The Marrakech International Poetry Festival, organized by the Moroccan House of Poetry in partnership with the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication, ISESCO, and the Marrakech City Council, is set to take place on April 26-28.
This event–comprising but a few of the festivities marking Marrakech as the Capital of Islamic Culture in 2024–will showcase poets from Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Turkey, Bahrain, Senegal, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Mauritania, Yemen, Mali, Djibouti, and Morocco, said the Moroccan House of Poetry in a press release.
Themed “Marrakech, the Renewed Poem,” the festival will kick off with five poetry evenings complemented by traditional music performances at iconic locations in the Red City, such as Bahia Palace, Badi Palace, and Al Mutamid Ibn Abbad Shrine in Agmat. Additionally, a morning poetry session will be hosted by the Al Muniya of the Marrakech Association.
Two intellectual seminars, in collaboration with the Arabic Language College of Cadi Ayyad University, will delve into topics such as “Poetry and Sufism” and “Al Mutamid Ibn Abbad, Meanings and Dimensions.” Two poetry writing contests to inspire young writers will be introduced during the festival.
The first competition, focusing on student poetry creativity, will be organized in partnership with the Regional Academy of Education and Training for the Marrakech-Safi region, with results to be unveiled during the opening ceremony. The second contest, also centered on student poetry creativity, will be conducted in collaboration with Cadi Ayyad University, with results announced at the closing ceremony.
Themed “Spiritual Journey,” the festival will offer attendees an opportunity to explore Marrakech’s spiritual essence by visiting The Seven Saints of Marrakech and recognizing their significant contributions to the city’s spiritual, scientific, and intellectual heritage.
In collaboration with the Regional Academy of Education and Training, the festival will establish 12 poetry libraries–each stocked with 250 books from the Moroccan House of Poetry publications and other works–aiming to support 2,800 students from Quranic schools who relocated to Marrakech after the 8 September earthquake.
The Moroccan House of Poetry will unveil a new work, entitled Secrets of the Walls, From the Poetry Memory of Marrakech, which features select poems that celebrate the vibrant poetic legacy of the Red City.