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Editorial

14th edition of the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music

At the dawn of its 15th birthday, the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music remains the incontrovertible appointment of the dialogue of cultures and religions in land of Islam.

Be it a question of music or word, Fes claims to be, in a world largely characterized by multiple convulsions – at the first rank of which strong introverted assertions of identity -, a place of tolerance, opening to the other and peaceful coexistence. All the virtues which contribute to the famous "Spirit of Fes" symbolized by the extraordinary encounter between Averroes and Maimonides.

Faithful to its tradition and always searching for enrichment, the Festival tries its best to make it perpetual, hoping to be a model of the values that it conveys and progress oriented for the 21st century.
The spiritual and cultural capital of Morocco, which celebrates this year its 1200 years, was and continues to be designated to fulfil this noble mission

History

Fes Festival of World Sacred Music

Created in 1994, the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music offered immediately an innovative concept: to gather in a largely ecumenical perspective the great musical traditions of the sacred, the spiritual music and the world music. At that time, the great majority of Festivals of Sacred music used to offer concerts focused on the Western musical traditions, and the concept as such was non-existent in the East and in the Arab world.

First directed towards the traditions of the three monotheist religions, the Fes Festival gradually opened to the other sacred traditions: Buddhism - Hinduism - Animism, suggesting an increasingly broad range of musical discoveries, around the basic concept of the intercultural encounter and dialogue.

In 2001, within the very framework of the Festival of Sacred music, the Fes Encounters, conferences cycles - roundtables and exchanges between intellectuals, scientists, economists, philosophers, religious coming from all horizons to debate about themes of general reflections involving the future of our mankind.

A major event with multiple dimensions has thus been set up in 14 editions, presented as a unique space for artistic as well as intellectual encounters and discoveries.

From Barbara Hendricx to Sister Marie Keyrouz, from Jessye Norman to Youssou N’Dour, from Sabah Fakrih to Jordi Savall, from the Blind Boys of Alabama to the Hilliard Ensemble and to Jan Garbarek, from the Dervishes Tourneurs of Konya to the Odissi dance of Madhvi Mudgal -- to quote only some of the invited names - the Fez Festival of Sacred music has been welcoming the best talents of our planet.

And will continue to do so.......