Essaouira at the time of the 7th festival of female Hadra and trance music

The curtain was lifted, Friday in Essaouira, on the 7th edition of the female Hadra and trance music festival, with a parade of different musical and artistic troupes participating in this annual meeting.

Thus, several troops from different regions of the Kingdom (Larache, Marrakech, Casablanca, etc.), took part in this parade which started from Place Moulay El Hassan, then Bab Sbaa to end at the cultural center, offering an opportunity for Souiris and visitors to the city to admire an anthology of music and songs with a strong spiritual connotation (gnaoua, hmadcha, issaoua, African troops, etc.).

Subsequently, a musical evening was organized, in the presence of actors from various walks of life, and during which the audience was rewarded with a series of shows and songs performed with mastery by the ensembles “Bnat Lalla Mannana” from Larache and “Bnat Issaoua Marrakchia”.

Initiated by the Association of Haddarates Souiriates, with the assistance of various partners (elected councils, provincial direction of culture, prefecture of the province, …), this two-day festival, which constitutes a real showcase for the revalorization of traditional music , especially women, contributes annually to the dynamics and animation of the cultural and artistic scene of the Cité des Alizés.

In addition to its role in highlighting the presence of the fairer sex in the fields of arts, culture and Sufi music, the festival reinforces the place of choice and the notoriety of Essaouira as a crossroads and destination cultural and artistic par excellence.

In a statement to “M24”, MAP’s continuous news television channel, the president of the Association of Haddarates Souiriates, Lafifa Boumazough, said that she was delighted to see this annual meeting back on the cultural scene after a break of three years, Covid-19 obliges, welcoming the support of the various partners and stakeholders so that this festival returns again and successfully.

Ms. Boumazough also stressed that the main concern of the organizers remains the preservation and transmission to future generations of this musical and artistic heritage, while noting the particularity of the Hadra Souirie.

For her part, Zahra Bouânani, president of the Lalla Mannana troop for research in female heritage and the Hadra of Larache, welcomed this initiative which celebrates women in general, and highlights the art of the Hadra in Morocco, that this is the fifth participation of his troupe in this festival which offers the opportunity to discover and exchange with participants representing other cultures, Moroccan and foreign.

For her part, Mqadma Fatimazzahra Achabi, president of the Aissaoua Marrakchia troupe, indicated that since its creation, her ensemble wishes to take part in this event, highlighting the spiritual aspect of the city of Essaouira.

In addition to other concerts led by troops from “Haddarat saouiriyates” and “Dar Ghiwane” (Casablanca), the program of this cultural event also includes a conference on the theme “Sufism in the three monotheistic religions”, with the participation of researchers and various actors.