Close collaboration with Moroccan providers

Mawazine is a leading economic player that contributes greatly to the activity of Moroccan companies. Since its creation, the festival has developed a sector of professions tied to festival activity by favouring close collaboration with local providers and by hiring people experienced in their field.

The list of trades involved is long: stage managers, engineers, sound and lighting technicians, technicians in charge of assembling stage installations, technical directors, communications officers, administrative staff, managers, security guards, cooks, printers, etc.

Today, Mawazine works with more than 125 partner companies, negotiating three-year contracts with key providers. As a result, local companies have been able to equip themselves and train their teams to meet the needs of the biggest international productions.

A significant weight in tourism

Mawazine's impact is not limited to the entertainment industry. Shops, craftspeople, transport, catering, hotels, etc. In total, 3,000 direct and indirect jobs benefit from the festival. Every year, Mawazine has generated 22% growth in Rabat's tourism revenue.

Three benefiting sectors

Three sectors benefit from the Mawazine effect through significant growth in their revenues. Retail, catering and the transport sector see their revenues grow by an average of 30% during the festival. For these local businesses, the festival is an important source of activity.

Hotels at full capacity

During the festival, hotels experience average revenue growth of +22%. Hotel occupancy breaks down as follows: 100% for 4- and 5-star hotels, 63% for other categories. That is two to four times more than in a normal period.

The impact on Morocco's image

The appeal of international stars

Shakira, Quincy Jones, Maroon 5, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Carlos Santana, French Montana, Wiz Khalifa, Martin Garrix, Bruno Mars, etc. The list of celebrities who have taken part in Mawazine is a long one! The presence of a diversity of renowned artists testifies to the Festival's international appeal, which offers a tremendous sounding board for Morocco's image. Moreover, the presence of such headliners draws the interest of the international press, reinforced by the action of the artists themselves, who run communication campaigns promoting the image of the event and the host country. By publicising their participation in Mawazine, the great names of music are regularly led to mention Morocco on their social networks, their websites or their fan pages. By positioning themselves as true ambassadors, these artists thus provide an invaluable relay for spreading the Kingdom's image abroad.

Promoting Moroccan artists

Spreading Morocco's influence also means showcasing Moroccan artists. Mawazine is an important platform for hundreds of artists who have few opportunities to express their talent and who, thanks to such a prestigious festival, shine all over the world. With more than half of its programming devoted to the Kingdom's singers and musicians, Mawazine is the only festival in the country to give such a large place to the best representatives of Moroccan music: stars such as RedOne, Latifa Raafat or Nass El Ghiwane, but also talents from this new Moroccan scene enjoying unprecedented fame, such as Zouheir Bahaoui, Aminux, Cravata and Muslim.

Creations that bring together Moroccan artists and global stars

Many international artists have, in recent years, taken part in emblematic creations. In 2009, Italy's Ennio Morricone worked with a Moroccan choir; in 2011, the undisputed master of the electric guitar Carlos Santana created a sensation by inviting his gnawa counterpart Mâalem Bakbou onto the OLM stage. That same year, on the occasion of Mawazine's 10th anniversary, America's Quincy Jones co-produced the Arabic cover of his hit “Tomorrow” with Moroccan producer RedOne — a song dedicated to childhood, hope and peace. Accompanied by a video bringing together Arab and American artists, this creation was conceived in the same spirit as the remarkable charity song “We Are the World.” The proceeds of this initiative were donated in full to Moroccan and Arab child-protection associations. Not to mention all the collaborations the Royal Symphony Orchestra has enjoyed with emblematic artists such as Roger Hodgson, Sting, Nigel Kennedy, George Benson, Kadim Al Sahir, etc. And of course the creations that came to life on the stage of the Chellah historic site, such as:

Spreading the Kingdom's values

Mawazine also has the vocation of carrying the Moroccan cultural model abroad, while working to spread the values the Kingdom upholds: tolerance, openness, sharing, exchange and diversity. This is why the Festival has always offered programming that embraces all the cultures of the world.

International recognition

Eighteen years after its creation in 2001, Mawazine — Rhythms of the World has acquired a status all its own: that of a Moroccan festival whose attendance and audience rival the world's greatest cultural events. As proof, more than 600 national journalists, 160 international ones and nearly 220 press outlets, including 31 television channels, receive accreditation every year.

This success, unique for an African event, Mawazine — Rhythms of the World owes to its eclectic and very high-quality programming, which allows audiences to discover international stars on stage as well as figures of Moroccan, Arab and African music.

With more than 1,300 artists and around 120 shows spread over 6 sites, the Festival welcomes renowned artists every year, such as: Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, Elton John, Justin Timberlake, Luis Fonsi, Rihanna, Lenny Kravitz, Scorpions, Sting, Stevie Wonder, Shakira, Whitney Houston, Avicii, Charles Aznavour, Deep Purple and Enrique Iglesias, but also Kadim Al Sahir, Khaled, Nancy Ajram, Warda Al Jazairia, Amr Diab, Majida El Roumi, Souad Massi, Tamer Hosny, Sherine, Cheb Mami and Najwa Karam.

This resolutely international dimension is matched by critical and public recognition, which make Mawazine — Rhythms of the World a festival much appreciated by music lovers and enthusiasts of all generations. Particular attention is paid to the diversity of artists and genres, the programming mixing celebrities with artists of more confidential renown but equal talent. Every year, the Mawazine — Rhythms of the World audience thus has the chance to discover great performers of traditional music, such as Selamnesh & Badume's Azmari Band, the Shanbehzadeh Ensemble, Ali Azam & Niyaz, Sepideh Raissadat, Sabry Mosbah, Lole Montoya, Alexey Arkhipovskiy, Kayhan Kalhor & Erdal Erzincan, Goran Bregovic, Taraf de Haïdouks and Patrizia Laquidara.

Proud of its African identity, the Festival is also a tremendous sounding board for all the sounds of its continent. From Cameroon to South Africa, by way of the West Indies and the Caribbean, where African influence is very present, the Festival welcomes both great legends such as Manu Dibango, Jimmy Cliff, Cesária Évora and Hugh Masekela, and established singers such as Angélique Kidjo, Cheikh Lô, Mory Kanté, Salif Keita, Sidiki Diabaté, Youssou N'Dour, as well as more recent groups such as Freshlyground and Magic System.

With so much talent gathered in one place, the Mawazine Rhythms of the World Festival is, like the country that hosts it, a crossroads of exceptional encounters. Indeed, many fusions have come to life thanks, among others, to the duos between Moroccan oud player Saâd Chraïbi and American jazzman Al Di Meola, but also Don Bigg and Omar Sosa, Lui Fang and Driss El Maaloumi, Fortunat Frölich and the Moroccan Choir, and singer Sting with the Royal Symphony Orchestra. This fusion of genres and personalities is found in programming that also honours the great names of jazz — the fusion music par excellence — among whom are George Benson, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Harry Connick Jr and, more recently, Ibrahim Maalouf.

Finally, more than any other festival in Morocco, Mawazine — Rhythms of the World allows Moroccan music to enjoy unique international visibility by showcasing the Kingdom's best talents of all generations: Nass El Ghiwane, Abdelouahab Doukkali, Jil Jilala, Zouheir Bahaoui, Youssef Guelzim, Masta Flow, Muslim, Ribab Fusion, Cravata and Tiiw Tiiw.