The 52nd edition of the National Festival of Popular Arts (FNAP) will be held from June 22 to 26 in Marrakech, under the theme “The secrets of dances and gestures”, with the participation of 35 folk troupes representing the different regions of the Kingdom, announced the organizers.
Organized under the high patronage of King Mohammed VI by the “Le Grand Atlas” Association, in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, this edition, of which Germany will be the guest of honor and which will also see the participation of an African troupe, reflects the efforts to promote this event which is one of the largest and oldest festivals that contribute to the preservation of the national cultural heritage, they specified during a press conference dedicated to shedding light on this new edition.
This 2023 edition will be marked by the participation of 670 artists, the highest number having taken part in this festival since its creation in 1960, they added, indicating that it will take place at the Royal Theater as the official site of the festival. instead of the Badii Palace due to ongoing rehabilitation works in this historic site.
The speakers at this press conference also insisted on the need to support this Festival, which constitutes an annual meeting place for folk groups, and to work to strengthen its cultural animation mechanisms, explaining that this event represents a bridge cultural communication with the other world popular arts and a showcase for the enhancement of the heritage that abounds in each region of the Kingdom, through the participating troupes.
The organizing committee will take care during the next editions to hold conferences and meetings-debates around the popular arts and the cultural heritage of Morocco and this within the framework of the program of this event, they said.
This 52nd edition will also see the organisation, within the framework of the social action initiative of the “Grand Atlas” Association, of a visit by the participating artists to Dar Al Bir wal Ihssan (Hay Mohammadi) and at the child’s home in Bab Ghmat.