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One Heart, One Land: FNAP 2025 Continues to Dance to Rhythm of Morocco’s Roots
Marrakech – Three days in, and FNAP 2025 keeps unfolding like a Moroccan melody; rich in harmony, complex in rhythm, and deeply rooted in heritage. After two nights of euphoric performances at El Badi Palace and Place El Guerguerate, Day 3 brought the Festival National des Arts Populaires (FNAP) to Ibn Abbad High School in Marrakech, a new setting that delivered a new kind of magic.
The moment you stepped foot inside the school, you’re immediately greeted by a swirl of sounds, sights, and sensations. Performers from every region of Morocco, who had filled the stages of El Badi the past two nights, now stood together in the same courtyard. The air was alive with conversations, laughter, and most importantly music. Gnaoua players jammed next to Reggada. Sahraoui singers danced alongside Amazigh Ahidous. Dialects and rhythms overlapped, but never clashed. It was a melting pot, a true Moroccan blend.
Like a daytime version of a night at Jemaa El Fna, Day 3 was electric, spontaneous, and grounded in centuries of history.
Among the many stories unfolding in real time, one stood out; a performer from Tazkioui under the Tizra association in Chichaoua. Dressed in traditional Tazkiwin attire, he spoke with Morocco World News (MWN) about his group’s generational war dance. “We inherited this music, this craft from our grandfathers. One father passes this to his children. This group began during the French colonial period, that’s why we call it the war dance.” Pointing to the boy beside him, he added: “That’s my son performing with me today. This robe “Tazkiwin” I wear is not even my father’s – it’s his grandfather’s. This “Khenjar” and this bullet hole, they symbolize our resistance at that time.”
Inside the school, a gathering of performers, press, and officials culminated in an appreciation ceremony. FNAP President Mohamed Knidiri and special guest Saida Charaf thanked the artists, the organizing association Grand Atlas, which also celebrated its 40th anniversary, and the cultural institutions supporting this legacy.
Charaf’s presence brought joy. Addressing the performers directly, she said, “We grew up on your performances. On our culture. There is love between us from every part of the country.” She added that, while she’s sung on many stages, FNAP tops the list: “I wish I had performed at every Moroccan festival, but this one is on top.”
United under one Morocco
Later that day, a formal press conference was held at Zalagh Kasbah Hotel. Knidiri reflected on the evolution of FNAP, noting how the festival began integrating star artists in 1999 to expand its reach as they brought singer Nouamane Lahlou to lead the festival last year. This year, for the first time ever, a woman, Saida Charaf, was chosen to lead the festival. “We needed someone with expertise, someone who understands Morocco’s popular arts, and even better, Saida Charaf, represents the Moroccan Sahara,” he said.
Charaf described El Badi Palace during FNAP as “a mini Morocco.” To her, grasping a nation’s history starts with understanding its music. And Morocco, with its 12 centuries of history, sings with layered complexity.
Then came a standout moment. As her upcoming Sahraoui-inspired album and music video premiered in the hotel conference room, El Guedra group began to dance. Journalists and organizers joined in. What was meant to be a screening turned into an improvised celebration.
Charaf announced the release of her album later this year, as well as a new cultural television where she interviews artists from across the country.
When asked about harmony among Morocco’s diverse musical identities, she told MWN: “One Morocco unites us. One heart. That’s why our rhythms complement each other. From the pentatonic scales of Agadir to the Sahraoui Faou and Liyin scales, to Amakal and Jebala’s Hijaz, our music carries the same soul, it’s all similar and blends very well together. Even the Rokba rhythms of Ouarzazate and those of Guelmim share striking similarities. It’s not a coincidence. We are one land.”
As she shared this, her former music teacher surprisingly stood up from the crowd, spontaneously explaining the scales and styles in an emotional moment that only deepened the festival’s central message, Morocco’s cultural wealth living and breathing.
Day 3 of FNAP offered a new space, a deeper understanding. As the melodies of Marrakech continue, the country will follow suit in dancing to the rhythm of its roots.
The post One Heart, One Land: FNAP 2025 Continues to Dance to Rhythm of Morocco’s Roots appeared first on Morocco World News.
