The 21st edition of the International Festival of Traditional World Music opened on Friday evening in Volubilis, near Meknes, with the participation of a host of Moroccan and foreign artists and music groups.
Placed under the High Patronage of King Mohammed VI, this artistic event, initiated by the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication (Department of Culture) in partnership with the Fez-Meknes Regional Council, takes place on the site archeology of Volubilis and in Meknes.
Various artistic performances were presented during the opening ceremony of the festival at the archaeological site of Volubilis, including an artistic painting entitled “Night in colors of Volubilis”, and a presentation of the dance “Taskiwin”, as intangible world heritage .
On the program for this edition are artistic evenings hosted by folk artists and troupes from Morocco and abroad, including Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Spain and France.
Speaking on this occasion, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, Abdelilah Afifi, stressed that this event is an opportunity to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the inscription of the archaeological site of Volubilis on the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of nine Moroccan archaeological sites that have been the subject of this international registration.
Mr. Afifi also praised the efforts of all the partners and actors who contributed to the organization of the festival and to establish it as a space for cultural mixing, while highlighting the values of openness, coexistence and tolerance which have always characterized the Kingdom’s relations with its regional, Arab and international environment, and the various cultures and human civilizations.
For his part, the President of the Council of the Fez-Meknes region, Abdelouahed El Ansari, highlighted the tourist and cultural assets of the region, specifying that it has an important civil and cultural heritage, which led UNESCO to classify Fez, Meknes and Volubilis as world heritage sites.
The organization of the festival is a real opportunity to enhance the region’s heritage and highlight its cultural potential, he continued, recalling that this event represents a bridge of dialogue between different cultures and civilizations.
This event is part of the festivals organized by the Ministry as part of its strategy to preserve cultural and artistic heritage and protect intangible heritage in its various creative and expressive manifestations.
Organized in collaboration with the Prefectural Council of Meknes, the municipality of Meknes and the municipality Mechoir Stinia, this festival aims to strengthen artistic creativity and openness to world cultures through artistic dialogue.
The International Festival of Traditional Music of the World of Volubilis is part of artistic events such as the Festival of Jerash and the Festival of Carthage, and constitutes an annual meeting to build bridges between the past, present and future, and to celebrate the cultural heritage. in its various forms.
It aims to highlight the tourist, civilizational and historical characteristics of the sites and territorial and geographical spaces of Volubilis, Zerhoun, and Meknes.
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