Seven Topics from Maghreb Arab Press Featured in FAPA Cultural File

Al-Maghreb Arabe Press Agency report as part of the cultural file of the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA)

Rabat - October 10 (KUNA) --- The 18th edition of the Fes Festival of Sufi Culture celebrates Sufi poetry

Fes - The 18th edition of the Fes Festival of Sufi Culture will take place from October 17 to 24 under the theme "Sufi Poetry: The Elixir of Healing." The festival features a diverse program combining musical concerts, intellectual meetings, and artistic experiences exploring themes of spirituality and the search for meaning.

Hosted under the high patronage of King Mohammed VI, this edition aims to transform Fes into a space for encounter between Morocco’s spiritual heritage and the wisdom of the world. The program explores the role of poetry and beauty "in a world marked by wounds and trials."

Fes, as a city of knowledge and the transmission of learning, serves as the natural host for this event, thanks in particular to its spiritual heritage, which is based on a conception of knowledge that unites intellect and ethics, and the pursuit of beauty and meaning, according to a statement from the Fes Festival of Sufi Culture Association.

The edition will open on October 17 with a musical concert at Bab el-Makina, titled "Paths of Spiritual Love," featuring chants from the Andalusian Harqi tradition, with participation by artist Nabila Maan.

Kbir Mustapha Ammi releases "Intimate Shores," reflecting on place and identity

Rabat - Moroccan writer Kbir Mustapha Ammi announced the upcoming release of his new book, "Intimate Shores" (Rivages intimes), by Scribe Publishing in Tetouan. The author, who writes in French, blends personal narrative with political reflection, philosophical meditation, and historical testimony. Each text serves as a journey of crossing, questioning what it means to inhabit a place and to be simultaneously "here" and "from elsewhere."

The back cover blurb states: "Between Taza and Paris, between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean, between childhood and exile, Kbir Mustapha Ammi draws a sensitive map of identity. In this literary text, which combines the intimate and the universal, the writer explores the shores where memories, languages, and affiliations meet and collide."

As a committed humanist thinker, Kbir Mustapha Ammi calls for "reflecting on alterity, borders, and the writer’s position between two shores." With a writing style that blends poetic sensibility with boldness, the author outlines a multifaceted identity formed from fragments, wounds, and islands of truth.

The book "Intimate Shores," introduced by El Yedda Daoud, is a work on memory, exile, and the search for shared humanity. It carries within it multiple lands, languages, and diverse stories.

Kbir Mustapha Ammi, born in 1952 in Taza, has published nearly twenty works ranging from novels and literary essays to theater and poetry. His works are characterized by deep reflection on the history of the Maghreb, identity, and the interplay of cultures, blending imagination with reportage.

Tangier: The 14th Regional Book and Publishing Exhibition celebrates authors and creativity

Tangier - The city of Tangier will host the 14th Regional Book and Publishing Exhibition from October 10 to 16.

This cultural event celebrates Morocco’s cultural landscape, its national, regional, and local elites, and honors literary and creative talents. According to the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Culture for the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, the exhibition is an occasion for "thinkers and knowledge holders to interrogate Tangier as a port of imagination, a haven for books, a genuine source of creative inspiration, and a story of human history that has united the two shores of the Mediterranean since ancient times and civilizations."

This edition, hosted in the Al-Musalla Square, features participation from a number of publishing houses and bookstores from within and outside the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, alongside government institutions concerned with publishing and books. The cultural program includes a series of seminars, intellectual meetings, book signings, poetry readings, and artistic workshops aimed at children and youth. According to the same source, the exhibition’s opening ceremony will honor several prominent figures from Tangier: researcher and historian Abd al-Salam Shqour, film director Farida Belghith, journalist Zahra al-Ghazawi, Fatiha al-Khayati (assistant to the late writer Mohamed Choukri), cultural activist and anthropologist Rachid Tafersiti, and visual artist al-Faqih al-Rakraki. The first day’s program also includes the opening of an exhibition of printing and copying machines, an inaugural lecture by writer Abdelfattah Kilito titled “Why Do We Read Literature?”, followed by the signing of his book “Abdelfattah Kilito and Poetry,” as well as the inaugural lesson delivered by Hassan Tarek, president of the Wasit Foundation in Morocco, titled “We Are a Nation,” and a poetic and artistic evening coordinated with the Dar al-Shi’r (House of Poetry) in Tetouan.

Marrakech .. Opening of a new museum space highlighting the life and work of French writer Denise Masson

Marrakech – On the evening of Saturday, October 4, 2026, a new permanent museum space was inaugurated at the “Denise Masson” House in Marrakech, shedding light on the intellectual legacy of this prominent figure, her life, and her works, which contributed to cultural rapprochement and dialogue between France and Morocco. The opening ceremony, overseen by the French Institute in Marrakech, was attended by several French and Moroccan personalities from the fields of culture, research, and the arts. In a speech on the occasion, French Ambassador to Morocco Philippe Lalliot emphasized that “this new space reflects the richness of Franco-Moroccan relations on essential issues such as religious affairs, as well as the important work carried out by the French Institute in Morocco with its partners to renew and modernize cultural cooperation between our two countries.” On this occasion, two temporary exhibitions were organized: the first, titled “Religious Pluralism in Morocco,” by Manuel Benicoud, in collaboration with the Jacques Berque Center; and the second, titled “I Have Known God,” by Yousef al-Makawi, in partnership with Rواق 208 Paris–Marrakech. Denise Masson, born in Paris in 1901 and deceased in Marrakech in 1994, was a researcher specializing in Islamic studies, a writer, an enthusiast of arts and culture, and a prominent figure in cultural dialogue between France and Morocco.

Sala Festival .. Calls to Revive the Intellectual Legacy of Fatima Mernissi

Sala – On Saturday, October 3, 2026, thinkers and intellectuals called at a meeting in Sala to continue transmitting the legacy of Moroccan sociologist and thinker Fatima Mernissi. This meeting, organized within the framework of the 19th edition of the Sala International Women’s Film Festival, provided an opportunity to highlight the richness of Fatima Mernissi’s intellectual heritage and to explore initiatives aimed at preserving her critical spirit and her commitment to equality. In a speech on the occasion, Farid al-Merini, president of the “Friends of Fatima Mernissi Association for Cultural Activities,” emphasized the interdisciplinary approach that characterized the late scholar’s work, particularly recalling her “spirit of weaving,” which sought to bridge different fields of knowledge and experiences. Mr. al-Merini explained that the association works to extend this approach through the publication of journals, production of podcast programs, and organization of writing workshops that bring together university students, artisans, and actors in the rural world. The meeting was distinguished by a tribute to the memory of Aisha Bennkhadra, founder of the “Friends of Fatima Mernissi Association for Cultural Activities,” in recognition of her steadfast commitment to preserving and disseminating the thought of the late sociologist.

The International Women’s Film Festival in Salé, organized under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and initiated by the “Abu Riqraq Association,” provides a platform for valuing women’s cinematic creativity and reflecting on the status of women, while opening up to cinematic experiences from other societies. The Saudi film “Hijra” by director Shedad Amin was awarded the Grand Prize of the Salé Women’s Film Festival. Salé – On the evening of Saturday, October 3, the Saudi feature film “Hijra” by director Shedad Amin won the Grand Prize of the official competition for feature films during the 19th edition of the International Women’s Film Festival in Salé. At a ceremony attended by a distinguished group of prominent figures in the fields of art, culture, and media, the jury for the official feature film competition, chaired by Luxembourgish director and producer Bady Minck, announced that “Hijra” had won the prize among eight feature films competing from various countries around the world. The Special Jury Prize was awarded to the film “Znaga Malaga” by director Maryam Altuzani, while the Best First Work prize went to the French film “Chana.” The Best Female Acting award was shared by actresses Khairia Naimi and Lamara Faden for their performances in the Saudi film “Hijra.” The Best Male Acting award was presented to Canadian actor Patrick Hivon for his role in the film “Amour Apocalypse,” written and directed by Anne Émond. The jury also granted a special mention to the feature film “The World of Love” directed by Korean filmmaker Yoon Ga-eun. In the documentary category, the Best Work prize went to the film “Outside the School” by Moroccan director Hind Benassari, with a special mention for the documentary “Wolobogo” directed by Camy Farine. The Youth Audience Award in the short film category went to “Washm Biza” by director and screenwriter Fatima Zahra Oubaha. In the same category, Moroccan director and writer Ala Aakboun was honored for his feature film “2 Souls,” with a special mention for the film “Here Where the Blessing Is” by director and screenwriter Zineb Zidan. The “Other Shore” Prize was awarded to the film “Quitte ou Double” by producer Rachida Saadi; this special prize is given to the work that best promotes gender equality, addresses the specific situation of women, and advocates for them in various contexts. Asilah Cultural Season – Exhibition by Artist Mohammed El-Mourabeti Celebrates Aesthetics and Spirituality Asilah – The 47th Asilah International Cultural Season, in its autumn edition, celebrates aesthetics and spirituality through a visual arts exhibition by artist Mohammed El-Mourabeti. Through his exhibition “Between Aesthetics and Spirituality,” this self-taught artist seeks to breathe life into domes, viewing them as geometric forms that combine a spiritual, Sufi dimension with an aesthetic one. Through the contrast between color and texture, the Marrakech native pursues a thread of passion by adapting possible dome shapes inspired by their architecture, deliberately juxtaposing arches that evoke the shape of semi-circular domes and sequences of triangles that lend the paintings an aesthetic derived from form and color as a visual sign in itself. In this regard, researcher and critic Mohammed Ait Lammim described Mohammed El-Mourabeti’s works in an introductory paper for the exhibition as an experience through which the observer perceives the artist’s innate spiritual and Sufi inclination. For his part, Mohammed El-Mourabeti affirmed that his works represent manifestations of daily urban scenes, where images of domes and the spiritual connotations of righteous saints intersect with the features of the 21st century, such as satellite dishes, reflecting the interplay between heritage and modern life without contradiction.

He emphasized in a statement to the Moroccan News Agency (MAP) that he is working to translate this visual duality into plastic art, reconfiguring geometric shapes and designs in a manner that provokes questions in the viewer and opens new horizons for interpreting Moroccan heritage through a contemporary lens. The 47th edition of the Asilah Cultural Season, running until October 18, is organized under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI by the Asilah Forum Foundation, in partnership with the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication (Culture Sector) and the Asilah municipality. (End) And