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FES FESTIVAL OF WORLD SACRED MUSIC Fes, Morocco
The Fes Festival Of World Sacred Music, set in the magnificent ancient walled Medina (see fR259/60 and 314/5) was notable this year for a predominance of women artists headlining the main venues, culminating in Patti Smith’s powerful performance in Bab Makina on the last night.
Patti strutted the stage, lashed the gui-
tar, roared into the microphone, danced into the audience, and commanded the whole stage with her powerful presence. As she belted out classic Patti, she urged freedom, peace and ‘power’, and the women of Fes stood alongside the men with arms raised, dancing, mouthing the words, clearly enjoy- ing her, and on the same wavelength.
Before the concert I had sat next to two middle-aged Moroccan women in traditional dress who thought Patti Smith was a man. Enlightened, after the concert they ran over to say that she was fantastic.
Islamic fundamentalism appears to be spreading across North Africa, and there are a growing number of women covering them- selves with the burqa in Morocco – a country where women have always been uncovered
Syria’s Assala Nasri
and free. So I found it significant that the festival was highlighting female performers in this way.
Other notable women were the popular Assala Nasri from Syria with a moving, rele- vant performance, and Abeer Nehme from Lebanon who sings a religious repertoire from the Christian Menonites, reviving her Armenian roots.
There is a cultural and ethnic musical mix for which Fes Festival is famed. Francoise Atlan from Morocco collaborated with Maher from Palestine; Cyrille Gerstenhalle, an opera trained singer from Germany, with Pandit Shyam Sundar Oswami from India in the form of XVIII-21; and the Chicago Gospel Experi- ence, a powerhouse of talent including a tal- ented young Californian beatboxer Butter- scotch, enthralled the audience collaborating with the Ladysmith Red Lions.
Fes is a beautiful, colourful city. I was com- fortable walking in the narrow streets of the Medina on my own in western dress. Everyone was friendly… smiling and chatting (in French). A family group of women took my arm to cross the busy street. I would recom- mend anyone who has not been to Morocco to go to Fes when the festival is on – or just go.
www.fesfestival.com Words & photos: Judith Burrows Patti Smith
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