Fez celebrates Zajal

This festival represents, according to the organisers, an opportunity to highlight this secular Moroccan art of poetry which constitutes a fundamental component of Moroccan cultural identity. Indeed, Zajal is part of the Moroccan poetic repertoire characterised by its linguistic, artistic, and aesthetic diversity. The programme of this edition, dedicated to the late Zajal poet and one of the founders of the "Spring of Zajal" festival, Mostfa Hafid, includes poetry readings in Arabic, Amazigh, and Hassani. Also on the menu of this year's festival are a round table on "The social content of Zajal poetry", led by experts and researchers in the field, workshops on writing Zajal, as well as music and singing concerts presented by folkloric troupes and Gnaoua, Aissaoua, and Hmadcha groups. It should be noted that this form of poetry was born in cultural circles in Al-Andalus with famous poets such as Mohyi Eddine Ibn Arabi and Abou Bakr Ibn Kuzman. The richness and linguistic diversity of Morocco have allowed Zajal to be one of the confirmed poetic expressions on the Moroccan literary scene. There are several types of Zajal, ranging from Bedouin to modern and from oral to written. This artistic heritage endures thanks to the masters of Zajal who continue to enrich the Moroccan artistic repertoire.

Provider / Source : A.R., Le Matin