Opening of the 11th edition of the Visa for Music Festival

This artistic event opened in style, with a parade from the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rabat to the Mohammed V National Theatre, as well as three free concerts, performed by Tasuta N-Imal (Morocco), Ferro Gaita (Cape Verde), and Valerie Ekoume (Cameroon-France), blending revisited traditional sounds with bold modernity.



Speaking during the opening ceremony, the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, stressed that Visa for Music is "an unmissable event" with which the ministry is entering its second decade of partnership, calling for this crossroads of national and international Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) to inspire other sectors.

Assuring that Morocco has become aware over the last decade of the importance of CCIs, the minister stated that they constitute "the future of the Moroccan economy" and that public and private actors, as well as artists, producers, and the public itself, are gradually composing an ecosystem that is taking root in Morocco, with synergies that are beginning to take hold.

"In the wake of the High Orientations of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the vital forces of our country are beginning to resolutely align their actions in favour of inclusive cultural policies, open to the world, attentive both to valuing our heritage and supporting innovation,” he maintained, adding that Visa for Music is a cultural event that is part of a dynamic aimed at transforming cultural potential into a "source of employment, a lever for development, and a factor of inclusion and consolidation of social ties”.

It is an event that goes beyond the national territory to focus particularly on Africa, in order to consolidate an emergence centred on culture and humanity, he continued.

For his part, Brahim El Mazned, founder and director of Visa For Music, noted that this artistic event has established itself, since 2014, as an essential space for sharing and meetings, explaining that the 2024 edition is characterised by nearly 60 concerts, thousands of expected spectators, dozens of conferences bringing together experts from all over the world, enriching training sessions, and hundreds of young professionals who benefit from these workshops and who will contribute to the dynamics of CCIs both in Morocco and in Africa.

Recalling the essential role of arts and artists as carriers of change, tolerance, and hope, Mr. El Mazned wished to salute the presence of cultural actors from all over the world with delegations from Africa, Europe, America, the Caribbean, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific.

He also pointed out that the event gives a special welcome to Moroccan artists from the diaspora from Europe, Australia, and elsewhere.

For his part, the President of the Hiba Foundation, Younes Boumehdi, declared that Visa For Music is "a spark" and a unique platform in Africa that celebrates music, adding that Morocco, and Rabat in particular, is honoured to be "the crossroads" where talents from Africa, the Middle East, and elsewhere converge every year.

Furthermore, Mr. Boumehdi recalled that the music industry in Africa is now worth nearly 600 million dollars, a figure that should triple by 2030 if all actors mobilise. He also pleaded for web giants (GAFAM) and streaming platforms to review their remuneration policies in favour of African and Moroccan artists, calling for support for the export of music from this region of the world, the professionalisation of the sector, the strengthening of labels, the structuring of the industry, and the protection of copyrights.

Placed under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the 11th edition of Visa For Music (20-23 November) is the unmissable event for music from Africa and the Middle East that will make the city of Rabat vibrate, welcoming more than 1,000 music industry professionals and more than 500 artists from the four corners of the world.

Founded in 2014 at the initiative of the ANYA Cultural Agency, this event is a true crossroads for actors in the music scene, offering a programme adapted to music lovers and the curious in search of discoveries with meetings, showcases, conferences, and workshops spread across different iconic locations in the city of Rabat, all located close to each other.