Cinema, popular arts, literature, music, painting, … festivals and other cultural activities lacked neither platforms nor stages in this year 2022. The cultural scene in the various cities of the Kingdom has lit up in the year 2022 after an eclipse of two years of stagnation due to Dame Covid.
Suddenly the cultural projects, programs and building sites after this episode that we now want behind us, have either been launched or resumed, thus reflecting the enlightened vision of the Sovereign for the preservation of the plural identity of Morocco.
The current trend of the cultural sector and its different aspects is no longer isolated from the economic and development dynamics in the world, thus becoming at the top of the concerns of countries that want to value their heritage as soft power, such as creativity and innovation. Morocco is no exception. Also in its current and future orientations, it remains determined as affirmed by the Moroccan Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, ” promote the cultural industry and encourage investment in the sector “.
That said, in the Kingdom, the desire to democratize art and culture to a wide audience by raising awareness among the younger generations by conveying a message of tolerance no longer needs to be demonstrated. Many Moroccan cities are now known for their cultural activities as well as their festival like that of Gnaoua and World Music which is systematically assimilated to Essaouira although this year, it has taken other flights. . Tangier and its Printemps du Livre et des Arts, Tanjazz, Rabat and Mawazine, Jazzablanca in the economic capital, sacred music in spiritual Fez, the Festival of Atlantic Andalusia and others…
So many activities capable of strengthening and enhancing the culture of Moroccan cities and regions to make them shine and get to know them better across the planet. But we will not limit ourselves to this sample of culture. The 2022 broth is of a completely different flavor since, apart from a few events, from its concrete point of view, it will have been under the sign of a face-to-face recovery. We deliver it to you in bulk to stay in tune, without going too far into the chronology of time and space as a good number of activities have been postponed to the famous “later date“.
The Popular Arts Festival of Marrakech considered as the oldest festival in the Kingdom (FNAP) is not to be outdone and made its comeback with more than 250,000 people who followed it in the various spaces of the Festival (Jemaâ El Fna, El Harti and the Royal Theater). We cannot in evoking the ocher city depart from its International Film Festival (FIFM) (145,000 spectators a record). The 19th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival (FIFM) ended this time with the awarding of the Golden Star to the film “Black Knight” by Iranian Emad Aleebrahim Dehkordi.
To stay on the big screen, we will proudly savor Maryam Touzani’s “Bleu du Caftan”, which was shortlisted this year for the Oscar for best foreign film, as announced by the Academy Awards, which unveiled the 15 films in this category, among the 93 that initially competed. We will in no way overshadow the feature film for Nabil’s event “Haut et fort“.
The Concert for Tolerance found its audience, Saturday, November 12, 2022 on the beach of Agadir, for a great live show and the recording of an exceptional television show which will be broadcast on a bouquet of channels in Morocco, France and internationally. Rabat and its ambitious program “Rabat city of light, Moroccan capital of culture” has undoubtedly stood out from other cities in the Kingdom by organizing cultural activities, including major concerts in the city of Rabat such as the Jazz festival at the Chellah which marked its big comeback (520,000 spectators), the 27th edition of the International Publishing and Book Fair as well as the Gnaoua Festival Tour which this year was not limited to Essaouira alone.
On the other hand, we regret the slippage of the rapper El Grande Toto in September at the OLM Souissi in Rabat, within the framework of the Grands concerts de la Capitale, organized by the Ministry of Culture and which risks costing him with Justice. We will condemn even more the first evening of the 20th edition of the Festival L’Boulevard (Rap) which turned into chaos. Tenderly said, it was tinged with vandalism, theft, assault, sexual harassment, brawls… so many acts of violence that transformed the RUC stadium in Casablanca into a huge desolate scene.
In a small political detour, we will also have greatly appreciated that the House of Representatives approved last June and unanimously, in plenary session, bill n ° 25.19 relating to the Moroccan Office of Authors’ Rights (BMDA ) and related rights history of promoting, defending and ensuring the fair compensation of intellectual property as well as to fight against piracy and to align with the main universal provisions in this area. On the literary side, we would also have liked to discover the book in French, entitled, “Morocco, Israel and Moroccan Jews“, Moroccan journalist, columnist and writer, Jamal Amiar.
Nope ! our culture is doing well, even very well and should only do better in the future as its different aspects (many have not been mentioned in these lines), its mosaic of cultures and influences give it a pleasant cultural richness. We will not part without paying a last tribute to those who left us this year, as from memory, Mohamed Afifi, Khadija El Bidaouia, Fathallah Lamghari, Nourdine Bikr, Sakina Safadi, Abdellatif Hillal, Rachida El Harrak…
Retro 2022: Moroccan culture or the reflection of its social structures