A festival that is celebrating its second decade is indeed the World Sacred Music festival which is being held from 13 to 21 June in Fes. A 20th edition where different cultures will spring from around the world to make a stopover in the spiritual city of the Kingdom and will mingle for the duration of concerts and debates. Hence the choice by the organising association, Esprit de Fes Foundation, of the theme: "Conference of the Birds: when cultures travel...". To reflect this journey associated with birds, the initiators are offering an artistic creation at the opening, the colours of which were recently announced by Faouzi Skali, President of the Festival, during a conference in Casablanca. This show will draw on a 13th-century mystical tale, where Farid Ud-din Attar explains how, one day, the hoopoe decided to gather all the birds to invite them to undertake a great journey to meet at the end of their personal journeys the king of the birds, the great Simurgh (cf. the 21 May edition). In addition to this creation, all continents will be represented at the festival by the greatest artists, proven masters in the practice of their art or their singing. The line-up will include Roberto Alagna, one of the greatest tenors of our day, Tomatito, who belongs with Paco de Lucia to the elite of the "guitarra flamenca". There will also be a meeting between Youssou N'Dour and Johnny Clegg to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela, and Rokia Traoré for Africa. Kadem Saher, a prestigious figure of Arab singing (Middle East), Zakir Hussain, the most famous Indian musician in the art of the Tabla, will also be present. Morocco, for its part, will be represented by a panel of artists during the opening evening and by an Arab-Judeo-Andalusian evening featuring the greatest Moroccan artists, of Jewish and Muslim faith. Latin America will be represented by Luzmilla Carpio (Bolivia) and North America by Buddy Guy, the great legend of Chicago blues who will come to Morocco for the first time surrounded by the greatest representatives of this mythical music of African-American culture. Not only does the festival give pride of place to our continent by programming African artists but also by addressing heavyweight figures during the "A Soul for Globalisation" Forum which will debate, among other things, "Is a Mandela conceivable in the Middle East?". In any case, at the Fes Festival there is something for everyone. Between the debates, the evenings at Bab Al Makina, the afternoons at the Batha Museum, the Nights of the Medina and the Sufi Nights at Dar Tazi, as well as popular activities, the public will be spoilt for choice!