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By Safaa Kasraoui
Rabat – The 5th International Festival of Merzouga will take place April 13 to 16.
The event aims to provide national and international attendees with an opportunity to discover and explore the region’s beauty, cultural richness and traditions.
The four-day event will gather together international musical artists to celebrate their art within the desert atmosphere of the city of Merzouga.
To start off the festival, musical bands like Les Pigeons du Sable, Sagazic and Hamidou, Merzouga drums, D’jazz Flamenk, Majid Bekkas, and African Roots will perform at the first day of the event.
The second day will be devoted to Hobi (a regional folklore band), La troupe Barkan Sagazic and Gnaoua Bambara, Symphony Gnawa led by Majid Bekkas, Laouma Band and African music by Mouloud El Mekaoui.
Festival goers will also have the opportunity to meet up with local folklore bands and other musical bands, such as the reggae bandAfrican Roots, the “African cocktail” Fa’n’mi, and a variety of Gnaoua and Arab-Andalusian bands.
Kebasque and Haji Ouali (folklore/rap fusion), Amazigh Blues, Free Life andwill also take part in this event.
The first three days of the festival will feature “after-parties” of jam sessions, artist meetings, and DJ sessions.
15 countries will participate in the festival: England, Ivory Coast, France, Italy, Senegal, Mali, Portugal, Cameroon, Congo, Benin, Belgium, Guinea, Spain and Morocco.
The festival agenda will consists of several other activities, including educational workshops, a “humanitarian marathon”, a conference on Moroccan-African affairs, and a soccer tournament.
The festival’s last day will be devoted to tributes, presentation of prizes in addition to a concert by Oudaden, an Amazigh band.
The festival will be organized by the Saharan Association for Tourism and Cultural Development in collaboration with Wilaya of Daraa-Tafilalet, the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Culture, the Township of Taous, the Municipality Moulay Ali Cherif, and the Tourist Federation of Merzouga Schools in the region.
