Having become one of the unmissable events of the El Jadida province, the international "Jawhara" Festival, in its fourth edition, will be held this year from 7 to 9 August 2014. It is the Doukkala Association and the province that conceived this event which pays tribute to music, theatre, visual arts, and popular arts of Morocco. The organisers wish for this cultural action to ensure the consolidation of the civil space as a participatory universe for reflection on citizenship and the responsibilities of everyone in building the future of their region and their country, a gathering place for artists from all corners of the world, and a great celebration for the promotion of the social and cultural rights of citizens, culture, music, sport, and art. In this context, Mouâad Jamaï, governor of the El Jadida province, stressed that "art, culture, and sport are at the heart of development. The cultural or sporting event no longer constitutes a decorative or ornamental added value to the socio-economic landscape of a geographical space. This being so, art, culture, and sport present themselves as a fundamentally human, anthropological value."

This year, the Festival turns towards Africa, given that Morocco has never ceased, since its independence, to reaffirm its African identity and given that Africa is undeniably the natural growth relay for Morocco. The international dimension of the Festival is therefore expanding to turn towards Africa. A value of today, and taking into account previous editions, one can say that the Festival has broken all attendance records. "The late Sovereign Hassan II used to say that Morocco is a tree whose roots are in Africa and whose foliage is in Europe. Consequently, Morocco has long established powerful links with several African countries given that its cooperation with Africa is centuries-old. Morocco thus aims to bring a new impetus to economic partnership with African countries. And the international "Jawhara" Festival, which has established itself over the years as an unmissable socio-cultural meeting of the Doukkala-Abda region, celebrates, during its fourth edition, Africa... "Jawhara" proceeds from a citizen, active, and participatory dynamic, to contribute to the building of a Morocco proud of its regions, of a Morocco leader in Africa," indicated, for his part, Abdelouahed El Kadiri, president of the "Jawhara" Festival. The international "Jawhara" Festival is thus a cultural action that watches over the revitalisation of the sustainable development process of the El Jadida province. Its approach emanates from the conviction that any cultural action must convey ideas and mechanisms to ensure their implementation and continuity over time.

The structuring idea of the Festival is the consolidation of the civil space as a vector for participation and reflection on citizen responsibility. The Festival has the ambition to highlight the diversity that characterises our country. And this, through the convergence of the community around the citizen exercise of assuming and promoting the millennial cultural, creative, and social wealth of the Kingdom. "Jawhara," which will take place from 7 to 9 August next, is also an event worthy of the symbolic place that El Jadida occupies in the cultural, sporting, and tourist landscape of the Kingdom. This large-scale event will undoubtedly reinforce the economic and human boom that the province is experiencing. No need, for this purpose, to recall that the city constitutes the second industrial pole of the Kingdom and presents itself as a tourist destination that never ceases to seduce both Moroccan and foreign tourists, as evidenced by its ranking as the 27th destination on the international level (Géo Magazine, January 2011).

Thus, for 3 days, the city will open up to cultural activities. From Bir Jdid to El Jadida, passing through Azemmour and Sidi Bouzid, the sites will be set up to welcome a few thousand festival-goers for this great meeting. Obviously, the shows, which will be entirely free, will take place essentially in the open air, in open spaces. "Jawhara" will be a unique opportunity in Morocco to see, during the festival shows, more than 1,000 artists from 25 countries, as well as a large number of Moroccan artists such as Saïd Mosker, Abdelmoughit, Hamid El Mardi, Hatim Idar, Adil Miloudi, Hamid El Kasri, Stati, Hamid Seghini, and Don Bigg. The essence of the festival, according to its organisers, is to present to the public "all kinds of music for all tastes," from raï to chaâbi, passing through traditional folk, rap, hip-hop, reggae, fusion, rock, or gnaoui. The children and young people of the province will not be left out. In this sense, disabled children and those from orphanages, as well as inmates of penitentiary centres, will be sensitised to the values of citizenship, through music, dance, theatre, painting, video art, etc., through a series of workshops, without forgetting theatrical art with the participation of famous troupes. Arts and sports in the spotlight In addition to music, the Festival presents to the public "Jawhara Arts" which returns this year with an original exhibition inspired by the theme of the Festival: "Afriquia Al Jadida." Art photography will be in the spotlight, since a collective exhibition of photographs will be proposed in the Châïbia Talal space, with the participation of African photographers chosen from the elite of contemporary artistic photography in their respective countries.

The theme will be centred on the African citizen: crossed gazes, urban or rural scenes. The spirit that animates this exhibition will be open to diversity, colourful, showing the face of a plural Africa, inspiring confidence and optimism. "Jawhara Arts" also means several painting and sculpture exhibitions proposed in the galleries of Azemmour, freely accessible to the general public.

The "Jawhara" Festival is not dedicated only to art, but also to sport. Thus, the bays of El Jadida and Sidi Bouzid will host numerous sporting competitions with a preference for beach sports such as BBS (Beldi Beach Soccer), Beach-Volley, Beach-Tennis, as well as extreme sports such as Skateboard, BMX, and Street Workout.

As for the opening parade of the Festival, it will bring together more than 150 artists from here and elsewhere and will be animated by the giant puppets of the street theatre company, "Théâtre Nomade," acrobats, percussionists, and fire-eaters from Casa Fiesta, troupes of Gnaouas, Issaouas, Hmadchas, Chikhates, Dakka Marrakchia, and popular art troupes of Morocco.