Fes Festival of Sufi Culture: An Artistic Dialogue Between Morocco and Spain at the Opening Ceremony
The audience at the seventeenth edition of the Fes Festival of Sufi Culture and the Wisdom of the World experienced an exceptional opening ceremony on Saturday at Bab El Makina, one of the symbolic venues of the spiritual capital of the Kingdom. The event, titled “Al-Hadra,” featured a blend of Sufi flamenco, Andalusian Arabic music, and Sufi poetry inspired by the verses of Ibn Arabi.
The Spanish group led by artist Koro Piña, along with Moroccan chanter Nour Eddine Tahari and young Moroccan artist Nahila Lakali, united their talents to offer the audience a mesmerizing musical journey, intertwining Andalusian rhythms with Sufi texts.
This artistic fusion among three distinguished voices, supported by their respective music ensembles, ignited the enthusiasm of the attendees, emphasizing the power of music as a path to spiritual revelation and human elevation.
Koro Piña, one of the notable figures in contemporary flamenco (born in Cartagena in 1974), infused the ceremony with a special touch through his remarkable and emotive performance. His presentation drew inspiration from the poetry of the Murcian Ibn Arabi, reflecting the intersection of the sacred and the emotional in his debut album “Between the Human and the Divine.”
This artistic work was specifically created for the festival’s opening, featuring acclaimed musicians including Pablo Barberan (flamenco guitar), Rocío Pinar (cello), and Alejandro Solano (percussion). According to Piña, the project embodies a simple yet profound idea: music represents “a universal language of emotions and feelings.”
On his part, artist Nour Eddine Tahari, a Sufi chanter and Andalusian musician, captivated the audience with his powerful and rhythmic voice, marking a significant presence at the ceremony that celebrated cultural dialogue between both shores.
His passion for spiritual chanting and praise dates back to his childhood, where he drew from the Book of God under the guidance of Sheikh Maki Benkirane. He later delved into the arts of spiritual listening and praise within the great zawiyas of Fes. He has established two associations dedicated to preserving this heritage and passing it on to future generations while also training in Andalusian music with the late Haj Abdel Karim Raïs and then with the ensemble of Mohamed Briol.
The young Moroccan artist Nahila Lakali added a special touch to the ceremony with her sweet voice and graceful performance. The audience first discovered her through an Arab talent discovery program, and she has since established herself as one of Morocco’s promising voices, thanks to her sensitivity and distinctive style on stage.
In a press statement, Koro Piña expressed pride in participating in the opening of the Fes Festival of Sufi Culture, which he described as “an unmissable appointment for dialogue between cultures and sharing spiritual values.”
For her part, artist Nahila Lakali expressed her pride in participating in this event alongside prominent names, considering the Fes Festival an important platform for promoting Moroccan heritage and enhancing its openness to cultures around the world.
This edition, organized by the Fes Festival of Sufi Culture Association, aims to introduce the Moroccan audience to the richness of Sufism in artistic, intellectual, and spiritual dimensions and to provide a space for dialogue and interaction among various spiritual traditions across the globe.
On the artistic level, the festival’s program includes a series of concerts and spiritual rituals that highlight the diversity of Sufi traditions worldwide, including the opening ceremony titled “Al-Hadra,” featuring Nour Eddine Tahari and Koro Piña (Morocco/Spain). The audience will also meet Senegalese artist Sine Kamara on October 20.
The remaining evenings will feature “Qawwali” Indian music with Anwar Sabri (October 19), performances from the Qadiriya Order (October 20), the Sharqawiya Order (October 21), the Sicilian Order (October 23), and a tribute concert to renowned masters of Andalusian music with the participation of Mohamed Briol, Marwan Hajji, and Nour Eddine Tahari (October 22).
The Jardin Jnan Sbil will host a concert by the “Capilla de Ministerios” on October 22, featuring artists Françoise Atlan and Carles Magraner, followed by an event titled “Fes, World Heritage: Great Masters of Andalusian Music.” There will also be a concert dedicated to composer Niccolò Paganini, supervised by artist Federico Guglielmo in collaboration with the “Duchi” Foundation on October 23.
On October 24, a musical theater titled “Seeds and Bridges: The Hoopoe and the Twelve Birds” will be presented, concluding the festival on October 25 with an artistic evening titled “Passion of the Mystics,” in tribute to one of the great Sufi poets.
The program also includes poetry evenings and intellectual meetings addressing the connections between Sufi culture and contemporary global issues, such as the environment, inner peace, and coexistence.
