Morocco’s cultural scene had a vibrant year with several government backed artistic initiatives and private festivals.
Celebrating music, cinema, and other various forms of arts, here are this year’s cultural highlights.
Starting with a recent event that will forever be engraved in Moroccans’ memories, director Asmae El Moudir became the first Moroccan holder of the Etoile d’Or trophy, an award handed to her at the international film festival of marrakech, which no Moroccan has ever won. Not only, her film, “Mother of all lies’ ‘, a docu-fiction on years of lead, is sweeping awards left and right in international venues.
L’étoile d’Or happens to be the most prestigious award at FIFM.
2022’s edition of L’Boulevard music festival was a tragic memory that many won’t ever forget, as it was marked with violence and chaos.
However, this year, everything went rather well at the festival venue. The stadium RUC of Casablanca, was reinforced with hundreds of police officers and private security personnel, making it a successful edition.
While many know Peggy Gou’s song “Like Nanana”, they’re not aware that it was played for the first time in Morocco.
What has now become a summer anthem, DJ Peggy Gou’s “Like Nanana”, was played live for the first time on June 6th, in Agafay’s desert of Marakech, as the final act of the Lost Nomads electronic music festival.
The song, now a global sensation, was shared with a Moroccan crowd first, with Darbuka players adding their own sound to the live session of the international star, korean Peggy Gou.
This year, the ministry of culture held several free access musical celebrations, such as the “Home is Africa” concert in Bouregreg featuring a star studded lineup composed of Manal Benchlikha, L’artiste who unveiled his now big hit “Zerzor” for the first time, Maitre Gims and more.
Additionally, this year the ministry paid special attention to heritage, celebrated through “Nostalgia”, an unprecedented theatrical performance at the kasbah of Chellah featuring live scenes of how ancient Moroccan civilisations lived.
Chellah also hosted Morocco’s first drone show as part of the “Rabat capital of African culture” celebrations.
Besides ministry initiatives, Jazzablanca, held in Casablanca, brought together international talents to celebrate Jazz fusion in a rich edition.
The lineup featured international pop star Mika, French band La Femme, Moroccan Ganoua master Mehdi Nassouli and more.
In the middle of all this joy, Morocco was struck with a tragic earthquake in Al Haouz region, taking the lives of many.
Several institutions donated significant amounts of money to the cause, in an attempt to help alleviate the suffering of the region’s residents.
Visa for Music in particular, a Rabat based music festival celebrating African and Arab music, donated all of its revenues to the quake’s aid fund, showing true support in times of hardships.
Back to cinema celebrations, this year’s Tangier national film festival showed up in a unique manner, with newly implemented categories celebrating both professionals and cinema students alike.
With many more cultural celebrations than the ones mentioned above, Morocco continues to give great value to culture, as a significant economic pillar.
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