Sacred music festival opens in Fez

Spanish Soprano Caballe Montserrat and her daughter Marti opened on Saturday the fifth edition of the Fez sacred music festival, held this year under the theme "Faith, Mysticism and Reason."

The Spanish diva and her daughter sang for more than two hours some fifteen religious chants and a repertoire of classics before an enthusiastic public at the ancient Bab Al-Makina arms factory transformed into a cultural venue.

The opening ceremony was marked by the presence of Crown Prince Sidi Mohammed.

Moroccan renowned signer, Abdelhadi Belkhyat, known throughout the Arab world for his religious and spiritual songs, interpreted a sufi chant dubbed Al-Mounfarija.

Belkhayat's performance during the Spanish Diva's concert was seen as a bridge between Western and Eastern civilizations.

The Fez festival, first launched under the generic theme of "Spiritual Memories of the East and the West," was awarded the international prize of Arts and Culture by the International Promotion and Prestige Institute.

The festival, attended by 30,000 national and foreign visitors, will be marked by the participation of South African singer Miriam Makiba, who interprets Negro-Spiritual and traditional chants relating the sufferings of the black community under Apartheid.

Makiba, who lived 30 years in forced exile, wants to deliver "a message of peace, freedom and tolerance."

The same message will be conveyed by Yemeni-born Israeli signer Noa, who will perform peace chants.

Vietnamese-born American singer, Trin Xuan Thuan, is another special star in the festival. He will perform a meditation on complicity in the universe of chaos and harmony.

The festival, to down curtains on June 5 with Gospel chants by a group of blind black Americans from Alabama, will offer visitors a series of exhibitions and conferences on "Faith, Mysticism and Reason."