The Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication (Culture Sector), under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, is organising the 24th edition of the Volubilis International Festival of Traditional World Music between July 3rd and 6th, at the archaeological site of Volubilis and the city of Meknes. The festival programme includes 50 artistic performances by artists and traditional heritage groups from within Morocco and abroad.
A statement from the Ministry mentioned that the participating artists will showcase styles and colours of artistic creativity and traditional musical heritage across four venues: the Volubilis archaeological site, the Administrative Square, Lahdim Square, and the Fquih Mohamed El Manouni Cultural Centre.
These events reflect cultural and artistic pluralism, as well as the richness and diversity of the regional and geographical areas hosting them, with participation from sister and friendly countries including Spain, Peru, Russia, Senegal, and Ivory Coast.
According to the Ministry, this event aims to celebrate cultural heritage in its various forms, expressions, and geographical affiliations, as well as artistic creativity, and to pay tribute to the practitioners and those ensuring the continuity of this cultural and artistic heritage.
The festival also serves as an opportunity to draw attention to the tourist, cultural, and historical characteristics of the archaeological sites, historical monuments, and geographical spaces that host it (the Volubilis archaeological site, the Zerhoun region, the town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, and the Medina of Meknes), as well as to contribute to enhancing the cultural and artistic influence of these regions and integrating them into their economic and social environment.
This year's edition of the festival proposes a cultural and artistic programme organised across several platforms at the Volubilis archaeological site and venues in the city of Meknes. It includes a traditional artistic performance by Mohamed Derhem, Nabil Khalidi, and Maâlem Baqbou, as well as traditional performances by the Gnawa Girls group led by Maâlem Abdelnabi, the Amraouia Meknassi troupe for Issawa heritage led by Samir Amraoui, the Gnawa Swani group led by Maâlem Driss Rissal, and the women's group for Masmoudi art led by Maâlema Soumia El Meknassia.
Artistic performances will also be presented by the Issawa troupe led by Moqaddem Othman Benmoumen, the Spanish musical group Los Verdaderos, the Tagada group, the artist Mous Maher, the artist Daoudi, the Mode Band group (Ivory Coast), the Hadra Chaounia group led by Hanane Madiyan, the artist Aicha Tachinouite, and the artist Faiza Atlas.
The edition will also feature performances by the Issawa troupe led by Moqaddem Chafik El Moutawakil, the Gnawa group led by Maâlem Zidane, Africa Vision from Senegal, the artist Nadia Laaroussi, the artist Muslim, the artist Badr Aouabi, and the artists Zakaria Ghafouli, Mohamed Adli, Tahour, and Lahcen Lekhnifri.
