Celebrating the Rhythms of the World in Rabat
The 13th edition of Festival Mawazine Rhythms of the World is set to take place from May 30 to June 7, 2014, in the vibrant city of Rabat. In addition to performances by renowned Moroccan, pan-Arab, and international stars, embracing a wide range of musical genres, Mawazine presents street performances, workshops and other artistic creations. For nine exhilarating days, hundreds of artists from forty countries spanning five continents will perform on the festival’s seven stages and on the streets of Rabat.
Situated outdoors, the four main stages – International Stage/OLM Souissi; Oriental Stage/Nahda Space; African Stage/Bouregreg; and Moroccan Stage/Sale – are able to accommodate large crowds and are open to all. The International Stage will feature the festival’s headliners, including Alicia Keys, IAM, Justin Timberlake, Stromae, Kool & The Gang, Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters, Ricky Martin, Ne-Yo, and Jason Derulo.
In addition to Ben L’Oncle Soul, Zebda and Youssoupha from France, the African Stage at Bouregreg will feature Manu Dibango from Cameroon, Ebo Taylor from Ghana, Fatoumata Diawara from Mali, Iyeoka from Nigeria, Bixaga 70 from Brazil, Angelique Kidjo from Benin and Hugh Masekela from South Africa.
Moroccan artists performing on the Oriental Stage include Mourad Bouriki, Salma Rachid, Jamila, Latifa Raafat, Rachida Talal, Saida Charaf, and Youssef Guelzim. Other artists at this venue include Nassif Zeytoun from Syria, Mohamed Assaf from Palestine, Bilal from Algeria, Kadem Saher from Iraq, Nawal Al Koweitia from Kuwait, and Mohamed Abdou from Saudi Arabia, as well as Wael Jassar, Carole Samaha and Nancy Ajram from Lebanon.
As the name suggests, the Moroccan Stage at Salé is dedicated to local artists, with the program including Tarik Batma, Draganov, Samia Tawil, Kawtar Nihad, Larsad, Imane Karkibou, Safaâ et Hanaâ, Tagada, Bnat Lemchaheb, Jbara, Rihab Fusion, Sy Mehdi, Douzi, Pinhass, Cheb Kader and Zina Daoudia, to name a few.
The Festival Mawazine will also feature Le Chat de Fleuves, a unique creation exploring musical heritage linked to four legendary rivers – the Mississippi, the Nile, the Danube and the Euphrates – presented in the historic site of Chellah. Certainly, this fantastic event in Rabat celebrates the universal language of music.
