Third Arab song festival opens in Casablanca

The third Arab song festival kicked off Thursday with mouwachahate and lute recitals by Moroccan artist Haj Younes.

Several renowned artists attended the opening ceremony, including Tunisian singer Naima, Egyptian actress Ilham Chahine, Jordanian singer Ibrahim Khalifa and scores of other Moroccan and Arab singers.

The three-day festival will pay tribute to several Moroccan singers who won prizes in various national and international festivals.

Some twenty songs performed by artists from Tunisia, Syria, Libya, Palestine and Morocco are vying for the festival three prizes.

The festival also features a meeting on the Arab song and the Palestinian issue to be attended by artists from Iraq, Egypt, Tunisia, Palestine and Morocco.

The Moroccan eastern city of Oujda is on its part hosting the 10th festival of Tarab Al Gharnati, meant to be a forum of cultural and civilizational dialogue, since the Gharnati music is shared by Muslims, Jews and Andalucians, Andalucia being the country of origin of this art.

On the sidelines of the Gharnati festival, a cooperation accord providing for the construction of an artists village in Oujda was signed between the Moroccan ministry of culture and communication and a local association Angad-Maroc oriental.

The ministry also signed with the city's urban community an accord on the construction of a theater in Oujda.

The festival that features an exhibition of ancient music instruments and photos will down curtains on Saturday.