Latest news with #FNAP2025
Morocco World
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Morocco World
One Heart, One Land: FNAP 2025 Continues to Dance to Rhythm of Morocco's Roots
Marrakech – Three days in, and FNAP 2025 keeps unfolding like a Moroccan melody; rich in harmony, complex in rhythm, and deeply rooted in heritage. After two nights of euphoric performances at El Badi Palace and Place El Guerguerate, Day 3 brought the Festival National des Arts Populaires (FNAP) to Ibn Abbad High School in Marrakech, a new setting that delivered a new kind of magic. The moment you stepped foot inside the school, you're immediately greeted by a swirl of sounds, sights, and sensations. Performers from every region of Morocco, who had filled the stages of El Badi the past two nights, now stood together in the same courtyard. The air was alive with conversations, laughter, and most importantly music. Gnaoua players jammed next to Reggada. Sahraoui singers danced alongside Amazigh Ahidous. Dialects and rhythms overlapped, but never clashed. It was a melting pot, a true Moroccan blend. Like a daytime version of a night at Jemaa El Fna, Day 3 was electric, spontaneous, and grounded in centuries of history. FNAP 2025 Day 3 Among the many stories unfolding in real time, one stood out; a performer from Tazkioui under the Tizra association in Chichaoua. Dressed in traditional Tazkiwin attire, he spoke with Morocco World News (MWN) about his group's generational war dance. 'We inherited this music, this craft from our grandfathers. One father passes this to his children. This group began during the French colonial period, that's why we call it the war dance.' Pointing to the boy beside him, he added: 'That's my son performing with me today. This robe 'Tazkiwin' I wear is not even my father's – it's his grandfather's. This 'Khenjar' and this bullet hole, they symbolize our resistance at that time.' Inside the school, a gathering of performers, press, and officials culminated in an appreciation ceremony. FNAP President Mohamed Knidiri and special guest Saida Charaf thanked the artists, the organizing association Grand Atlas, which also celebrated its 40th anniversary, and the cultural institutions supporting this legacy. Charaf's presence brought joy. Addressing the performers directly, she said, 'We grew up on your performances. On our culture. There is love between us from every part of the country.' She added that, while she's sung on many stages, FNAP tops the list: 'I wish I had performed at every Moroccan festival, but this one is on top.' United under one Morocco Later that day, a formal press conference was held at Zalagh Kasbah Hotel. Knidiri reflected on the evolution of FNAP, noting how the festival began integrating star artists in 1999 to expand its reach as they brought singer Nouamane Lahlou to lead the festival last year. This year, for the first time ever, a woman, Saida Charaf, was chosen to lead the festival. 'We needed someone with expertise, someone who understands Morocco's popular arts, and even better, Saida Charaf, represents the Moroccan Sahara ,' he said. FNAP 2025 Day 3 Charaf described El Badi Palace during FNAP as 'a mini Morocco.' To her, grasping a nation's history starts with understanding its music. And Morocco, with its 12 centuries of history, sings with layered complexity. Then came a standout moment. As her upcoming Sahraoui-inspired album and music video premiered in the hotel conference room, El Guedra group began to dance. Journalists and organizers joined in. What was meant to be a screening turned into an improvised celebration. Charaf announced the release of her album later this year, as well as a new cultural television where she interviews artists from across the country. When asked about harmony among Morocco's diverse musical identities, she told MWN: 'One Morocco unites us. One heart. That's why our rhythms complement each other. From the pentatonic scales of Agadir to the Sahraoui Faou and Liyin scales, to Amakal and Jebala's Hijaz, our music carries the same soul, it's all similar and blends very well together. Even the Rokba rhythms of Ouarzazate and those of Guelmim share striking similarities. It's not a coincidence. We are one land.' As she shared this, her former music teacher surprisingly stood up from the crowd, spontaneously explaining the scales and styles in an emotional moment that only deepened the festival's central message, Morocco's cultural wealth living and breathing. Day 3 of FNAP offered a new space, a deeper understanding. As the melodies of Marrakech continue, the country will follow suit in dancing to the rhythm of its roots. Tags: cultural heritageMarrakechMoroccan MusicNAP 2025Saida charaf
Morocco World
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Morocco World
FNAP 2025: A Second Night of Song, Story, and Shared Roots
Marrakech – Day 2 of the 54th Festival National des Arts Populaires picked up where the night before left off, but this time, the celebration split into two parallel beats. At Place El Guerguerate Hay Massira, a new stage welcomed an equally electrified crowd. From the soothing rhythms of Gnaoua to the spiritual chants of Dakka Marrakchia, the energy of Reggada, and the vibrant fusion of the Afro dance group, the atmosphere turned Marrakech streets into a sacred space. The lineup flowed from genre to genre, each rooted in tradition, yet interpreted for today's Morocco. The performers embodied stories, terrains, and spirits of their homes through their music. Meanwhile, back at Palais El Badi, the day one performer returned to the historic stage, but this time, to an even fuller house. Every seat was taken. The rest stood, sang, danced, and clapped along, refusing to be just an audience. 'There was no space to sit,' one guest told Morocco World News, 'This event pushes us to learn about our culture, our history, our regions, and why we do what we do.' Heritage is something to live, pass on, and reinvent And that's where the spirit of FNAP lies. Now in its 54th edition, the festival remains true to its mission: honoring Morocco's 'Patrimoines immatériels en mouvement,' its intangible cultural heritage in motion. Whether it's the elegance of Ahidous music, the poetic energy of Ahouach, or the acrobatic storytelling of the Oulad Sidi Hmad ou Moussa group, each performance reminds us that heritage is not something to archive. It's something to live, pass on, and reinvent. Among the many voices echoing through the festival was that of iconic Moroccan singer Khadija El Warzaziya, who told Morocco World News (MWN), 'FNAP 2025 is amazing, too beautiful, too perfect.' Then, laughing, she added: 'Nadi Canadi.' The second night was more than a repetition of the first. It was a reaffirmation. In a world that too often rushes forward without looking back, FNAP 2025 reminds us that culture is not static. It's rhythm. It's memory. It's joy shared in art. And in Marrakech this week, it's contagious. Tags: FNAPFNAP 2025heritageMoroccoMorocco Music
Morocco World
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Morocco World
FNAP 2025 Opens Doors to Celebration of Morocco's Musical Soul
Marrakech – As the first rhythms echoed across the ancient stones of El Badi Palace this Friday night, it became immediately clear that this wasn't just another festival , it was the heartbeat keeping Moroccan musical heritage alive. The opening night of the 54th Festival National des Arts Populaires (FNAP) marked the beginning of a five-day celebration of Moroccan heritage and a revival of the soul of the nation. Under the theme 'Patrimoines immatériels en mouvement' (Intangible cultural heritage in motion), this year's edition bridges ancestral memory with modern-times. Organized by Association Le Grand Atlas in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication, FNAP 2025 brings together over 750 artists from across Morocco and beyond, including a special performance by a visiting troupe from China. In a show of cross-cultural appreciation, the night included a visiting musical group from China. The night began with Arabic poetry. As the Moroccan national anthem played, the audience rose in unison, then softly broke into 'Sla wa slam A'la Rassol Allah,' echoing like a sacred refrain across the historic palace. Soon after, the Chinese dragon dance swept across the stage, a gesture of friendship and intercultural dialogue. But when the Moroccan troupes took over; Ahidous, Ahouach, Reggada, Guedra, Mizane, Gnaoua , the palace trembled with life. Each performance brought more than dance or music. They told stories of love, loss, war, harvest, resistance, migration, and rebirth. Each performance was a ship taking us to the region that music came from. It was the Reggada (traditional dance troupe) of Oujda that sent feet flying. An Ahwash (traditional Amazigh music) group from Tafraoute followed as a unified moving body of rhythm and chants, followed by a local Gnaoua group from Marrakech that shook the ground with chants and the sound of krakebs that felt like spells. From the melodic yells of Amazigh group Aouad Ait Baamrane to the romantic ballads of Tisset Tata, every performance was a window into a distinct cultural world. The Aabidat R'ma of Oued Zem group had the crowd clapping and laughing uncontrollably, mixing music with comic relief and audience participation in a way only they know how. The night also included heartfelt tributes. Cultural icons such as Rokiya Al Gadir, Abdessamad Leguessiss, and the leader of Ahwash Tissent Tata were honored on stage. The applause that followed felt less like celebration and more like collective gratitude. From the seats of El Badi, one could see the past and present collide in real time. Young people danced beside elders, tourists smiled in awe, famous figures such as singer Fouad Zbadi and Actor Abdellah Farkouss witnessed their culture prevail in front of their eyes, and artists stood tall in their traditional garb. Their heritage on full display, not in a museum, but in motion. As the night unfolded, the opening ceremony of FNAP 54th edition revealed itself as a living, breathing portrait of Morocco – a celebration of rhythm, memory, and rich culture. Tags: Ahwashcultural musicFNAP 2025GnaouaMarrakechOujda ReggadaTafroute
