MOROCCO IN STRENGTH IN 20 YEARS OF THE MED

Final musical poster was presented this Sunday, with the announcement of 18 more names

Music, gastronomy, art, crafts, cinema and literature are some of the aspects that the Kingdom of Morocco brings to the MED'24 Festival. In the year in which the event marks 20 years, this Maghrebian country opens a chapter as the first “Guest Country” of the Festival and, from the 27th to the 30th of June, will have a privileged stage in Loulé to introduce visitors to its culture.

At the presentation of the 20th MED Festival, which took place this Sunday, at Cineteatro Louletano, the director of MED and councilor of Loulé City Council, Carlos Carmo, revealed some details of this Moroccan participation in the world music event.

The day before the doors open in the Historic Zone, there is an opening concert that takes place at 6:30 pm, in the Solar da Música Nova Auditorium, with the Orquestra Andalusí de Tetuan, whose guest is the Moroccan singer Lala Tamar.

On each day of the festival there is a Moroccan band performing on the main stages: Widad Mjama & Khalil Epi (27th, 8:30 pm, Palco Chafariz), Oum (28th, 9:15 pm, Palco Cerca) and Samifati present Trasnse Gnawa Express (29th, 2:15 am, Palco Matriz).

The recreation of a souk Moroccan, in the Cloister of the Convent, will also be one of the highlights of this presence of the “Guest Country”. Here visitors will have the opportunity to taste traditional cuisine and purchase handicrafts from this country, in addition to the music and dance that will also be available in this space.

On June 28th, at 6:30 pm, Casa do Meio Dia hosts the launch of the book “O Sono da Escrava”, by Mahi Binebine. The conference with the Moroccan author follows, under the theme “Materializing words / From writing to civic action”.

On the other hand, in terms of visual arts, from the 1st of June to the 6th of July, the exhibition “Fragments of Humanity”, by the plastic artist Moulay Youssef El Kahfai (the opening takes place on May 31st, at 6pm).

On the same dates, it will be possible to visit, at Palácio Gama Lobo, the exhibition “Arts and decorative techniques from the Kingdom of Morocco”.

Regarding the seventh art, Moroccan cinema will be shown at the Solar da Música Nova Auditorium, on June 27th, at 6:30 pm, with the presentation of the film “Les Chevaux de Dieu”, by Nabil Ayouch (2013).

This program has the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Al-Mouatamid Ibn Abbad Association, in the people of the Moroccan consul in the Algarve, José Alegria, and the former rector of UALG, João Guerreiro.

The geographical proximity to Morocco, which is also a country with a strong Mediterranean influence, and the rich historical heritage of the city of Loulé, with numerous Arab remains (such as the Islamic Baths), are factors that make the deepening of this bilateral relationship in MED Festival is a huge challenge.

 

Final music poster announced

“This is the edition with the most nationalities ever”, highlighted Carlos Carmo, in a year in which 31 countries will be represented, with the debuts of Estonia and Chad. 90 hours of music, 54 concerts, 378 musicians and 12 stages, in addition to 4 concerts created for this Festival are some of the numbers that illustrate what this MED will be like in musical terms.

At this moment, the person responsible for the Festival announced the names that will join those already confirmed on the MED 20th anniversary poster: 47 Soul (Palestine), Acácia Maior (Cape Verde), Albaluna invite Ahmed Hamdi Moussa (Portugal/Egypt), Al -Qasar (France/Armenia/Turkey/United States), Ballaké Sissoko (Mali), Delfina Cheb (Argentina), Eneida Marta & Huca (Guinea-Bissau/Mozambique), Hip Horns Brass Collective (Spain), João Frade Trio invites Miron (Portugal/Bosnia and Herzegovina), Kin'Gongolo Kiniata (Democratic Republic of Congo), Ko Shin Moon (France), Samifati presents Transe Gnawa Express (Morocco/France), Tabanka Djaz (Guinea-Bissau), Widad Mjama & Khalil Epi (Morocco/Tunisia/France) and the Portuguese Cara de Espelho, Cristina Branco, Nomad and Raia.

Mali has been a regular presence at the MED and, as such, could not miss the 20th anniversary celebration. The country will be (very well) represented by Ballaké Sissoko. After Djourou's success, the Malian virtuoso returns for a tete to tete intimate with your kora – intimate yet simple and majestic. The much applauded release of his latest album, “Djourou”, is a demonstration of the art of musical conversation, in the style of Ballaké, which weaves new threads into the long cord or “djourou” that connects him to other musicians and to the history of music. kora.

The Kingdom of Morocco, a guest in this edition, will have a showcase of its culture in Loulé and music will be no exception. One of the proposals that stands out is Samifati & Transe Gnawa Express. Transe Gnawa Express was born from a meeting between Samifati, from Nantes, and the Gnawa musicians Maâlem Amine Bessi, Hamouda Benzaid and Ahmed Labnoua. The result is a unique creation that combines gnawa music, electronic music and visual projections, on a large LED screen. An energetic 100% and fascinating 100% project!

And from PALOPS there will be a repeat of the happy meeting between Guinean Emeida Marta and Mozambican Huka. Eneida Marta is one of the most genuine and vibrant African voices and a true ambassador of Guinea-Bissau music. This passion for the land in which she was born led her to embrace humanitarian causes, having been appointed by UNICEF as its ambassador for Guinea-Bissau. In this edition of MED, Eneida challenges Mozambican artist Bruno Huca to accompany her on stage, as happened in 2023, during the presentation of the 19th MED Festival, at Cineteatro Louletano.

Also noteworthy is the return to the MED of the Palestinians 47 Soul. At a time when the territory of Palestine is being the scene of a war that is leaving the world in shock, the band, which previously performed in MED, will certainly bring a message calling for Peace.

Remember that the first confirmed for the Festival, during the presentation that took place at the Lisbon Tourism Exchange, in March, are: Afrotronix (Chad), Anthony B (Jamaica), Antti Paalanen (Finland), Bixiga 70 (Brazil) , Dubioza Kolektiv (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Idiotape (South Korea), Kumbia Boruka (Mexico/Chile/Argentina/France), Mazgani (Portugal/Iran), Mouvman Alé (Réunion Island), Oum (Morocco), Puuluup ( Estonia), Roberto Fonseca (Cuba), Sofiane Saidi (Algeria), Throes+The Shine (Angola/Portugal), Tito Paris (Cape Verde) and from Portugal, Kumpania Algazarra, Lina, Rita Vian and Teresinha Landeiro. Brazilian Chico César has, however, canceled his European tour and is therefore not coming to Loulé.

Over 19 years, more than 355 thousand visitors have visited the MED and 665 bands from 75 different countries have performed.

On June 8th, at Café Calcinha, the last presentation of the MED Festival will take place, with the announcement of the program in terms of the different areas and the partnerships established.

According to a study carried out by CITUR at the University of Algarve on the socio-economic impact and perceived image that the MED Festival had in 2023, more than 97% of respondents classified the event as “Good” or “Very Good”. In terms of economic impact, it is estimated that this edition generated more than 4.6 million euros in the municipal economy. 89% of the expenditure was made by visitors from outside the municipality.

The Mayor of Loulé, Vítor Aleixo, highlighted precisely the tourist and economic impact of this event, which is also “the most famous cultural event taking place in the municipality of Loulé”. “I am sure that this edition will, like all others, dignify the name of Loulé and bring many thousands of tourists who are used to visiting us at this time of year. Loulé gains external recognition with this Festival, in addition to the positive consequences for the economy of the city and the municipality”, he reaffirmed.

On June 8th, at Café Calcinha, the last presentation of the MED Festival will take place, with the announcement of the program in terms of the different areas and the partnerships established.

This Sunday's performance ended with the concert Lá no Xepangara, inspired by the song by Zeca Afonso, a project that brought this artist's music and words to the stage. The collective led by Manuel de Oliveira, which brings together artists such as Isabel Novella (Mozambique), Selma Uamusse (Mozambique), Fred Martins (Brazil), Karyna Gomes (Guiné Bissau) and Edu Mundo (Portugal), intends to reflect on the strong presence of African culture in the life and work of José Afonso and his role in the struggle for decolonization, democratization and the development of Portuguese-speaking society and culture.

The heat of Africa invaded Cineteatro Louletano and this show was an excellent appetizer for the 20th MED Festival.