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Fez – The 28th edition of the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music opened tonight night at the historic Bab Makina, launching nine days of performances that honor Africa’s enduring spiritual legacy and contemporary creative energy.
This year’s theme, Renaissances, reflects the continent’s ancient traditions and their eclectic evolution in modern times.
For centuries, Fez has stood as Morocco’s spiritual and intellectual capital – a crossroads of Sufi mysticism, Islamic scholarship, and Andalusian musical heritage.
Its ancient medina, home to the world’s oldest university, Al Quaraouiyine, has long been a sanctuary for sacred arts, where music serves as prayer and bridge between cultures.
The Fez Festival of World Sacred Music draws from this legacy to transform the city into a global stage where traditions converge.
The festival’s artistic director noted Africa’s central role in this year’s programming. “We are celebrating Africa as a living civilization,” said Abderrafia Zouitene, President of the Fondation Esprit de Fès.
“From Morocco to Mayotte, from ancestral rituals to contemporary fusions, these performances show how tradition breathes new life into our global cultural landscape.”
Friday’s opening ceremony set the tone with a spectacular production that put together North African and sub-Saharan influences.
Bridging eras through sacred music
Over the coming days, audiences will experience everything from the devotional Sufi chants of Senegal’s Mouride brotherhood to the earth-shaking drum ceremonies of Burundi’s master percussionists.
Each evening at Jnan Sbil garden, different spiritual musical traditions will take place, including Morocco’s Aissawa and Hamadcha brotherhoods and Mali’s legendary Master Musicians of Jajouka.
Several artists, if not all, consider the festival as a connecting bridge between generations and genres.
Malian musician Adama Sidibé, perhaps the last living master of the sokou, a traditional one-stringed instrument, will perform alongside French jazz violinist Clément Janinet in a groundbreaking collaboration.
Haitian-Canadian saxophonist Jowee Omicil will present his unique fusion of Afrobeat, jazz, and Caribbean spiritual traditions, while Ghanaian harp virtuoso John Kwame Osei Korankye demonstrates how ancient instruments can speak to contemporary audiences.
The festival culminates on May 24 with “The Great Night of Griots,” featuring Mali’s Ballaké Sissoko Orkestra alongside artists from across West Africa.
These hereditary musicians and storytellers will perform epic narratives that have been passed down through centuries to connect modern audiences to the grandeur of the Manding Empire and Ashanti Kingdom.
South-South unity
Beyond the formal concerts, the streets surrounding Bab Boujloud will pulse with free performances, including the mesmerizing Zaouli mask dances from Ivory Coast and spectacular stilt-walking displays.
The festival transforms all of Fez into a living celebration of sacred artistry and prove that these traditions remain as vital today as when they first emerged centuries ago.
The Fez Festival of World Sacred Music continues through May 24, with performances daily at multiple venues throughout the city.
The festival’s celebration of Africa’s cultural renaissance aligns with Morocco’s longstanding commitment to South-South cooperation, a cornerstone of King Mohammed VI’s foreign policy vision.
By featuring artists from across the continent and its diasporas – from Senegal and Mali to Burundi and Mayotte – the festival creates a dynamic platform for cultural exchange that strengthens ties between African countries.
This cultural diplomacy mirrors Morocco’s broader efforts in economic and developmental cooperation across the Global South, particularly in Africa where the kingdom has invested significantly in infrastructure projects, educational exchanges, and interfaith dialogue.
This African-focused edition reinforces the festival’s and Morocco’s roots in the continent while advancing a vision of cooperation that transcends geographical and linguistic boundaries.
