Mawazine music festival: Amr Diab, Nancy Ajram, talent competition and more

31/03/2008

Musicians from across the globe will come together in Rabat once again in May for the 2008 Mawazine World Rhythms festival. Jazz and gypsy music will be this year's focus, but listeners will hear music from many other genres over the course of the eight-day event.

By Imane Belhaj for Magharebia in Casablanca – 31/03/08

[Imane Belhaj] Rabat will host the seventh annual Mawazine World Rhythms festival from May 16th-24th. Under a new festival head, the event aims to emphasize diversity and plurality through culture, music and art.

For eight days this spring, the Moroccan capital of Rabat will host the seventh annual Mawazine World Rhythms festival, organised by the Maroc-Cultures Association (AMC).

This year's festival, to be held from May 16th-24th, is characterised by renewal, both in its programming and its sponsoring organisation. Mohammed Mounir Majidi, special advisor to King Mohammed VI, has taken over responsibilities as head of the festival, replacing outgoing director and AMC founding President Abdeljalil Hjomri.

The event's organisers have made certain changes to promote and develop the festival, which ushers the administrative capital out of its normal work-dominated atmosphere for a few days of culture and tourism.

Aziz Daki, Mawazine 2008 art director, said this year's event "will buzz to the rhythm of development and more openness towards others. An international symposium will be held in tandem with the festival, focusing on 'Music of the World and Cultural Diversity'."

The organisers explained that the Mawazine Festival has, over the years, placed emphasis on diversity and plurality in response to all tastes and views. The event promotes the values of unity, tolerance, love, security and peace, through the presence of artists from different countries, ages and languages.

The current edition will welcome artists from forty countries in more than 100 musical performances. Jazz music, and the music of "les tsiganes" (gypsies) will be featured prominently in order to encourage other musical genres classified as music of minorities or ethnic music, with special respect to African and South American rhythms.

Renowned American singer Whitney Houston is expected to sing at the closing ceremony of this year's festival. The opening ceremony of the event will feature performances from US guitarist and jazz singer George Benson.

In addition, there will be dozens of performances by musicians from Europe, Latin America, the Maghreb and the Middle East. Some of the artists include US jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater; Ziggy Marley, son of Bob Marley from Jamaica; Cheb Belal from Algeria; Amr Diab; Nancy Ajram; Asala Nasry; Saber al-Rubai; Diana Haddad; Fadl Shaker; and Natacha Atlas from the Middle East, as well as famous Moroccan singers such as Hayat Al Idrissi, Saeeda Fekri, Fatima Tihihite, Latifa Raafat, Nass El Ghiwane; Jil Jilala and Lemchaheb; and hip hop groups such as Darga, Fnaire, H-Kayne and Hoba Hoba Spirit, as well as a number of artists from Latin America.

In order to connect young musicians with veteran performers, the festival has held the "Mawazine Generation" contest since 2006. The contest gives the stage to aspiring musicians aged 15-30 to perform before a large audience and a professional jury. The winner earns the opportunity to produce an album and video courtesy of the National Radio and Television Company. The song and the album will be later distributed to national TV channels, and this year's winner will participate in the 2009 Mawazine Festival.

Ahmed Aydoune, chairman of the jury, said three awards will be dedicated to the arts of rap, hip-hop and rock, as well as new popular music.