The 15th edition of Mawazine Festival, an international music festival held annually in the Moroccan capital of Rabat, took place from 20 May to 28 May 2016.
The R&B singer Chris Brown opened the festival in OLM Souissi stage, May 20. Followed by, the next day, the Australian rapper Iggy Azalea who performed for 90 000 fans. The French pop star Maître Gims, Wyclef Jean, Shaggy, Pitbull, and Kendji Girac have also performed on the stage. But the most attended shows in OLM Souissi stage were: Hardwell's and Christina Aguilera's, with 180 000 and 250 000 people attending respectively. Also, Christina Aguilera's show happened to be the most attended show of a female western entertainer. [1] [2]
Diana Haddad opened the festival in the Nahda stage, in front of thousands of fans. Melhem Barakat, Hatem Al-Iraqi, Yara, and Saber Rebaï have all performed later on the stage.
Myriam Fares gave her first performance in the festival on the Nahda stage after giving birth to her son. Sherine also gave a performance after announcing earlier that she would retire. Assi El Helani performed in front of 80 000 fans in the same stage, and Saad Lamjarred also performed, Friday, May 27 for 140 000 fans.
Rokia Traoré, Marcus Miller, Bombino, Faiz Ali Faiz, Ernest Ranglin & Friends, The Afrobeat Experience, Omar Sosa & Friends, National Orchestra of Barbes all performed in the Bouragrag stage. Mokhtar Samba closed the festival Saturday, May 28.
The stage welcomed mostly Moroccan artists, with live performances from Hatim Idar, Mohammed Reda, Zinab Oussama, DJ K-Rim, Rhany, Saïda Fikri, Ahouzar, the Amazigh diva Fatima Tachtoukt, Najat Tazi, the Tangaoui pop singer Aminux, Sami Ray, Kader Japonais, the Moroccan band Hoba Hoba Spirit, Gabacho Maroc, Darga, Alamri, Chaabi singers Hajib and Abdelaziz Stati, Moroccan rappers Muslim, H-Kayne and H-name, Douzi, Rachid Berriah, Rachid Casta, Bilal El Maghribi and Hamid El Mardi. But the highlight of the stage was the Moroccan Chaâbi singer Najat Aatabou, who set a record for the most attended show of a female entertainer ever, with more than 300 000 people attending. [3]
Alireza Ghorbani, Noëmie Waysfeld, Kakushin Nishihara and Gaspar Claus, The Musicians of Cairo, Souffles Quartet, Antonio Castrignanò, Ines Bacán, Majid Bekkas, and Pedro Soler have all performed in the Chellah stage.
Kadhim Al-Sahir opened the Mawazine festival in Théatre Mohammed V with a sold-out show. Alma de Tango, Le Trio Joubran, Natacha Atlas, Qawwali Flamenco, Imany, Paco Renteria, El Gusto, and Safwan Bahlawan also performed in the stage.
Rabat is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. It is also the capital city of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra administrative region. Rabat is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the river Bou Regreg, opposite Salé, the city's main commuter town.
Christina María Aguilera is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Referred to as the "Voice of a Generation", she is credited as one of the artists responsible for reviving teen pop in the late 1990s and using her vocal ability to address such topics as sexuality, feminism, and domestic violence. She has frequently reinvented her image, becoming known for her risqué and unconventional looks. Her works have generated both critical praise and controversy in the media, with which Aguilera is often cited as an influence by other artists.
Moroccan music is characterized by its great diversity from one region to another, as well as according to different social groups. It is influenced by different musical styles including Amazigh, Andalusi, Arab, Mediterranean, Saharan, West African, and others.
Rachid Taha was an Algerian singer and activist based in France described as "sonically adventurous". His music was influenced by many different styles including rock, electronic, punk and raï.
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Safy Boutella is an Algerian musician, arranger, composer, and record producer who graduated from Berklee College of Music. He is the father of dancer and actress Sofia Boutella. He is best known for creating with Khaled the album Kutché, his album Mejnoun, arranging Nass el Ghiwane, and many young artists since the nineties. He also composed for Djamel Allam Djawhara, more than seventy movies soundtracks, and five musical frescoes.
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The Mawazine stampede occurred on May 23, 2009 at Hay Nahda stadium in Rabat, during the Mawazine music festival. At least 11 people are reported to have died, including 5 women, 4 men, and 2 children.
Mawazine is a Moroccan International music festival held annually in Rabat, Morocco, featuring many international and local music artists. The festival is presided over by Mounir Majidi, the personal secretary of the Moroccan King Mohammed VI and founder and president of Maroc Culture, the cultural foundation that organizes Mawazine and other events.
Yousra Saouf is a Moroccan singer who rose to fame in the Arab world at the age of 20 following her participation in the second season of Arab Idol, broadcast on MBC. She was acclaimed by the jury and the public, her voice being linked to the Egyptian diva Najat Essaghira. She was ranked ninth in the competition.
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Ali Caldwell is an American singer from Woodbridge, New Jersey. She began her career as a member of Xhale, a three-person R&B group. In 2016, Caldwell auditioned for Season 11 of the US edition of The Voice and competed as part of Team Miley Cyrus, finishing as a semi-finalist for the season.
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Saida Charaf is a Sahrawi Moroccan singer. Was born in 1970.