exchange.
Morocco World
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Morocco World
Fez Sacred Music Festival Opens with a Spellbinding Tribute to Renewal, Sacred Beauty
Rabat – The 28th edition of the Fez Festival of Sacred Music opens this Friday with an ambitious creation that promises to leave a lasting impression. This year's theme is all about 'Renaissances, From Nature to the Sacred', and it conveys more than just the start of a globally acclaimed cultural event. A lyrical journey into what it means to be human, to evolve, and to reconnect with the sacred awaits those who will attend. This year's opening act brings together dozens of musicians, dancers, narrators, and visual artists from across Africa and beyond. At the heart of it all stands Fez's Bab Makina, the monumental gateway that has become a canvas for the festival's now signature projection mapping. As night falls, its ancient walls will light up with vivid visuals, wrapping audiences in a unique performance. What will bind all performances together is the idea of Renaissance in all its splendor and depth, and not just as a historical period or artistic style, but as a living force. Fez embodies that force. It once gave birth to Al Quaraouiyine, the oldest existing university, and for centuries shaped religious and intellectual life across Africa. Today, it continues to inspire, drawing a line from its multilayered legacy to the rebirths, spiritual, artistic, and cultural, that still define our age. The show draws from its depth and diversity: from the hypnotic rhythm of Burundi's drummers to the ritual dance of the Ivorian Leopards, from the poetic chants of Senegal's Mouride brotherhood to the sacred feminine voices of Mayotte's Deba tradition. Each performance speaks to a different expression of the sacred. Sometimes solemn, sometimes playful, always alive. The stage will also welcome voices from beyond the continent. Omani Sufi chants will echo alongside the mystical Sama dance of Meknes. Corsican mezzo-soprano Battista Acquaviva will breathe new life into Renaissance hymns. Malian actor and storyteller Habib Dembelé will guide audiences through the evening as narrator, grounding the spectacle in the power of spoken word. The result is a carefully crafted narrative, one that moves from elemental nature to spiritual awakening. This opening night stands as a continuation of that effort and as an invitation. Fez does not just host a festival; it opens a space where cultures meet, where memory breathes, and where the soul finds room to rise. The sacred music event will welcome the public on Friday, May 16. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., close at 7:15 p.m., and the show begins shortly after at 7:30 p.m. At its core, the Fez Festival of Sacred Music has long acted as a living platform for South-South dialogue, and the organizers plan for this year's edition to deepen that commitment. The inclusion of spiritual traditions from Mayotte, Oman, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Mali is no mere happenstance. It shows a deliberate effort to foreground connections between southern societies whose sacred practices often intersect and echo across borders.
