The festival, organised by the Chamat Theatre troupe in partnership with the Meknes commune, the Meknes provincial council, and the Fez-Meknes regional council, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, was marked by the presentation of several theatrical plays from Morocco and abroad and the programming of workshops and artistic meetings, which were supervised by a group of artists and playwrights.
The festival, which aspires to become a platform open to international theatrical experiences by leveraging the history and rich heritage of the city of Meknes as a bridge for dialogue, meeting, and theatrical communication, saw the participation of artists from Morocco, Burkina Faso, France, Spain, Tunisia, Syria, and Iraq.
In a statement to the MAP, the artistic director of the Meknes Theatre Festival, Bousselham Daif, indicated that the residents of the Ismaili city lived through "very strong" moments over five days and attended theatrical performances and artistic shows, adding that the festival's outcome is "positive".
He noted that the festival's various activities, notably the theatrical performances and open meetings with Moroccan and foreign artists, strengthened the contact of playwrights with lovers of the "father of arts" and allowed for the creation of a bridge of communication between the theatre professionals themselves.
For his part, the French-Syrian writer, director, and actor Fidaa Mhaissen emphasised that festivals constitute an opportunity to meet artists, exchange experiences and know-how on the artistic scene, adding that this event was a "rich" experience "full of positive energy".
The Iraqi writer and director Kazem Nessar affirmed, for his part, that the festival, organised in the historic city of Meknes, confirms the importance of theatre and culture and their role in strengthening bridges of communication and openness to others.
It is worth remembering that the festival paid tribute, during the opening ceremony, to a group of actors and directors from the city of Meknes, in particular the actor and director Driss Roukhe, the actress Wassila Sobhi, and the actor Abdelhak Belmjahed.
