Shining stars illuminate the skies of Mawazine’s fifth day: Booba, Fares Karam, Charles Aznavour for the second time in a week.

Rabat, May 17, 2017: Star of the fifth day of the festival, Booba captured the heart of thousands of festivalgoers at the OLM Stage. With his energetic music, sharp flow and incisive style, the French rapper has lined up his greatest hits, earning him no less than eight gold records and five platinum records during his career. Recognized all over the world, his immense talent, which allowed him to collaborate with P. Diddy, Akon and Ryan Leslie, was once again at work: Booba was indeed applauded by a delirious crowd, proving that rap made in France has a promising future ahead!

First time performing at the festival but twice in one week, the great Charles Aznavour performed a second time, to the delight of his many fans. Having just celebrated his 92 birthday, the French crooner performed before a packed theatre the showing how much of a living legend of the song he still is. Charles Aznavour was named “Entertainer of the Century” by CNN in 1988, and has led a unique career for 70 years, selling more than 100 million records, producing 294 albums, writing 1,200 songs, and reaped hundreds of gold, platinum and diamond discs!

Those who have been to Nahda stage have to their delight heard one of the greatest Lebanese singers, Fares Karam. He successfully mixed the dabkeh with the revised rhythms of Lebanon. With eight albums released and concert tours in the United States, Canada, Australia and South America, Fares Karam always offered his best hits: Shefta, El Tanoura, Reitani and Neswanji–hits that allowed him to export this musical style outside of Lebanon as was the case yesterday in Rabat.

That same evening, Morocco also surprised the festivalgoers by the richness of Moroccan talents performing on Salé stage. On the menu a châabi atmosphere and a large audience attending the performances of three artists specializing in the genre; namely, Hamid Serghini, Zina Daoudia and Five Stars, who played the most famous pieces of this popular music art while revisiting them their own way!

If Salé stage was purely Moroccan, Bouregreg stage celebrated the whole African continent in the person of Ibibio Sound Machine, an Afro-London collective that heated up the stage with fusion cocktails mixing the highlife and Electro, post-punk and disco. On the bank of the Bouregreg River, the band impressed with its devastating tubes, futuristic funk music heightened with the powerful voice of its leader Eno Williams. Synthesizers and percussions blurring the markings and making the band’s music a journey in space and time!

All the while some festivalgoers were enjoying Chaabi music and other African music, those who opted for Chellah stage were vibrating to the sound of the Balearic Islands and two emblematic artists from there: Marco Mezquida, a complete and legendary musician, creator of a unique pianistic style, and Juan Gómez “Chicuelo” The most important flamenco guitarists and one of the most prolific and original composers of his time. The duo offered a concert that subtly mixed authenticity, mutual admiration and complete devotion to the music.

Finally, as tradition goes, the streets of Rabat and Salé were fraught with bands and street performance groups performing their respective styles to the delight of the public. to name of few, Rabat and Salé dwellers could enjoy performances from  Oussama Band, specialist of the circus arts, and Bakho Atika Group, recognized for His mastery of dance and dakka marrakchia.

Useful information:

16th edition of Mawazine Festival Rhythms of the World: May 12th to 20th 2017.

About Festival Mawazine Rythmes du Monde:

Established in 2001, the Mawazine Festival Rhythms of the World is the essential rendezvous for music amateurs in Morocco with, for the last 15 years, over 2 million festivalgoers at each edition. Held every month of May over nine days, Mawazine offers a rich and diversified program where world stars from the four corners of the world make of the cities of Rabat and Salé a world stage for music.  Committed to promote Moroccan Music, the Festival devotes more than half of its shows to national artists. As a firm believer in the in values of peace, tolerance openness and respect, 90% of the concerts are free of charge so that everybody can enjoy it. Mawazine also participates in the region’s economy, attracting tourists from all over the world; thus making of Morocco once every year a world music stage.

About Maroc Cultures Association:

Created In compliance with the provisions of November 15, 1958 Dahir, and further to a General Assembly held in Rabat on October 23, 2001, Maroc Cultures is a non-profit association whose main mission is to offer to the public of Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaër region a highly professional cultural and artistic entertainment worthy of the capital of the kingdom. Echoing the fundamental values of His Majesty King Mohammed VI development policy, Maroc Cultures materializes this mission through Mawazine Rhythms of the World Festival as well as various events, multi-disciplinary symposia, plastic art exhibitions and concerts.