The Fez Festival of Sufi Culture returns, from October 17 to 26, in its 13th edition under the theme “The Art of Transmission”. But this time through a very special passage, as it will be broadcast digitally on the “Sufi Heritage” platform, in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
An exceptional 2020 edition that will remain engraved in the annals of festivals, as it will brave the pandemic to say that culture is a part of us and that we can’t do without it, even in the worst of times. “We are well aware that this represents a series of extraordinary challenges. But with you, our festival friends, we wish to transform these challenges into a formidable lever of humanity and fraternity. Because it is for all of us the opportunity, in the midst of the pandemic, to affirm not only resilience, but also the food and energy brought by culture and spirituality, in the face of this ordeal”, underlines Faouzi Skali, president of the Festival, writer, doctor in anthropology, ethnology and sciences of religions. Indeed, it is a great challenge to make an entire festival online, with the sole aim of serving the essential values of art, culture and wisdom. This new strategy, which has imposed itself, will also allow for a wider and more interactive dissemination and sharing of a rich programme of concerts, Samaâ, round tables, conferences, exhibitions, with the involvement of about sixty speakers. In addition to the eight master classes that will be given by world-famous names such as Leili Anvar, Kudsi Ergüner, Françoise Atlan, Abderrazzak Benchaâbane, Faouzi Skali, Jean During, Aïcha Redouane and Denis Gril. “These Masterclasses will initiate other training cycles that will be part of the continuation of the Festival on the Sufi Heritage platform.
This art of transmission, we will also be able, thanks to digital technology, to discover it together by going to meet high places of Sufism. From Fez to Granada, from Marrakech to Ajmer in India, we will be welcomed, in their historic spiritual centres, by those who transmit and keep alive this universal culture, its heritage and its values,” says Faouzi Skali.
This is why, he adds, the art of transmission has been placed at the heart of the programming of this 13th edition of the festival. “For Sufism is by tradition the way of transmission, from master to disciple, of moral values and spiritual secret (sirr), enabled by an initiatory chain of transmission (silsila) going back to the Prophet of Islam. He goes on to say that at the time of the major health crisis that we have been experiencing since the beginning of spring 2020, the question of transmission has arisen forcefully. “What values, ethics, and wisdom can the cultural, philosophical, and spiritual heritage of Sufism offer us as a living legacy for future generations”. In order to get answers to all these questions, the festival sets out on the Sufi roads to meet those who transmit and keep alive this culture, its heritage and values. “From Fez to Tivaouane in Senegal, from Granada to Ajmer in India, passing through Marrakech or Bejaâd, we will be welcomed, in the historic spiritual centres, in the company of researchers, specialists, writers, actors, visual artists, musicians, spiritual guides…”. To register and find out more about the programme, interested parties are invited to visit the festival’s website:
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