Cultural excursions | Culture Vultures Fez

Photography Exhibition opens at the french Institute.

15 05 2013

The Transes Aneho, 2013

Dany Leriche and Jean Michel Fickinger

Opening: Friday, May 17, 18:30, Gallery of the Institute
Exhibition from May 17 to June 17, 2013

For many years, Dany Leriche and Jean-Michel Fickinger travered Africa to collect images that bear the signs and the looks of those who seek the space between heaven and earth, the Dust Gods. The images were taken in Togo during the Festival of Black Gods. Voodoo followers of Divinity Kokou use knives in trance: for instance, if they pretend to stab themselves, it is a reminder of how they died. And if they seem insensitive to blows, is that they are not quite there in the flesh: they are living images …

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Tags: exhibitions fes, French Institute Fez, photography Morocco
Categories : Art Projects, Cultural excursions, Current Exhibitions, General Fez Culture News, what to do in Fez, whats on in Fez

Master Musicians Of Joujouka Festival 2013

26 04 2013

The Joujouka Festival began in 2008 to mark the 40th anniversary of the visit by Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones and has been held annually since. Jones recorded the group during his stay and the resulting Brian Jones Presents The Pipes Of Pan At Joujouka is widely regarded as one of the first world music albums.

Other visitors to the village over the years include writers and artists Brion Gysin, William S Burroughs and Timothy Leary, who all wrote of their experiences after being entranced by the sacred music. There are plenty of reasons why the Joujouka festival is unlike any other you’ll experience but one is that it’s a festival in reverse: a small number of people watch the same band for three days. Up close.
So, when you come to Joujouka for the festival, you’re not just following in the footsteps of Paul Bowles, Brion Gysin, William Burroughs, Brian Jones and some of the world’s most challenging artists. You’re experiencing the unique healing power of the music of the Masters in its purest possible form.

The next Master Musicians of Joujouka Festival takes place from 14-16 June 2013 For the last six years Moroccan sufi trance group the Master Musicians Of Joujouka have held an annual festival for an international crowd of music lovers to experience their music in an intimate setting. This year’s event still has a limited number of spaces available.

The festival is held in the Musicians’ village, based in the picturesque rolling hills of the Ahl Serif mountains in northern Morocco, near Ksar El Kebir, offering guests a unique opportunity to witness the music of the “400 year old rock n roll band” over three days and nights.

The music played in the village is said to date back to the 15th century, when the Sufi saint Sidi Ahmed Schiech arrived and taught the Masters’ ancestors music which could heal. Today’s group of Master Musicians are blessed with the Baraka or spirit of their saint, who is buried in the village. In 2011 the group travelled to England to perform on the main Pyramid stage at Glastonbury. For the annual festival in Joujouka visitors spend three days with the Musicians in their homes

For more information and booking details visit: http://www.joujouka.org/

original article by VVF

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Tags: festival pilgrimage morocco, joujouka morocco, traditional music morocco
Categories : Concerts/Performances, Cultural excursions, Festivals, Moroccan Artists

Green Day- check this out.

23 04 2013

Green Day. May 5th.

Registrations still open. Limited seats.
For furthermore information, Contact:
Mostafa Bakkali Ferchakhi 0617144074
Ali Gala : 0667741520

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Tags: farm fez, green day fes, green day fez, green fez. organic fez
Categories : Concerts/Performances, Cultural excursions, General Fez Culture News, Moroccan Artists, Uncategorized, what to do in Fez, whats on in Fez

Artist and Writers Retreat at the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music

16 04 2013

Sacred Song – Sacred Story.

An artists and writers retreat in Conjunction with the Sacred Music Festival of Fez, from 7 – 15 of June. 2013

In January 2013 Australian Jan Cornall brought her first group of writers to Morocco on a 12 day journey from Fes to Marrakech via Cafe Tissardmine, an artist’s retreat near Erg Chebbi. With her company Writer’s Journey, Jan also runs annual retreats to Bali, Laos, Burma and Fiji.

Jan and writers with the crew at Cafe Tissardmine

Two days in Fes was all she needed to know she wanted to come back as soon as possible.

Jan returns this June with another group of writers and artists in tow. Each morning her writing and creativity workshops will take their inspiration from afternoon and evening concerts at the Fes Sacred Music Festival.

Jan is inviting artists and writers of all genres: poets, songsters, novelists, travel writers, visual artists, performers, photojournalists; anyone who is interested in exploring the relationship between sound and voice, story and song, composition and structure as well as other synergies between music, art and writing craft.

The morning workshops will take place on the terrace at Riad Rcif, a wonderfully restored former palace in the heart of the Fes medina. Participants can stay at Riad Rcif or choose the budget option to arrange their own accommodation.

If you want to join Jan’s retreat it is important to book asap. All info here:http://www.writersjourney.com.au/journeys/singing-up-story-in-fes/

Original Article VVF

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Categories : Art Projects, Artists' Call-out, Conferences, Cultural excursions, Current Exhibitions, Festivals, General Fez Culture News, Literature Readings, what to do in Fez, whats on in Fez, workshops/courses

Gnaoua Festival – Essouira 2013

9 04 2013

The 14^th Gnaoua and world Music Festival will take place from the 23^rd to the 26^th June, and celebrates the music of the Gnaoua, with performers including the best local and international musicians of the genre. Gnaoua music is the product of a mystic tradition, its branches as widespread as Haitian Voodoo and Brazilian Candomblé.

Gnaoua music originated through the meeting of African magic and Islamic rituals. The Gnaoua ‘brotherhoods’ form a structured unit around their ‘master’, and he leads the music and dancing until the musicians are in a trance-induced state, mesmerised by the rhythms of the drums, lute (gumbri) and castanets (KaraKab).

During religious ceremonies, Gnaouas have been known to beat their heads with iron balls and impale themselves on swords without sustaining any visible signs of injury, but the Essaouira Festival does not feature such extreme performances! It focuses purely on the musical elements of the Gnaoua traditions and its influence on African-inspired musicians.

The Gnaoua and World Music Festival has been running for 14 years, featuring various types of music from the traditional Moroccan Gnaoua music through to Jazz, Pop and Rock. Many of the concerts take place on stages in the main square and on the beach – both of which are free of charge, but there are also more intimate ticketed concerts available. For further details of the programme for this year, see the official Gnaoua Festival website.

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Tags: essouira, festivl gnaoua mrocco, gnaoua, Morocco, morocco festival.
Categories : Concerts/Performances, Cultural excursions, Festivals, local arts, Moroccan Artists, Perfromance

10th Timitar Festival – Agadir

2 04 2013

Actively working towards promoting the Souss Massa Draa culture, the district council of the Agadir Under Massa Draa initiated the Timitar Festival as a cultural project for Amazigh artists and world musicians to meet. It honors artists coming from all over the world including Africa, South America, Europe and the Middle East in order to offer the Agadir audience the best of Amazigh traditional music, modern music from the Maghreb and elsewhere, and even rap, jazz and hip hop.

Until the mid 1990’s when they pressed the King publicly for their cultural traditions to be respected, the majority of Berbers – or Amazigh – went unrecognised in North Africa. Since then there has been increased awareness in tourism in the Southern region, recognition of their language in schools, and larger respect from Arab Moroccans and foreigners with regards their cuisine, rug making and silver traditions.

Timitar Festival stages three open air venues throughout Agadir, and has produced 46 concerts since its inception. Each June, music can be enjoyed at the central Place al Amar, Place Bijaouane and the Theatre de Verdure. Eclectic musical styles such as Indian, Spanish, Cuban Jazz and Hip-Hop are presented, as well as Moroccan cultural music including Berber and Gnaoua . Also including sounds and images with DJ and VJ sets – the diverse Festival line up promises an exciting venture into a deeply cultural Morocco in the summer!

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Timitar festival web page