Catching up on news over on The View from Fez and I read of Ismael Lô.
They had written Ismael Lô is from Senegal. He almost became a painter, but singing took precedence. He joined the successful group Super Diamono in Dakar, but eventually went solo. His music draws on mbalax - the rhythms of the Wolof people of Senegal - along with cool French ballads; he plays guitar and harmonica. A member of the Tijani Sufi brotherhood, whose saint is buried at the Sidi Ahmed Tijani Zawiya in Fez, he's enormously popular in France where he now lives, and was awarded the Legion d'Honneur in 2002.
Lô will be performing at the end of his set with the Hamadcha Sufi Brotherhood of Fez, led by Moqaddem Abderrahim Amrani Marrakchi. This brotherhood was founded by Sidi Ali Ben Hamdouch in the 17th century and is known for its spellbinding music, dance and trance.
If you would like to see him perform or the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music appeals to you, then you can check out the update here.
6 comments:
Oh very cool, I will have to check out his tunes. Thanks for sharing.
How much do you want to go to that festival? As much as I do? Come on, fess up...
I'm sometimes surprised how welcoming this former French colony can be Di.
It scores much better then most Muslim countries (excluding Turkey, but that's no 'muslim country') regarding human rights and political- economic developments.
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morocco ]
On a personal note: after many decades of ignoring the fact that Muslims reject their gay fellow citizens, I decided that it would be wiser to stay clear of Muslims on a personal level.
I'm no longer willing to check beforehand to see whether or not someone is actively showing signs of religion based bigotry.
Recent figures (GVA, De Standaard) showed that virtually all Antwerp Muslims rejected gays/lesbians, with the figures in Morocco being probably the same.
I know I'm missing out on some great cultural and musical events, but I cannot be tolerant towards those who have no intention of being tolerant themselves.
I went searching, furiousball and found some I loved :)
Oh Pam, at least as much as you do! :)
I'll never forget Julian Clary, one of Britain's very visible gay comedians, sharing an interview spot with a christian politician in NZ. It was hugely enlightening to watch him intelligently challenge this homophobic so-called christian man on exactly what it was that was so fearful to him about gay people.
Yes, it's weird that most religions who are preaching inclusion and love (like most Christians) have so much trouble extending that joyous approach to the 10% of their beloved fellow citizens who were not born straight.
I may have singled out Morocco as many of their migrants in Holland have done more than just show that Islam does not accept gays, but religious homophobia is everywhere. I last saw those shocking images from Catholic Poland and checked the countless reports over at the ILGA site regarding many countries that feel 'love' can only be straight.
Large parts of the planet are basically homophobic (just count the number of countries where there is a sense of pride regarding their wide acceptance of non-straight citizens), and obviously, I won't be able to change that on my own.
Still, it's hard to find a balance between visiting a tolerant Festival of World Sacred Music in Fes and handling the general, daily attitudes and customs in a country.
To Peter:
Sorry, I'm just a passerby in this blog, but I couldn't help but react. I lived in Morocco for two years. My best friends are Moroccan. And on the whole, I consider Moroccans to be some of the most tolerant people in the world. Certainly more tolerant than the Catholics back home in my native country (the U.S.). I never met a Moroccan who spouted hate speech against gays (although yes, of course there are many who find homosexuality "funny"). Most Muslims hold the belief (which I disagree with, but find more comforting than what most Christians believe) that homosexuality is just another challenge given by god to overcome, and that the sin is the action, not the feeling.
And in Marrakesh, you'd be quite surprised to see how tolerant the nightlife is.
Please also remember that basing your opinion on Moroccan migrants is not really accurate in determining what Moroccans in Morocco believe. Think of it this way - those Moroccans who live in Holland are also discriminated against and thus form their intolerance on the intolerance they've been shown (based on their race or religion).
Don't give up on Morocco; it's a rapidly changing country with rapidly changing values and norms. It'd be silly to pass over its beauty based on an assumption you've formed without much basis.
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