Cheb Khaled, Kylie Minogue kick off star-studded Mawazine festival
2009-05-18
Music fans from across the kingdom flocked to Rabat to enjoy the 2009 edition of the Mawazine festival. Performers include Warda, Kylie Minogue, Cheb Khaled and Stevie Wonder.
By Hassan Benmehdi for Magharebia in Rabat – 18/05/09
 [Getty Images] Kylie Minogue performs at the opening night of Festival Mawazine 2009, May 15. |
Mounia, Hamza, and Nacer came all the way from Casablanca to enjoy the festivities of the Eighth Mawazine festival. Standing outside the Qamra stage, where Cheb Khaled, the Algerian king of Raï performed on Saturday (May 16th), they echoed sentiments felt by many other young attendees.
"We couldn’t wait for Khaled and Kylie Minogue, the Australian Madonna," Mounia said.
People came in huge numbers from cities across the kingdom to attend the shows, particularly Casablanca, Marrakech, Fez and Tangiers.
Over the first three days, young Moroccans caught up with Kylie Minogue, Cheb Khaled, Warda Al Jazairia, former UB40 frontman Ali Campbell, and White Zulu’s Johnny Clegg. They paid between 100 and 500 dirhams for this chance to enjoy themselves and to get away from it all. With caps, water and supplies, they laid siege to Rabat.
The festival, entitled "Rhythms of the World", opened Friday on the splendid Bouregreg stage with a concert by musical genius Ennio Morricone, accompanied by a 90-member Moroccan choir. Then Australian pop star Kylie Minogue performed on the OLM Souissi stage.
Organisers said about 50,000 people attended Khaled's concert, 40,000 turned up for Minogue and more than 30,000 for Warda.
"It was like being in a dream for a few hours," said Amine, who came with friends Nadia and Yahia-- all students from Rabat. "I did all I could to make sure I see Kylie and Khaled. Long live Khaled.
In a press statement, Minogue described the Moroccan public, whom she met for the first time, as a "fantastic audience".
"It was a real honour for me to take part in this fantastic festival," she said.
The organisers say that they have pushed the envelope this year to offer something for every taste, and to give the Moroccan public a whole gamut of universal cultures, "all based around the single theme of tolerance."
"The spirit of the festival was to affirm the universal language of music, which preaches tolerance and dialogue between cultures above everything else," said the festival’s artistic director Aziz Daki.
More Arab and international music icons are scheduled to perform this year, including Samira Said, and Kazem Essaher.
Stevie Wonder is scheduled to perform the closing concert on May 23.
The festival awarded the renowned singer Warda Al Jazairia, the Wissam Royal, a prestigious award given by King Mohammed VI.
"I love this country," Al Jazairia said after the concert, "and I’m deeply touched by the royal gesture. It’s like getting a crown, which I shall wear for the rest of my life."
Email to a friend
Print version
hamza Posted 2009-05-20
You are innocents you.
طلباني عزالدبن Posted 2009-05-21
I come back and say how can we boost music while even the low wage, very low wage wasn't given to teachers of music in music institutions in our dear country. As to the negligence of these music institutions, this is a real loss of world artistic competencies. Talbani Azzeddine, music teacher, cultural complex of Anfa, Casablanca.
Moroccan Patriot Posted 2009-05-24
The Mawazine concerts are a complete waste of money and created a danger to everyone who lives in Rabat. Kids were wandering the streets drinking and doing doing drugs. They also molested girls who were also wandering around at very late hours. The police were completely overwhelmed. Then you start seeing a segment of society that I had never before seen, men on 103 scooters whizzing by with their girlfriends on the back seats; women who were clearly intoxicated walking around unescorted. Men starting fights with one another for seemingly no reason. There was noise emenating from these "free concerts" which brought together every criminal, rapist, drug addict and alcoholic in a 100 mile radius of Rabat to have a free hand at criminal activity for the night. This festival was a public nuisance at best and a criminal enterprise at worst. Give the people some free music and they will forget that they have no jobs the next day... great logic.
مهدي Posted 2009-05-24
I love Cheb Khaled from the bottom of my heart. I love his nice songs. He has a very attractive voice. I love him so much. Thank you.
hasna Posted 2009-05-26
Well, I loved Mawazine this year. But, what I love most is the guy who was dancing next to DJ Al Qamra. I have truly fallen in love. I hope he comes back next year. I await him with passion.
SIMO Posted 2009-05-26
The fanatics on both sides, the ones who thought that the Moroccan people were beginning to believe in their nonsense and that they would accept being buried alive to conform to their macabre way of seeing life, must be pulling their beards out. No, the people are still alive: they love life, they think about life, they love to laugh, to have fun, to have a good, happy, cheerful time like everyone else in the world. "Hell is other people", wrote Sartre. In Morocco there are other people; there are obscurantists and fanatical Islamists. At the very least, they try to be our hell, but we completely ignore them and their retrograde, obnoxious ideas.
hassouna/saraha raha Posted 2009-06-23
I am really in love with you Hasnaa the lover. A great article. Thank you.
We welcome your comments on Magharebia's articles.
It is our hope that you will use this forum to interact with other readers across the Maghreb. In order to keep this experience interesting, we ask you to follow the rules outlined in the comments policy. By submitting comments, you are consenting to these rules. While Magharebia.com encourages discussion on all subjects, including sensitive ones, the comments posted are solely the views of those submitting them. Magharebia.com does not necessarily endorse or agree with the ideas, views, or opinions voiced in these comments. This is a moderated forum. Comments deemed abusive, offensive, or those containing profanity may not be published.
Magharebia's Comments Policy