Under the theme "Gnawa music, a universal Moroccan heritage and a civilizational legacy", the Youth of the Future Association for Culture and Social Development of Fkih Ben Salah organised the first edition of the International Gnawa Traditional Music Festival from 11 to 14 January 2025, dedicated to Maalem Mustapha Bakbou, at the cultural complex in the city of Fkih Ben Salah.
From 11 to 14 January 2025, the city of Fkih Ben Salah was in the rhythm of Gnawa music. The artistic evenings treated the public to a collection of Gnawa songs rooted in the African heritage, rich in its artistic legacy. The city of Fkih Ben Salah vibrated to the songs of the Gnawa and their guembris. Senegal was the guest of honour at this festival.
In a statement to ALM, Maalem Mustapha Bakbou, one of the iconic figures of Gnawa art, praised the tireless efforts made by the Youth of the Future Association for Culture and Social Development to organise this international Gnawa traditional music festival in collaboration with local authorities and other partners. "I pay a vibrant tribute to these young people from the aforementioned Association who have breathed new life into Gnawa music, which is our artistic and cultural heritage. Our music, which is known internationally, is rich in the diversity of its sources and its history that makes the whole world vibrate. Thus, we are obliged to preserve this genre of music and perpetuate it so that it is capable of meeting the challenges of modern times...", he added.
For his part, Zakaria Allali, director of the International Gnawa Traditional Music Festival, stressed that the Youth of the Future Association for Culture and Social Development of Fkih Ben Salah spares no effort to perpetuate Gnawa music. He added: "Our Association, which was born in 2014, aims to perpetuate this authentic African genre of music. We have organised meetings, artistic evenings, and workshops at the national and international level... in order to lend a hand and protect traditional Gnawa music; it is our cultural and artistic identity. The organisation of this international festival has reviewed the artistic heritage that abounds in our region and all of Africa". He continued: "This genre of music, which is rooted in our past, has become a world intangible heritage recognised by UNESCO.
Gnawa music aims to strengthen the Moroccan identity while participating in the consolidation of our national unity and the culture of Moroccan citizenship. Thus, I warmly thank all the members of our Association, the governor of the province of Fkih Ben Salah, our socio-economic partners, the regional council... and all those who participated in the success of this international festival, which is a consecration for the entire province and the region".
"The organisation of this international Gnawa music festival is an apotheosis for the city of Fkih Ben Salah, which is making considerable efforts to perpetuate our artistic heritage in general. Gnawa music truly thrilled the public at the cultural complex in Fkih Ben Salah. Everyone was happy to discover the iconic figures of this African art that has invaded the world...", rejoiced a young man from Fkih Ben Salah.
The programme of this international festival focused on the organisation of artistic evenings, supervised Gnawa artistic workshops, traditional Gnawa songs, folk dances, and the presentation of documentaries... During this festival, Maalem Mustapha Bakbou, member of the Jil Jilala group, Maalem Hassan Bosso, and Dr Rachida Amrioui were honoured. It should be noted that the city of Souk Sebt, falling under the province of Fkih Ben Salah, hosted the closing ceremony of this international Gnawa traditional music festival.
