Americans Embraced for 2nd Friendship Fest Kick-Off
An estimated 85,000 people attended the globally publicized event featuring both American and Moroccan musicians in 2005 and event organizers expect a bigger turnout this weekend.
The landmark Friendship Fest that built unprecedented bridges of communication between two highly contrasting cultures last year returned to Marrakech, Morocco Friday for a second round of the cultural celebration. The huge success of the first festival in the predominantly Muslim country prompted Moroccan officials to invite Western Christian artists for another music fest.
An estimated 85,000 people attended the globally publicized event featuring both American and Moroccan musicians sharing center stage in 2005 and event organizers expect an even bigger turnout this weekend.
"We anticipate that this event will be bigger and more successful than last year," Bob Thompson, volunteer press coordinator for the Friendship Fest and festival director for Atlanta Fest, told The Christian Post minutes before the event kick-off. "The stage is set, the weather is perfect and the advance promotional exposure has been dramatically expanded from last year."
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Friendship Fest posters (Le Festival d'Emite) are hanging throughout the public streets of the Arab city, according to Thompson, to draw thousands more together under the universal language of music. This year, festival attendants will hear award-winning Christian artists including The Crabb Family, Ashley Cleveland, Jaci Velasquez, KJ-52, Joy Williams, downhere and American Idol finalist George Huff on stage with contemporary and traditional Moroccan music artists.
All artists, performers and production crew have donated their time and labor to help bridge the two cultures in friendship and peace through music. The free three-day event is supported through private contributions in the United States and corporate sponsorships in Morocco.
According to the U.S. State Department's International Religious Freedom Report 2005, freedom of religion is respected in practice in Morocco. However, the Government places certain restrictions on Christian religious materials and proselytizing in a country that is reportedly 99 percent Muslim. And Friendship Fest organizers from the Western world made it clear that they are not there to convert anyone.
"We are here to play music and promote friendship among our cultures," said Thompson. We see the fact that we have been invited back this year to be a positive sign that our desire to promote friendship and open communication among our cultures has been well received." The return invitation had been extended at the conclusion of the 2005 event.
A day before the 2006 festival's opening on Friday, the Moroccans expressed warm hospitality to the Americans at a rural village in the Atlas Mountains. Williams and her band, Huff and Canadian band downhere visited the village where they were welcomed with Moroccan music and dance and where they themselves performed an impromptu concert of their own.
"The Americans were warmly embraced by the Moroccans upon their departure and urged to return," noted Thompson.
That night, regional president for the Marrakech area Abdelali Doumou, who first conceived the festival idea, hosted a formal dinner with Moroccan officials welcoming the American delegation to their country.
Although the Christian artists will not be directly sharing their faith with the Moroccan crowds, they will all be singing about Jesus. And Doumou had assured them that that wouldn't be a problem.
Friendship Fest was launched last spring in response to a warm invitation of Marrakech to bring American music to Morocco to promote friendship between the people of the United States and the North African nation. Harry Thomas, co-founder of America's Creation Festivals, Inc., was given the invitation by Wali (Governor) Mohamed Hassad and Doumou.
"While many may see it as a small step, to be sure, we recognize that even a long journey begins with a single step," Thompson commented.
