Morocco Hosts Festival
Picturesque Moroccan town of Essaouira is having a festival, the 10th Gnaoua music festival to be exact. People come from far away places to hear music inspired by the Gnaouis, or descendants of former African slaves. This year music, from all around the globe, will be featured. Artists from the US, Cuba and Latin America along with the West African and Moroccan players will entertain festival goers as well as stars from Algeria and Senegal. While this gathering has been compared to Woodstock, it has a definite different flavor. Woodstock was about counter-culture. Gnaoua is about glorifying God and the Prophet Mohammed.
Moroccan Islamists are against such gatherings calling them places of immoral behavior. Although the JDP party was not opposed to the festival as long as the law was obeyed as well as rules of Islam followed. Many people remarked that they didn’t feel as though the Islamic radicals should interfere with this type of festival. Most of the concert goers say that they enjoy the music and dancing while they honor Islam. Brotherhood and peace are basic tenets of Islam. This festival is spreading that message from Morocco.
Festival goers were enjoying and will get to enjoy the music of 25 Gnaouan groups and approximately 300 artists from Morocco and aboad. Opening night brought out more than 10,000 people. Before the festival ends it is estimated that more than 500,000 will participate. It is a boost to the local economy of Essaouria, a fishing town south of the capital of Rabat and to Morocco.
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