- Title: MOROCCO: Rabat hosts a night of traditional Amazigh music
- Date: 12th May 2009
- Summary: WIDE OF SHOW HOSTS MOHAMMED DASSER, ARTIST AND ONE OF SHOW HOSTS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MOHAMED DASSER, AN AMAZIGH ARTIST, SAYING: "When Morocco got its independence, there was a fear from the Amazigh language that was considered merely as marginal dialects. The proof is that many works by some great Amazigh artists such as Haj Belaid and other big names from the south and from the Atlas Mountains were destroyed. These works were recorded during the colonial period but could not be found in the archives of the Moroccan Radio."
- Embargoed: 27th May 2009 13:00
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- Location: Morocco
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- Country: Morocco
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- Reuters ID: LVABAGSUGYMMOV5XH0E6E37XCNZ0
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- Story Text: The Moroccan Amazigh (Berber) music is still under rated despite its popularity and its huge following.
Although its one of the most ancient and diverse forms of music in North Africa, the Moroccan Amazigh (Berber) is still considered to be under-rated despite its popularity and its following in the region.
The music is often associated with the Amazigh, widely known internationally as Berbers.
Mohammed Dasser, a multi-talented Amazigh artist, was one of the hosts of the Amazigh Music night at the Mohammed V National Theatre in Rabat on Saturday (May 9).
"When Morocco got its' independence more than 50 years ago, there was a fear the Amazigh language was dismissed as a marginal dialect. The proof is that many works by some great Amazigh artists such as Haj Belaid and other big names from the South and from the Atlas Mountains were destroyed."
"These works were recorded during the colonial period but could not be found in the archives of Moroccan Radio."
The Amazigh music relies heavily on its lyrics that deal with all aspects of life and also on its rhythms that move the listener and pushes him to interact with it, even if he does not understand the meaning of the words.
Karima Ben Abdennebi, an Amazigh from Essaouira in southwestern Morocco, went to the Amazigh Music night at the theatre to relive the music she used to listen to in her native area. Karima who danced and clapped during the whole show is proud of her roots and also of this music. She said that the lyrics in this music are a heritage in themselves.
"If you want to read them or do some research on them, you will need a very long time. We don't expect anyone to recognise our value because it exists," she said.
The Saturday night Amazigh music show was performed by the Moroccan Band for the Amazigh Symphony, a band of no less than 50 musicians, representing the Souss area in the South.
Another band was the Ahaidous from Ifrane in the Atlas Mountains and Sheikh Mabrouk Riffi from the Rif area in the North.
Most of the people who are interested by the Amazigh music have a bone to grind with the Moroccan television networks. They believe that Amazigh music is either badly portrayed or sometimes simply ignored.
Meryem Ait Abdelkrim, a researcher in Amazigh art and one of the show hosts believes that the Moroccan media is not giving enough credit to the Amazigh culture in general.
"The media is not giving enough importance to the Amazigh culture.
It's essential that the Amazigh language should be given some interest, particularly to its songs. As youth's, we should not look down at this culture" she said.
Throughout Morocco, music researchers are making huge strides to give Amazigh music a bigger place in Moroccan culture, but some fear it is only a matter of time before this music will be forgotten. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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