- Opening hours: Mon. to Fri. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Spiritual capital of the Kingdom, Fès continues its commitment to celebrating the universal values of peace and wisdom and is hosting the seventh edition of the Sufi Culture Festival from April 13 to 20. Initiated by the Fès Festival of Sufi Culture Association, this artistic and cultural event will be held this year around the theme "Spiritual Nourishment" (Qout al-Qouloub). This theme reflects the spirit of the festival which, through a multitude of Sufi forms, nourishes hearts and minds and leads them straight towards meditation and deep reflection on the universal conceptions of intellectuality and spirituality. Furthermore, this year again, the festival has set itself the mission of "making known internationally a positive image of Islam, thanks to the universal language of openness and peace advocated by the spiritual voice that inhabits it, Sufism, and to consolidate Morocco's positioning in intercultural dialogue by building a bridge between East and West," specifies Faouzi Skalli, president of the festival. The programme for this edition will be marked by several activities that will aim to make known the artistic richness that Sufism has inspired, in the fields of painting, calligraphy, singing, music, books, and exhibitions. In addition to exhibitions and workshops, the organisers have planned round tables and conferences led by eminent intellectuals, researchers, and masters of Sufism coming from the 4 corners of the world. These meetings for reflection and debate will deal with themes such as "Sufi Samaâ songs", "Imara (fullness and spiritual intoxication)", "Sufism and philosophical thought", "Sufism and poetry", "Sufism and heritage", "Art and spirituality", "Sufism and contemporary thought", "Sufism and literature", "Spiritual heritage in Morocco", "Business and spirituality (Futuwwa: path of spiritual chivalry)", "Sufism and social thought", or even "Spiritual heritage of Fès (singularity and universality of the spiritual experience)". Also on the programme for this seventh edition are concerts that will be an opportunity for music lovers and lovers of Sufi songs to discover the "Sufi Mouashahat" from Syria by Hamâm Khaïry of the Takht ensemble of Abderrahmane Kazzoul, the Samaâ of the Wazzania, Charqawiyya, Harraqiya, and Saqilliyya Tariqas, as well as the Sufi songs of the Khalwatiyya Tariqa of Turkey and the Rifaïa Tariqa of Palestine. A concert led by the Moroccan singer Ihsane Rmiki, a specialist in Arab-Andalusian songs, will also be on the festival menu. On Saturday, April 20, the Fès Sufi Culture Festival will be closed by a grand show of Arab-Andalusian music and Samaâ, presented by the Sufi brotherhoods of Morocco.
The Fès Sufi Culture Festival will pay tribute in its seventh edition to the Sufism specialist, Zakia Zouanat, who passed away on August 30, 2012. Born in 1957, Zakia Zouanat was a doctor of anthropology and a researcher at the Institute of African Studies at Mohammed V University in Rabat. She is the author of an important work on the global extensions of the Moroccan Sufi heritage. Devoting her efforts to the rediscovery of Sufism for the benefit of the modern world, by illuminating its ethical, spiritual, and social values that founded the respect and sacralisation of saints among Moroccans, Zakia Zouanat contributed to making the history of Moroccan Sufism known to today's public.
Provider / Source : A.R., Le Matin
