Rabat will welcome a host of local stars, as well as Elton John, B.B. King and other entertainers, to the Mawazine music festival this week.

Elton John, Carlos Santana, Sting, Faudel and many other European, African and North American music stars are slated to light up the ninth Mawazine Rhythms festival, which begins its week-long run on Friday (May 21st) in Rabat.

The legendary artists will grace the stage along with Al Jarreau, Julio Iglesias, Harry Connick Jr. and Mika, and 1,500 other artists and musicians from 50 countries.

"You just need to walk from one stage to the next to cross continents - and if you listen to the musical notes, you will hear words such as universalism, tolerance, openness to others and the rejection of narrowly-defined identities and a single way of being," said event chairman Mounir El Majidi.

Musical stars from the East, including Majda Roumi, Majid Al Mouhandis and Tamer Hosny, will also share the spotlight with the global headliners.

The 2010 Mawazine concert series features many Moroccan artists. The head of Moroccan programming, Hassan Nafali, told Magharebia that local artists make up 40% of participants overall, and 60% when individual members of groups are tallied.

The selection of local artists reflects Morocco's cultural diversity, Nafali said. Acts will perform in musical styles ranging from popular Amazigh and Gnaoui music to "new wave" trends of hip-hop, rap and fusion, to appeal to every festival-goer's palate.

Other offerings include cross-cultural collaborations. One will feature Moroccan rapper Don Bigg and Cuban jazz great Omar Sosa, and another will bring together Liu Fang, a celebrated player of the Chinese lute pipa, and Moroccan lute master Driss El Maloumi.

Young people living in Rabat and neighbouring towns told Magharebia that they cannot wait for the festivities to begin.

Evenings in Rabat are normally "quiet and dull", said business management student Haïtem Maâroufi.

The festival makes Rabat "come to life and gives the city a special charm all its own", he added. "We get the chance to see and hear stars of international music at close quarters, which gives young people a new lease on life."

But parents have misgivings about the idea of holding the festival so close to the baccalaureate exams.

"My son is taking his baccalaureate exam in just a few days' time," said Jamila Bouchiti, a mother of three. "I know his mind will be on other things during the festival. I'm worried about the results."

Others are concerned there could be a repetition of last year's Mawazine festival tragedy, when a deadly stampede at Hay Nayda stadium killed 11 and injured dozens.

Organisers have publicly assured concert-goers that the proper precautions have been taken to avoid a repeat of last year's tragedy. A new video surveillance system allowing real-time monitoring of crowd movements will prevent future crushes, organisers said.

By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Rabat
Source: magharebia.com