~RABAT READY TO KICK OFF INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL ~

[HOUDA-K]

The 11th Rabat International Festival will raise curtains on July 22 through August 2. The novelty of this year's edition is that it will offer a varied programme, said the festival director, Abdelhak Mantrach.



The festival will feature 440 Moroccan musicians representing the rich national cultural heritage, such as popular, modern, Amazigh, Sahrawi and Andalusia musical styles.

A total of 116 artists from the Arab world will flood to Rabat from Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Sudan notably Marcel Khalifa and Oumaïma El Khalil (Lebanon), Assala Nasri and Mayadin band (Syria), Camilia Jabrane (Palestine), Nassir Al Chamma (Iraq), Edouard Saïd Arab music Institute band.

The festival will also showcase 48 International artists notably Newdays band (Wales), Petrouchkas (France), the Billitones (USA), Rai X (Morocco-Switzerland), Duo Grizard (France), Hallet Eghayan (France) and Serbie Monte Negro (Serbia).

As for films, 12 long feature-length movies from Greece, Syria, Egypt, Netherlands, Burkina Faso and Morocco will vie for the Hassan II international competition.

Along with these activities, the Rabat festival will organise special activities for youth and children, workshops for scenario writing and cinema direction and celebrate Arab and international personalities.