Marrakech – Casablanca’s association Oum El Ghait, dedicated since 2013 to supporting preschool education in underprivileged urban neighborhoods, has launched the second edition of the educational and cultural festival “Boudour wa Joussour.”

The initiative is organized in collaboration with Parchemins Concept and in partnership with the Moroccan Foundation for Preschool Education, the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Promotion of Social Works of Education and Training, and the Casa-Settat Regional Academy of the Ministry of National Education, Preschool, and Sports.

The festival’s name, “Boudour wa Joussour” or (Seeds and Bridges), reflects its mission: planting seeds during early childhood and creating connections that help shape personality, self-awareness, and potential. 

Through art, culture, and spirituality, the program seeks to nurture children’s creativity, self-expression, and capacity to live harmoniously with others.

This unique concept involves a year-long preparation process, where preschool children and their educators engage in playful workshops that culminate in a large-scale cultural production. 

The first edition mobilized 100 classes, ultimately leading to a spectacular musical based on the symbolic tale “The Hoopoe and the Twelve Birds” by Farid al-Din Attar. 

For the second edition, the story has been adapted for early childhood by Moroccan thinker Faouzi Skali, with stage direction by Layla Skali.

Renowned Moroccan artists are lending their talents to the production: actress Amal Ayouch as the lively and reassuring hoopoe, Sophia Hadi as the mystical multilingual parrot, and Ismail Alaoui, whose humor and playfulness bring to life a mischievous flock of birds. 

Circus performers on stilts and poles add a dynamic layer of wonder, delighting and astonishing young audiences. Alongside the performance, an art exhibition will showcase the works of participating children and educators.

Looking ahead, the festival aims to expand its reach across more preschools in Casablanca’s neighborhoods of Sidi Moumen, Sidi Bernoussi, Ain Sebaâ, and Mediouna. 

This year, the initiative expects to impact nearly 12,000 preschool children and their families, with 12 performances scheduled in May and June at the Ghali Berrada Center of the Oum Keltoum Foundation in Sidi Moumen.