The Minister of Culture, Mohamed Amine Sbihi, indicated at the opening of this Festival that his department is determined to safeguard and promote this intangible heritage and to highlight its richness and value.
The kick-off for the 22nd edition of the Sijilmassa Festival of Malhoun Art was given on Friday evening in Arfoud under the theme "Territorial integrity and moderate, centrist thought in Malhoun poetry".
The Minister of Culture, Mohamed Amine Sbihi, indicated at the opening of this Festival, organised under the High Patronage of H.M. King Mohammed VI, that his department is determined to safeguard and promote this intangible heritage and to highlight its richness and value, adding that this cultural event is a meeting space for the various artists who practise this genre of music to exchange experiences and discover the latest developments.
In a speech read on his behalf, Amine Sbihi added that to consolidate this cultural and artistic event, organised by the Ministry of Culture in partnership with the Wilaya of the Drâa-Tafilalet region, his department has ensured that this Festival combines music and culture by increasing the number of participating troupes over the editions, noting that the preservation of this heritage requires the combined efforts of all stakeholders.
For his part, the Wali of the Drâa-Tafilalet region, Mohamed Fanid, affirmed that this annual event aims to preserve one of the important components of local heritage and to highlight its richness and specificities, noting that Malhoun is a tributary of Moroccan culture that addresses all human issues in all their dimensions.
He also stressed the importance of giving all the necessary attention to the art of Malhoun as a cultural heritage that is part of original oral traditions, and of working towards the promotion of this musical genre, which is a symbol of the region's cultural identity and a real added value for cultural tourism in the province.
The opening evening of the 2016 edition of the Sijilmassa Festival of Malhoun Art was hosted by the regional arts and heritage troupe, the Al Assala group, and the Malhoun group of Taroudant.
Tributes were paid on this occasion to several figures of Malhoun art in recognition of their contribution to this field, notably Cheikh Smail Askrou and Naima Tahiri, who participated alongside the late El Haj Houcine Toulali in several national and international cultural and artistic events.
The Sijilmassa Festival of Malhoun Art is also an opportunity to reflect on ways to ensure the dissemination and preservation of this ancestral art. It features the participation of several musical troupes representing the various Malhoun schools of the country.
