A cultural meeting held yesterday in Rabat reviewed the historical trajectory of music documentation, particularly the art of traditional Moroccan music, in celebration of World Music Day.
Organized by the Forum for Traditional Moroccan Music in Rabat under the slogan “From Manuscripts to Digitalization: Stages of Music Documentation, with Traditional Music as a Model,” the event highlighted the significance of artistic documentation in general and specifically the documentation of traditional Moroccan music, as it reflects the depth of Morocco’s cultural memory.
Participants emphasized that digital transformation acts as a vital bridge between historical memory and future prospects, contributing to the preservation of this authentic art form and its transmission to future generations.
On this occasion, Karima Chiahmi, a member of the Forum for Traditional Moroccan Music in Rabat, delivered a comprehensive presentation covering the key stages in the documentation of this art, starting from the earliest manuscripts that laid the foundation for its preservation, moving through the era of printing which enabled the dissemination of musical texts, and then to the radio era that brought traditional music closer to a wider audience.
She also highlighted the pivotal role of television in showcasing this art, alongside the importance of field recordings and artistic advertisements in documenting its content, before transitioning to the digital era, which opened new horizons for archiving and global dissemination.
In this context, the discussion also touched on the challenges facing music documentation amidst rapid technological advancements, particularly with the rise of artificial intelligence technologies, which fail to capture the human and emotional dimensions of traditional music, an art that requires an aesthetic appreciation that cannot be reduced to technicalities.
In a statement to the Moroccan News Agency, researcher in Andalusian music Sofiane Ajdira remarked that the topic of the meeting reflects a growing awareness of the importance of documenting this art as a core issue in Moroccan Andalusian musical thought, noting that documentation extends beyond the artistic aspect to encompass intellectual, cultural, social, and even economic dimensions.
For his part, President of the Forum for Traditional Moroccan Music, Mohamed Amin Debbi, emphasized the importance of engaging youth, considering them the natural continuation of this heritage, stressing the need to instill the values of this authentic art in the hearts of the younger generation and to enhance their artistic culture.
He clarified that the forum aims, through these initiatives, to cultivate collective awareness of the value of traditional Moroccan music and to highlight its status as a source of pride for Moroccan culture, reiterating the importance of preserving it and ensuring its continuity.
It is worth mentioning that this meeting is part of the commemoration of World Music Day, launched by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1975, aimed at celebrating music as a global art form that reflects cultural diversity and contributes to enhancing dialogue and cultural exchange among nations.
