- Title: Fes hosts the 22nd edition of its annual renowned Sacred Music Festival.
- Date: 13th May 2016
- Summary: VARIOUS OF THE GIANT AFRICAN PUPPETS THE MAMAS WALKING THROUGH THE STREETS OF FES
- Embargoed: 28th May 2016 14:52
- Keywords: Music Festival Morocco Arts Entertainment Fes
- Location: FES, MOROCCO
- City: FES, MOROCCO
- Country: Morocco
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA0064HN4MZB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The Moroccan city of Fes is paying tribute to women's contribution to music around the world.
The Fes Sacred Music festival, this year under the theme "Women founders" offered a variety of sound and dance from performers from Ethiopia, Mali, Reunion, China, Lebanon and Italy amongst others.
Accompanied by the kayamb and a traditional guitar from Reunion, Christine Salem from the island of Reunion gave a moving performance.
She has become famous for breaking down barriers by singing former slave songs also known as Mayola - banned by the French authorities in Reunion and taking on an all-male tradition to make it her own.
Salem said she was pleased to be part of this year's festival because it gave women a big platform for their voices to be heard.
"In general, in Muslim countries, women have a very particular place. So in doing this festival, which is putting women in the spotlight allows more space and room for tolerance," she added.
Another African performer at the festival was award winning Malian singer, Oumou Sangare.
Sangare said music is a good platform to communicate issues about women.
"We believe that with music you can change lots of things. It is easier to change people's mentality with music than with weapons or with war. Music is soft and it is easy to use to pass on a message," added Sangare.
Festival director, Alain Weber said the female founders theme this year will help demystify cliches about the Arabic world and the role of women in Arabic society.
"Musicians convey many emotions when singing, including pleasure and ecstasy, and that is something that has always terrified society. So they are relegated to a certain lower category. But what we are trying to show in this festival is precisely the role that women used to play, and continue to play today in the world in Europe, in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East."
The festival, which runs from May 6-May 14 at different locations in Fes, will also include a series of lectures and debate around the role of women in music and the industry. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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