International Conference on Popular Arts held in Morocco

2006-04-16

The focus of the fourth International Conference on Popular Arts in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in Meknes was popular culture as a form of heritage to be preserved for the benefit of future generations. The event was held to raise awareness of the need to broaden the scope of research into the various aspects of popular cultural heritage.

By Hassan Benmehdi for Magharebia in Casablanca - -16/04/06

[File] Experts from North America, Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East took part in the conference.

The fourth International Conference on Popular Arts in the MENA region was initiated in partnership with St. Antony's College at the University of Oxford and was entitled "Popular Culture: Public Space, Mass Media and Mass Consumption". The event was hosted from 5 April to 7 April by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, and was attended by sociologists, linguists, anthropologists and academics from within and outside of the Maghreb. The main purpose was to widen discussion of issues regarding the use of regional dialects and mixing between the Amazigh, Arab and French languages.

Delegates began by discussing regional cultural diversity and richness, noting that popular culture is a factor and reference point in understanding people's everyday lives. Highlighting popular sayings as a form of oral expression, as well as the habits and customs of the MENA region, they said that stories, songs and drama, as well as architectural preferences for certain styles of construction and colours, are a clear illustration of a people's way of life and thinking. Poetry, handicraft design and pottery also tell the story of the development and cultural identity of nations, the delegates went on to say.

Speaking about the raï musical genre as an archetypal expression of popular culture, Belkacem Boumediene, a lecturer at the University of Mascara in Algeria, said that it used to be regarded as a kind of "artistic merchandise" and a degraded form of authentic art. In his speech, called "Raï Music, from Local Obscurity to International Recognition", he pointed out that this genre appeared in Oran at the beginning of the 20th century as an expression of resistance to the French occupation and views on taboo social issues.

"Raï has evolved over the years," he said, noting that this music uses everyday language, the language of emotions, feelings and dreams -- in short, a modern and progressive form of Arabic understood by young and old alike.

The meeting also examined several themes including authenticity and identity, the use and sale of heritage, the impact of mass tourism, the influence of popular culture of the Middle East and Africa on other cultures, and the use of modern media technology and its impact on culture.