As the Kingdom of Morocco mourns the death of more than 2,000 people found under the rubble following the devastating earthquake that struck the country on Friday evening, all cultural activities were put on hold, as the country directs its focus exclusively on the relief efforts.
In line with King Mohammed VI’s instructions and response to the immense tragedy, Morocco has decided to postpone all the cultural activities, including music festivals, cultural gatherings, and sports events that were scheduled in the coming days and weeks.
Hassan Harnan, the Regional Director of the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication in Marrakech told MoroccoLatestNews that “all the activities have been suspended. No activity will be held at this moment due to the disaster. Everyone now has shifted their attention towards assessing the events that occurred recently, including the condition of the cultural buildings.”
Harnan confirmed that “All the activities will be postponed until October 10th.”
The Director stressed that the activities that were scheduled for this period, including the daily cultural events held at Dar Attakafa and regional festivals, “have been postponed and not canceled, as we wait to see what unfolds.”
This decision is taken as the nation collectively grieves the lives claimed by the catastrophic earthquake that hit the region of Al-Haouz, showcasing solidarity and empathy towards those affected by the incident.
Harnan highlighted the importance of the nation coming together at these hard times to support one another. He said, “It is impossible to celebrate while others are grieving.”
In this regard, the National Folklore Festival that was supposed to take place in Kelaâ of the Sraghna was put on hold, as they wait to see how the situation unfolds, according to the Regional Director of the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication in Marrakech.
Harnan added that the daily cultural activities, including poetry readings and book signing events at Dar Attakafa, have been suspended until the situation becomes clearer.
The Timitar Festival in Agadir is canceled following the disaster event
In response to the catastrophic 7-magnitude earthquake that stuck various regions of Morocco, on Friday evening, Timitar Festival authorities announced the official cancellation of all pre-planned artistic events scheduled for Saturday evening at both Place Al Amal and the Theatre de Verdure in the city of Agadir.
According to the official statement issued by the organizing committee of the Timitar Festival on Saturday, it was stated that “Due to the painful events that our country has witnessed, the Timitar Festival association has suspended Friday night’s performances. In addition, the association has decided to call off the scheduled performances for Saturday.”
Right after the Tragedy, Najwa Karwa, the Lebanese singer, went on stage on Friday and informed her audience that the official authorities decided to cancel her concert due to the earthquake in order to ensure the safety of the attendees, as shown in video footage shared on X.
In solidarity with the victims of the tragic earthquake, all the artistic activities and festivals that were scheduled during this period have been put off.
Fez International Music Festival is canceled
The Foundation of “the Spirit of Fez” announced on Saturday the postponement of the Fez International Music Festival that was scheduled for September 15 in Fez due to the harrowing earthquake.
According to the statement issued by the Foundation, “In response to the catastrophe that our country is going through, the ‘Spirit of Fez’ Foundation, its president, all the artists, and its partners express their deepest condolences to the families of the quake victims, and wish a speedy recovery to all those injured.”
In this regard, the festival is put on hold until further notice, according to the same statement.
Sports events are put on hold
In the aftermath of the disaster, the Royal Moroccan Equestrian Federation has decided to cancel the scheduled official competitions for Sunday, due to the earthquake that hit several regions of the Kingdom late Friday night.
According to the statement issued by the federation, the 3-star show-jumping competition at the Cavalry Club in Casablanca, as well as the official ‘1-star’ show-jumping competition at the Ben Messik Sidi Othmane Club were canceled.
The statement included that the competition for horses aged between 4 and 7, which was supposed to take place on September 12 and 13 at the Cavalry Club in Casablanca has been postponed to September 14 and 15.
The Royal Moroccan Federation of Football also announced the postponement of the match between Morocco and Liberia, which was supposed to happen on Saturday evening in the city of Agadir as part of the final round of qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations “Côte d’Ivoire 2024”.
In the midst of national grief, the country needs to allocate all the available resources and attention to emergency response efforts to provide aid and support to the victims of the quake.
Swift actions are taken to assist those in need. Rescue teams, both local and international, are collaborating to extract the victims who are still trapped under the rubble and to provide medical aid to the injured.