Fez – At the opening night of the 29th Fez Festival of World Sacred Music, Morocco’s Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mehdi Bensaid, described the event as both a reflection of national identity and a meeting point with the wider world.
Speaking to MWN Lifestyle magazine, Bensaid said the festival offers a dual perspective that goes beyond performance alone.
“It’s a window into Morocco, on the cultural front, but it’s also a window to the world,” he said.
“Culture has this strength, this magic, where it can bring people closer together through its activity, its performances, its works.”
Bab Makina hosted the opening production of this year’s edition, a large-scale artistic creation that brought together performers from Morocco, Central Asia, India, China, Cambodia and the Balkans.
The show unfolded as a tribute to craftsmanship, memory and the long history of cultural exchange that has shaped Fez.
For Bensaid, this international dimension is at the core of what makes the festival significant.
He pointed to the annual collaborations between regions and artistic traditions, which he described as a form of cultural dialogue that continues to evolve over time.
He also highlighted this year’s participation of Kazakhstan, saying it was both an honour for Morocco to host its artists and an opportunity for local audiences to discover new traditions.
“It is also a discovery for Moroccans,” he highlighted, adding that the festival plays an important role in opening cultural horizons, particularly for younger generations and visitors passing through the city.
Set against the historic backdrop of Fez, the opening night transformed the city’s artisan heritage into a living performance, blending music, movement and visual storytelling.
While the production itself paid homage to centuries of craftsmanship, Bensaid’s remarks placed emphasis on what the festival represents beyond the stage.
For Bensaid, Fez Festival continues to function as a cultural bridge, one that connects Morocco not only to its own traditions, but to a broader global conversation carried through art.
In a city long defined by knowledge, craftsmanship and exchange, this year’s opening once again positioned Fez as a meeting point where cultures briefly share the same space, and then move on, carrying something of each other with them.
