Opening night Fes : in search of Africa

Man’s spirit is so much greater than his body. African proverb

From desert wastes to the treasures of ancient palaces, this great musical tale evokes the spirit of African heritage. It takes its inspiration from The History & Description of Africa written by Hassan Al Wazzan (c 1490-1550, known as Leo Africanus or Yuhanna Al Assad in Arabic), as well as highlighting the history of the Tijani Sufi brotherhood.  Fes and its medina is the link between Andalusia and Africa.

The performance is a tribute to these great mystical travellers who forged historic links between Morocco and the rest of Africa.

Our quest takes us from the banks of the Nile to the Niger River, from the vast sub-Saharan deserts of Mauritania to the Atlas Mountains, from the ancient empires of Songhai and Mali and from Timbuktu to Cairo. It showcases traditional artists from Morocco, Mali, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Senegal.

Images projected onto the walls of Bab Makina conjure up an architectural journey, transforming the Fes medina into ancient African kingdoms and symbolising the transition between Andalusia and Africa. With unique staging, the Bab Makina gate appears as the door to a medersa in Timbuktu, a Hausa fortress, a Tijani zaouia, the Karaouiyine mosque and a Bedouin camp.   Thus Bab Makina becomes desert, river, mountain, water and sand. Arabic and Bambara calligraphy is also projected onto the walls, all recreating the breath-taking landscapes of Hassan Al Wazzan’s life of travel through Africa as ambassador for the king of Fes.

Five centuries after the writing of The History & Description of Africa, this performance comprises a series of music and dance tableaux and concludes with a tribute to the great Tijani Sufi order, whose founder Sidi Ahmed Tijani (1737-1815) is buried in Fes.

Artists include:

Driss al Maloumi – oud – Morocco

Ballaké Sissoko and Kora Ensemble of Bamako  - Mali

Masks of the Moon – Burkina Faso

Doudou Ndiaye Rose Children & the Simb Lion dance - Senegal

Nouhaila Al Kalaa – Fes, Morocco

Coumbane Mint Amartichitt – the art of the griot - Mauritania

Chérifa – Tamazight song from the Middle Atlas – Morocco 

Malick Sow, Tijani master from Tivouane – Senegal

Tamango, dance – USA, French Guyana

Mohammed Bajjedoub -  Tijani song  - Morocco

 

With Saïd Taghmaoui as Hassan Wazzan (Leo the African) (to be confirmed) and Bakary Sangaré, member of the Comédie Française, as the African wise man (to be confirmed)

 

Direction & Production: Alain Weber

Lighting: Christophe Olivier

  assisted by Gaël Boucault

Mapping: Spectaculaires

Artistic advisors: Caroline Bourgine and Luciana Penna

Sound: Chris Ekers and Erik Loots

Technical directiton: Hamid Anbassi