Fez is hosting, from 5 to 7 July, a good number of national and foreign experts, researchers, and civil society leaders on the occasion of the ninth edition of the Fez Festival of Amazigh Culture. Initiated by the Spirit of Fez Foundation, the Fès Saiss Association, and the South-North Centre, in partnership notably with the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture, the Festival will be placed around the theme "Amazighity and Andalusia: right of belonging and hospitality". This artistic and cultural event will constitute this year an opportunity to discover the common points between Andalusian and Amazigh cultures. It will also aim to make Amazigh culture known to young people and the urban population and to reveal the positive impact of cultural diversity in general on social cohesion and dialogue between cultures and civilisations.

The Fez Festival of Amazigh Culture also seeks to highlight the positive impact of the Amazigh contribution to the development of sustainable peace, democracy, and the preservation of heritage. "Our Festival works for the promotion of Amazigh culture and for the consolidation of democratic culture, which has become the sine qua non condition for sustainable development," explains Moha Ennaji, Director of the Festival. Regarding the programming, and like other years, this edition will be structured around two major components.

The first will be devoted to conferences and debates that are part of an international congress, while the second will be dedicated to song, poetry, and the various manifestations of Amazigh art. Thus, the international congress will constitute an opportunity for researchers and representatives of civil society from here and elsewhere to examine the historical and social meanings of Amazigh culture and its role in understanding history and strengthening cultural exchanges and coexistence.

As for the concerts on the menu of this Festival, they will be marked by the presence of big names in Amazigh song. For Mr. Ennaji, the Festival's interest in the musical component lies in the fact that music and art in general are the guarantors par excellence of Amazigh cultural heritage. "Beyond aesthetics, Amazigh music is a carrier of human values, because it speaks a universal language that brings people together and ensures harmony between countries.

Our duty as organisers of this Festival is to make this beautiful music known to the Fassi and Moroccan public and to make young people love it," he specifies. Exhibitions of works of art and Amazigh carpets, writing workshops, and poetry readings will also be on the menu of the Festival this year.

-* Fez hosts from 5 to 7 July the ninth edition of the Fez Festival of Amazigh Culture.

-* The Festival will be placed around the theme "Amazighity and Andalusia: right of belonging and hospitality".

-* Exhibitions of works of art and Amazigh carpets, writing workshops, and poetry readings will also be on the menu of the festival this year