2012 EDITION

A preeminent must- see for both home and world musicians, Mawazine World Rhythms Festival is back with its 11th edition that promises to be so vivid and varied. From 18 to 26 May, 2012, Rabat will be on the thrill to receive a unique and rich cast that celebrates music and art from around the world.

7 stages will host the concerts, and Rabat City will once again revel in the street shows of brass bands, choreographers that rally the city streets as well as high quality workshops.

Morocco, therefore, becomes at the heart of world music and cultural dissemination. Paying tribute to artists, holding panel discussions and receiving world stars and future talents, Mawazine is once again on time to honor its mission: bringing together millions of avid festival-goers in pursuit of the dream, exploration and exchange.

TRIBUTES

This year, we’ve decided to pay special tribute to three figures of Moroccan music, namely, the 60’s rock landmark Abdelghafour Mohcine, known as Vigon, who introduced  us all to the genius of Stevie Wonder and Otis Redding. Tribute will equally go to the late Mohamed Rouicha, Moroccan music icon and prodigious ‘’Outar’’ player (Outar is a country lute typical of Berber music). His son Hamdallah, a promising talent himself, will do the job in a concert. Third recognition will be given to the Lemchaheb Band who has recently lost a dear founder, Mohamed Sousdi. Since early 70’s, this avant-guarde band has been blending Berber music with Western influences into memorable songs.

PANEL DISCUSSIONS

An encounter of exchange and debate, Mawazine will hold two panel discussions in the presence of key Moroccan and foreign professionals of culture.

A meeting will take place on Saturday, May 2012 about: ‘Music Industry in Morocco: Realities and Perspectives’’ to deal with the current situation of music in the country. Music professionals will get to evaluate the situation and suggest future solutions to a piracy- stricken and financially -resourceless business.

CONCERTS

Like in any other established world festival, global music superstars will lighten up Mawazine stages this year. Electro music, Reggae, Rock, Rai, or again R’n’B will set OLM Souissi stage ablaze and it will resonate with a different style every night. Legends such as Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, Jimmy Cliff and Scorpions, Khaled Evanescence, Pitbull, LMFAO, and the grand Turkish Fire of Anatolia Show, DJ Abdel and Yolanda Be Cool will heat it up.

Also, Mohamed V Theatre will stage equally popular stars. Gloria Gaynor, Nigel Kennedy, Royal Symphony Orchestra, Amina, Ibrahim Maalouf to name a few.

Nahda Stage will be the meeting point for Middle Eastern music lovers. 13 icons of Lebanese and Egyptian music will sing peace and love. The list features Marouan Khouri, Yara and Fadel Shaker, Nancy Ajram, Abdellah Rouiched, Hamai, Hany Shaker, Assala, Angham, Melhem Zein and Wael Kfoury.

Nahda stage will also receive Moroccans Karima Skkali, Naima Samih, and Leila Ghofrane along with the Moroccan Orchestra for Arabic Music.

Chellah Stage will take you a little far East, Asia Minor or again to Persia. Afghanistan, Iran and Russia will make the cut through Ali Azam & Niyaz, Lole Montaya, Alexey Arkhipovsky and Kayhan Kalhor & Erdal Erzincan…

Bouregreg Stage honors African music and takes you deep into Sub-Saharan Africa to meet stars from Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso, Tobago, South Africa, Benin, and Cameroon: Manu Dibango, Magic System, Cheikh Lo, Calypso Rose, Angelique Kidjo, Ebo Taylor& Afrobeat Academy Origine, and Freshly Ground. With historical roots in Africa and a long history of music, Cuba will equally be represented through Juan de Marcos Afro Cuban All Stars.

The same goes for Moroccan music. Pop, Amazigh, Lyrical or Classic. One thing is sure: Mawazine will introduce you only the best. Nation-wide hit tunes and melodies will reign over Mawazine stages by Aziz Sahmaoui & University of Gnawa, Mokhtar Somba, Alwane, Jilghiwane, Five Stars, Fnair, Tiraline, Nasser Megri, Rachid Khalil amomg others.

For the public to discover the ‘’New Wave’ music, Mawazine World Rythms festival allows a good space on its agenda to Urban music performances such as Rwapa Crew, Babel, Mazagan to mention a few. The festival will pay tribute to three leading figures of Moroccan music, that is, Vigon, the late Mohamed Rouicha, and Mohamed Sousdi.

STREET SHOWS

Brass bands and troupes from Morocco, India, Romania, and France will tour the Rabat streets all day long to give the city new sound, scenery and surprise. The public will come across Moroccan 2K-Far, Casa Fiesta, and mainly Casa Acrobate, an acrobat group which recently got spotlight in Arabic MBC TV channel show

‘’Arab’s  Got Talent’’

Originally from Casablanca, Casa Fiesta is made of young drummers and capoeristas. They present a blend of rhythms and songs of Senegalese, Egyptian and Moroccan origins while playing capoeira, a funny acrobatic Afro- Brazilian martial art.

The Fanfare Casbah will also join the fun. Festive and communicative, the Franco-Algerian band plays the classics of Pop music adding to it a little blend of Berber Chaoui and Kabyle beats. Featuring are well-known entertainers, skilled dancers and a repertoire of shows ranging from Oran to Eastern Algeria.

Familiar with European dance floors and descending from two Tzigane villages known for their confirmed musicians, Roman Mahala Rai Banda will set Rabat streets aflame. Created by Taraf De Haidouks entertainers along with a copper section they will present a blend of festive and military music. And because they party hard, their vibes are so contagious that the public won’t help getting the bug under the effect of a splendid blend of rock drums, Oriental effect and groovy moves.

Youguri! ( France) made of Yourgistan migrants almost with a Balkan feel. From their homeland, they carry their local singing style, a foreign language, with Slav, Brazilian and Arabic accents, and music full of expressive melodies of Klezmer tunes, African and Indian beats. Dancers on winged stilts and musicians in red or gold costumes, Yougyri! will rock the streets and whirl the place with joyful stunning dance tunes and colors.

Dife Kako ( France) consists of talented dancers and musicians originating from The Atilles Islands, Africa and Europe. With rhythms of the Balafon and other tuned percussion instruments, female dancers perform in fine lines between classical music and loose moves of Afro- Antillean dance tunes. Bodies soar in distance and get together in crossbred gestures to give the public an amazing carnival show.

MAWAZINE ORIGINAL SONG COMPOSITIONS

Mawazine is not only about the public meeting artists, but it also engineers authentic encounters between musicians themselves in collaborations that often results in wonderful joint projects.

This year, it is Morocco and Switzerland that make the headlines through the work of Swiss composer Forunat Frölich who mixes Western polyphonic music with modern Moroccan rhythms through a Swiss choir and a Moroccan one singing in unison songs of their respective countries.

Not belonging to any school or style, the work is an authentic way of exploring the affinities between Western and Arab cultures that probes a myriad of musical influences and traditions.

WORKSHOPS

Mawazine : Rhythms of the World orchestrates first-hand encounters between established artists and amateurs. As has always been, this is meant to allow beginners to know more about the stars’ career course and know- how.

Moroccan film-maker Sanaa Hamri- based in the US for about 10 years and a preeminent reference in music video, will ensure the first workshop for music future talents. She has an extended experience with music superstars namely Prince, Mariah Carey, Sting, Jay-Z and Christina Aguilera.

Also, RedOne will give his numerous fans a master class on musical production. The world illustrious music producer, who started Lady Gaga, collaborated with Usher and Jennifer Lopez among other celebrities, will give out insider tips on music production business.

A three-day workshop (20-22 May) on percussion will be monitored by Mokhtar Samba. The famed percussionist, collaborator of Salif Keita and Youssou N’Dour has in stock a breathtaking blend of Western harmonies, African rhythms, and Bedouin tunes.

Contemporary dance will be given a workshop of 3 master classes by Danish choreographer Nønne Mai Svalholm former head of  Denmark Royal Ballet School  inspired by the ‘ Make your move’ program  that aims to show the young  the art of dance.

http://www.festivalmawazine.ma/en/the-festival/presentation-of-the-festival.html

`It doesn’t matter where you live. What matters is that you have a cause to fight for.`

When people speak about US-Moroccan relations, they usually invoke politics, war on terror, religious extremism and corrupt politicians. Rarely do they mention individuals, from literature, media and poetry, who work tirelessly to bridge the cultural gap between the two countries. Lynn Rosen is an American poet who has been involved in a special poetry writing project as a means of promoting cultural cooperation with her Moroccan counterparts. Her work is exemplary of the efforts of intellectuals in connecting people and cultures in order to create a world of love, dialogue and peaceful coexistence.

Lynn Rosen spent many years as a teacher in the New York City public school system. Her other work as a library media teacher allowed her to connect with teachers from across the globe, via the internet, and give birth to her personal quest to make the world a better place. It was in this context that she met the Moroccan poet Hassan Mourabiti, through Facebook, and the result was a collaboration that produced a terrific book of poetry entitled: “Grapes of Hunger”. For Ms. Rosen, writing poetry with Hassan was a means of demystifying their respective cultures. Through their writing, they learned about one another’s traditions and realized that their cultures sought the same thing: a better world for everyone.

Ms. Rosen described the process of writing “Grapes of Hunger” as a journey of caring that is meant to send a message to the world to stop global hunger. As a humanitarian, Ms. Rosen considers social activism the key to bring about global change. She considers hunger an unjust and unacceptable social ill and laments the fact that millions of children are dying from hunger while others enjoy more than three meals a day. Many of her poems are designed to inform children of the danger of living in a world where their peers are starving. Her work against hunger has led to her involvement with projects such as New York Cares. She has also worked in schools, soup kitchens and with organizations for the disabled and the poor.

Ms. Rosen considers her poetry as a “work of heart” and equates writing with breathing. As she stated, “through my poetry, I get to inform others about hunger and other problems that we face today.” As Human right activist, Ms. Rosen published a book entitled “Tomorrow’s Vision” where she provides teachers and students with numerous activities that they can do to help the poor. The book also teaches students and future generations about their individual rights and how to respect the rights of others.

Ms. Rosen’s main mission is to help create a world where there is no hunger. She has pursued her goal as a writer, artist, humanitarian and activist. As she stated, “artists can contribute to the change we want in this troubled world of ours”. As a poet advocating against hunger, Ms. Rosen put it best when she said “we have the ability to dance with words and the more people who listen, the more change makers we will have.”

By Rachid Khouya

Edited by Hisham El Koustaf

Morocco World News

The ‘CineClub’ of the Faculty of Science and Technology of Fez is planning on Wednesday, April 27 their 7th edition of  celebrating cinema. The film shown will address the theme “Morocco and the fight against corruption” -  guests of honor will include officials of TLC (MCC) and filmmakers, including those who worked on the feature film “Hadi W Touba”. The film will be followed  by a conference dicussing the topic of transparency in Morocco.

An party will be held on the evening at the party room Bahja 2 to wrap up in style the days events.

Café Clock is proud to sponsor a lunch for the organizers,

producers and director of the movie “Hadi W Touba”

More info about the movie: http://mabladi.blogspot.com/2010/09/film-marocain-hadi-wa-touba.html

Tickets for the day can be purchased at Café Clock or direct with the chairman of the ‘CineClub’ on Ali: 06 68549174 – Yassir: 06 79 44 76 50
 



CLOCK CULTURE CONCERTS:

Sunday at Sunset                                             6:30pm

Zanouba

Pop & Rai music (20dh)

Every WEDNESDAY at 6:30 pm

Jam @ The Clock

Young musicians play live music on the terrace (free)

CLOCK CULTURE MOVIES:

Thursday movie                                                6:30pm

Hijab El Hob (Veiled Love Story) directed by Aziz Salmy with Hayat Bel Hallofi, Youness Megri, Saadia Ladib, Aziz Hattab, Nora Skalli. Batoul a 28-year old woman falls in love. She is raised in a middle class but conservative family, where it is considered immoral to go out with a man before marriage. But when she meets Hamza, she lets herself go and brreaks all family principles. This story could have ended quickly if the matter of the veil hadn’t slipped in their relationship (free)

CLOCK CULTURE EVENTS:

13^th March 2010 -16^th May 2010

Architectonic Maroc A watercolour and line-drawing exhibition by Mathy Engelen

17^th April 2010 -16^th May 2010

Whirling Dervishes Charcoal + pastel sketches by Aicha Bertrand

Dhiker Photography exhibition by Robert S. Harison

CLOCK CULTURE  COURSES:

Dance Belly Dance Workshop with Saida. Private lessons by arrangement

Calligraphy Discover the sacred art of calligraphy with the master Mohamed Charkaoui. Private lessons by arrangement. Speak to café manager for details.

Yoga Speak to café manager for details.

1001 Arabian Nights

This weekend, two of the talented singers who performed for British Director, Tim Supple at Cafe Clock will travel to Rabat to audition for the musical production, 1001 Arabian Nights. How thrilling! Fes’ very own Zanouba and Adil have been invited to join a hand-picked group of musicians, singers, actors and specialty performers to vie for a coveted spot in the upcoming show.

It was a combination of their awesome vocal skills and innate stage presence that landed them the invitation. Singing in the comforting and supportive environment of Cafe Clock was the first important step in their journey to potential stardom. Cafe Clock owner Mike Richardson will accompany them to the audition where they will join dozens of other hopeful and talented Moroccans vying for a place in the production.

Good luck Zanouba and Adil!!!