The curtain rose on Tuesday evening on the 13th edition of the Arab Theater Festival, which is being held in Casablanca until January 16, a renewed opportunity for encounters between Arab playwrights in Morocco.
This event, organized under the High Patronage of King Mohammed VI, by the Arab Theater Authority in partnership with the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, had been postponed to 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Covid-19.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Bensaid pointed out that this is the most important demonstration on an Arab scale, initiated thanks to Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Emir of Sharjah and member of the Supreme Council of the state of the United Arab Emirates.
This event is being held for the second time in Morocco, land of peace, encounter and tolerance, he continued, recalling that Rabat hosted the 7th edition in 2015.
“We are happy to welcome this great festival created to disseminate, through the language of theatre, the values of peace and tolerance”, specified the Minister, maintaining that this high quality event in the Arab world, placed under the theme “towards a new and renewed theatre”, is a solemn call for the promotion of Arab theater and the development of its mechanisms, so that it interacts with current and future issues.
He also praised Arab women and men of theater for their efforts to promote the creativity and performance of the “Father of the Arts”, as well as Moroccan playwrights who spare no effort to improve their performance.
For his part, the Secretary General of the Arab Theater Authority, Ismail Abdellah, indicated that the Kingdom has been present since the first edition of the festival on the artistic and intellectual levels, stressing that Moroccan playwrights have also been active in the elaboration of the Arab strategy for the development of theater and in the implementation of the strategy for the development of school theater in the Arab world.
For his part, the Director General of ICESCO, Salem Ben Mohammed El Malek, considered that Arab theater is a natural heir to Arab tales drawn especially from the “Maqamat” of Al Hariri and Al Hamadhani, noting that the Arab theater is called to play greater roles in a world full of challenges.
As for the Director General of the Arab Organization for Education, Culture and Science (ALECSO), Mohamed Ould Amar, he stressed the need to find new formulas for the development of the theatrical art by engaging the debate on the future of theater after the Covid-19 health crisis.
And to add that the importance of the theater lies in the fact that it carries noble human values and represents a means of cultural development.
The opening ceremony was marked by the reading by the great Iraqi artist and director Jawad Al-Assadi of the message of the Arab Theater Day, which described the roles of the “Father of the arts”, the magic of knowledge drama and the struggle for life and freedom.
In this message carrying the deep meanings of the role of the fourth art, Al-Assadi also underlined the pioneering role of Morocco and its leadership in the field of theatre.
On this occasion, a vibrant tribute was paid to the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid and to Al-Assadi.
Tributes were also paid to 10 Moroccan artists who have contributed to enriching the national theatrical scene through their works, namely Nouzha Regragui, Fatma El Ghalia Charradi, Malika El-Omari, Abderrazak El Badaoui, Mohamed Tsouli, Mustapha Zaari, Mustapha Dassoukine, Abdelilah Ajil, Mohamed El Jem and Mohamed Belhissi.
On the program of this festival, which brings together Arab theater artists as well as representatives of Arab and international cultural institutions, is the presentation of 16 theatrical plays, in addition to other works in the running for the Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi (2022) and many Moroccan coins.
In addition, this event will also be marked by the organization of several seminars to discuss the theatrical plays presented, signing ceremonies for 12 books and works related to Moroccan theater and training workshops.