In Fes: The Sufi Culture Festival opens on the "Paths of Spiritual Love"

Concert: The 18th edition of the Fes Festival of Sufi Culture and World Wisdoms opened Saturday evening at Bab Al Makina, with the show "Paths of Spiritual Love", kicking off a programme that continues until 24 October under the theme "Mystical poetry, elixir of healing". Placed under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the 18th edition of the Fes Festival of Sufi Culture aims to make Fes a space for meeting between Moroccan spiritual heritages and world wisdoms, by exploring the role of poetry and beauty in a world marked by wounds and trials. The inaugural evening was hosted by the Harrâqî vocal and musical ensemble, under the direction of Youssef El Houssaini, with the participation of the Moroccan singer Nabyla Maan and the Spanish artist Vicente Muñoz Gelo. Combining songs and Arab-Andalusian hadra, madih, and flamenco sounds, this show honoured the spiritual and poetic heritage of Sidi Mohammed Al-Harrâq, a major figure of Moroccan Sufism. The president of the festival, Faouzi Skali, indicated, in a statement on this occasion, that this edition is proud to open its festivities with the creations of the Harrâqiya zaouïa, one of the great Sufi brotherhoods of Morocco, whose heritage is deeply marked by divine love, spiritual ecstasy, and the subtlety of mystical meanings. He added that the inaugural show of the Harrâqî ensemble combines with creativity the traditional poetry of the Harrâqiya tariqa with the participation of the singer Nabyla Maan, who gave this evening a particular aesthetic dimension thanks to a repertoire mixing different expressions of Sufi poetry. Mr. Skali also stressed that the festival offers the opportunity to explore the spaces and alleys of Fes, a city with a centuries-old Sufi heritage, which followers of Sufism consider a true zaouïa, noting that this event thus allows the public to penetrate to the heart of the city and discover its cultural, civilisational, and spiritual riches and secrets. The musical programme gives an important place to Moroccan Sufi traditions, through several samaa evenings dedicated to the Qadiriyya Boutchichiya, Charqawiya, Ouazzaniya, Rissouniya, and Sqalliya tariqas. The programme also includes workshops, notably around chanoyu, the Japanese tea ceremony, and dhikr, dedicated to invocations and meditation, as well as a perfumery workshop entitled "Inner Gardens, when poetry breathes". The festival will end on 24 October at Bab Al Makina with the "Ivresses" evening, bringing together Arab-Andalusian samaa and the dervishes of Aleppo, with Wasim Arslan, Anas Al Attar, and Noureddine Tahiri.