Doors open at 6:00 PM, show starts at 7:00 PM, doors close at 7:15 PM.

In the labyrinth of Fès’ winding alleyways, once traversed by Pierre Loti in 1889, the mosaic-paved courtyard of the Quaraouiyine suddenly gleams— a spiritual oasis within the medina and the world’s oldest university since its founding in 263 of the Hijri calendar.

Fès plays a crucial role in the vitality of religious sentiment across much of Africa— a continent that, in turn, takes us back to the very foundations of a humanity that knew how to coexist with the forces of nature. Within its cosmogonic vision, the environment was perceived as a sacred and supernatural space.

Rooted in the philosophy of Ancient Greece, where nature—whether as cosmos (order of the world) or phusis (life and movement)—was elevated as a model for life, African spirituality has continued to transcend with its serene and universal force.

This same Pythagorean thought (580 BC) would later inspire the Arab scholars Al-Kindī (9th century) and Al-Fārābī (10th century). Such are the whims of mankind and its perpetual renaissances. A few centuries later, the Italian Renaissance would be born— the inspired awakening of a Europe intertwining Christian faith with a revival of ancient philosophy.

Florence would prove visionary, just as Fès had been centuries earlier. Fès and Florence, two ancestral cities—twinned in 961—that left their mark on two civilizations: one in the Arab-Muslim world, the other in the West.

This performance will be a succession of fragments from a pictorial journey inspired by the beauty of the world and the aesthetics of an Africa that is colorful, baroque, even burlesque—an Africa that is reborn and today dominates the global contemporary art scene.

The Sufi rituals of Africa, the Arabian desert, and the Indian Ocean—their imitation of the movement of waves—the bird dances, or the stilt walkers rising in search of the heavens, will celebrate mankind in its many renaissances. For, as the sage once said: “Man’s body is small compared to the soul that inhabits it.”

Order of Appearance

• Le Deba, Sufi ritual of the women of Mayotte – Comoros Islands
• Omar Areej Mawlidi – Sufi chants from the Sultanate of Oman
• Habib Dembelé, actor: narrator – Mali
• The Zaouli of Manfla
• The Stilt Walkers
• Leopard Ritual Dance by Compagnie Méhansio – Ivory Coast
• Kassaïde Mouride Chants – Dahira Safinatoul Aaman – Senegal
• The Sama of Meknes
• Battista Acquaviva, sacred Renaissance singing
• The Drums of Burundi

Direction & Concept: Alain Weber
Choreography: Jean-Paul Méhansio
Lighting Design: Christophe Olivier, assisted by Gaël Boucault
Mapping: Spectaculaires / Allumeurs d’images
Sound atmosphere: Gilles Monfort
production : Spirit of Fes Foundation Team – Leila Sajie,
Artistic Direction : Sandrine Lecoz,

Sound: Chris Eckers, Erik Loots, Vincent Debongnie