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“Sufism and Form” by writer and visual artist Lababa L’aj: Seamless intersections between contemporary creativity and spirituality
The tenth edition of the Women’s Traditional Performance and Mūsiqā al-ḥāl Festival, organized by the Suwara Traditions Association, was marked by a rich variety of artistic proposals, meticulous organization, and remarkable audience attendance. This edition highlighted the maturity of this cultural event, solidifying its position on the map of festivities dedicated to celebrating Moroccan spiritual heritage.
The artistic program provided a multifaceted interpretation of women’s traditional performance through the participation of symbolic groups representing various cultural domains from different regions of the kingdom. Alongside this diversity, the festival reinforced its contemplative dimension by organizing a roundtable discussion hosted at the House of Memory. This session offered a space for intellectual discussion through several presentations including: “Women in the Sufi Experience” by Dr. Nour Eddin Dounyaji, and “Women’s Traditional Performance in Hassani Culture: The Dance of the Kadr Model” presented by critic Ibrahim Al-Hissin, following an introduction by critic and artist Shafik Al-Zakari.
A momentous occasion during the event was the presentation and signing of the book “Sufism and Form” by poet and visual artist Lababa L’aj, accompanied by an Arabic reading from translator and critic Abdullah Al-Sheikh. This event resonated deeply with an audience of spiritual music enthusiasts, researchers, and those engaged with Sufi culture, who came from various regions of Morocco and abroad.
The open dialogue between poetry, visual arts, and the Sufi experience struck a profound chord with the audience, affirming the smooth intersections between contemporary creativity and spirituality. This multi-voiced poetic event became a unique cultural and intellectual moment, characterized by a strong sensory presence and deep engagement from the attendees.
In the excerpts highlighted during the meeting, Lababa L’aj emphasized that poetry springs from a profound internal movement, closely akin to spiritual experience. Here, language transcends its role as a mere means of expression, evolving into a space for revelation. To her, writing is understood as an act of crossing, where the poetic text does not merely describe the secret but approaches it through the self, imagery, and silence.
The presenters of the collection, Nour Eddin Dounyaji and Muhammad Alout (both distinguished researchers), indicated that this vision constitutes one of the fundamental pillars of the book “Sufism and Form,” considering it a work situated at the boundaries of the poetic and contemplative.
The most impactful moment of the gathering occurred when Lababa L’aj herself recited poetry from her collection in French (including selections such as “The Pure and Simple,” “A Deep Inner Call,” “In Divine Unity,” “The Beloved’s Love,” “Form and Sufism are Close,” “A New Life,” “The Inner Ear,” “The Silent Spirit,” “Rabi’a Al-Adawiya,” “Lady Fatima Al-Zahra,” “Queen of the Axis,” etc.). This reading showcased a voice rich with presence—calm and deeply impactful—where rhythm, inflection, and pauses generated meaning, leaving a strong emotional imprint on the attendees, who were impressed by the precision of her performance and the voice’s ability to transcend the written text.
This reading was accompanied by a translation into Arabic by art critic Abdullah Al-Sheikh, presenting a sensitive and critical re-interpretation of the texts. The translation was not a literal one but a cultural mediation that preserved the symbolic and spiritual charge of the text, set within a broader linguistic and cultural horizon. This alternation between French and Arabic emphasized the dialogical nature of the meeting, revealing the semantic richness of the collection and its ability to traverse languages and sensitivities.
Thus, the moment of presenting and signing “Sufism and Form” extended beyond its promotional aspect, establishing itself as a genuine space for shared reading and aesthetic contemplation. Within the symbolic context of Essaouira, this gathering underscored Lababa L’aj’s status as a distinctive poetic voice, drawing from an open spiritual tradition while concurrently establishing a contemporary poetics grounded in sensation, depth, and inner exploration, as reflected in her words:
“The Sufi experience has no religion and does not belong to anyone!
It enlightens the believer, the dogmatic or the uninterested
in religiosity, often understood poorly and treated as a slip!
It is shocked by change, strangeness, and anxiety.
It speaks of the inner and outer, fused rather than opposed.
It seeks the enigma of the secret that transcends methodology
and all sectarian tendencies, as all fades before a single
and unique epiphany—without form and without structure, like
the first utterance, ‘There is no creator but He.’
Sufism and form are like a couple meeting in total satisfaction.
Both are carried by a breath called ecstasy, they both savor
the same state of grace that shines in the glow of the sun.
This amazing dynamic of these very convergent realities
illuminates brilliant feelings, creating a renaissance.
The emergence of the greater from the self is knowledge!
Sufism and form are like a couple shining together with common points.
Silence, seclusion, stagnant time, contemplation, and grace.
The power of this feeling transforms, purifies the confusion
of the past in its failings.
A message of light from the creative act without despair before the canvas.
Without delusion, the artist possesses the certainty of their feeling
and their state of multiple forms of metaphor.
This phenomenon is well known; it is recognized by those
who live it.
Sufism lives within God when the artist is
possessed by the idea of creating that which
the eye has never seen!
The Sufi prefers the appropriate nights to days, where
the distractions scatter their focus. If their mood shifts,
their intimacy with the One remains constant.
To make the invisible present, for presence is their cherished goal.
Their solitude is a pleasure, retreating at dawn to return
at night always ready for love!”
