The city of Fes is hosting, from 15 to 19 June, a series of cultural and artistic events organised by the Spanish and French cultural institutes, in addition to the "Ramadaniat Fes" Festival of the "Ikhwane Al-Fane" Association.
Concerts of Maghreb music from Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, and melodies by contemporary artists from diverse backgrounds are on the programme for the nights of the holy month of Ramadan, starting this Wednesday. Initiated by the French and Spanish cultural institutes, in collaboration with the Regional Directorate of Culture of Fes, these artistic meetings partially reflect the common heritage between Mediterranean countries.
Thus, the Cervantes Institute is organising, this evening at the Al-Hourria cultural complex, a concert of Andalusian music with the group "Ibn Baya" (Ibn Baja). This orchestra, composed of Moroccan and Spanish musicians, seeks to create a meeting between two legacies of Andalusia, separated and ignored for centuries, based on the teachings of ancient masters. Entitled "Noubat Al-Istihlal", the work will be performed under the direction of conductor Omar Metioui and with the participation of Eduardo Paniagua, an architect and musician. This concert is organised in collaboration with the urban commune of Fes and the cultural council of the Spanish Embassy in Morocco.
For its part, the French Institute (IF) is offering three concerts (17, 18, and 19 June) at the Fes-Saïs association site. The concert scheduled for Friday, 17 June, will be hosted by artists Titi Robin and Mehdi Nassouli. The former built an original musical universe very early on, seeking harmony between different cultures, mainly Gypsy and Oriental, intimately mixed with the Western environment. In November 2011, he realised his triptych project "Les Rives" by recording an opus in each of the three countries: India, Turkey, and Morocco. For his part, the artist Mehdi Nassouli, a native of Taroudannt, draws inspiration from the artistic heritage of the Gnaoua, then from the art of Malhoun and folklore. A virtuoso of the Guembri, he has participated in several concerts with world-renowned artists.
The IF is offering a second concert, which will be hosted on Saturday, 18 June, by the artist Jean-Pierre Smadja, or Smadj, a Parisian of Tunisian origin. He draws inspiration from diverse music (Oriental, Brazilian, funk, soul, folk art). In 2000, he was recognised on the international scene with his album "Équilibriste". His repertoire consists of several albums, the tenth of which is dedicated to dance and electronic music. On Sunday, 19 June, the Franco-Algerian artist Sofiane Saïdi will give a Raï concert. He became famous thanks to his first record "Al-Morjane" (The Coral), which is a kind of initiatory tale. Furthermore, all activities will be crowned on the same day by the Music Festival, which will be organised by the French Institute in partnership with the Regional Directorate of Culture and the Fes Conservatory of Music, with the participation of young singing talents. A music caravan will travel through the alleyways of the thousand-year-old city on this occasion.
In parallel, the second "Ramadaniat Fes" Festival is scheduled for 17 and 18 June at the Mégarama cinema. Initiated by the "Ikhwane Al-Fane" (Brothers of Art) association, in collaboration with the Fes-Saïss association, this festival will be enhanced by concerts with the participation of young talents and masters of the art of Malhoun and spiritual and Andalusian music, such as Mohamed Briouel and Abderrahim Souiri, Sanae Marahati, and Marouane Hajji, ambassador of sacred world music. This festival will see the participation of a choir from Al-Akhawayn University and folk groups Gnaoua, Aïssawa, and Hmadcha.
