The 9th edition of the Fez International Festival of Arabic Calligraphy Art opened on Friday at the Mohamed Kacemi gallery, showcasing the calligraphic cultural heritage of the spiritual capital of the Kingdom and its ancestral history that dates back more than 12 centuries.
On this occasion, an exhibition was organized at the initiative of the Association “Caméléon des arts plastiques” with the support of the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication (Department of Culture) and in cooperation with the Cultural Center “Les Étoiles de la Ville – Fondation Ali Zaoua”, offering to see a series of works relating to the tools used in the field of Arabic calligraphy.
The opening ceremony of the festival, initiated in partnership with the Regional Directorate of Culture of the Fez-Meknes region, was marked by the presentation of calligraphy and Arabic decoration, in addition to the highlighting of the works awarded at the “Al Badr” Prize – Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, guest of honor of the festival.
On the same occasion, a tribute was paid to Moroccan calligrapher Nouria Riyadi and researcher Ahmed Hamdan Al Zeyoudi from the United Arab Emirates in recognition of their contributions in the field of developing Arabic calligraphy on a large scale.
This cultural event welcomes a host of calligraphers from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, Turkey and Tunisia, in addition to Morocco.
This cultural event, initiated under the theme “Safir” (ambassador), aims to bring the general public and amateur artists of Arabic calligraphy closer to its techniques used in beautiful paintings relating to decoration and Arabic calligraphy.
In a statement to MAP, the head of the Cultural Affairs department at the Regional Directorate of Culture of Fez-Meknes, Nadia Berchid, stressed that this edition focuses on artistic experiences and distinguished works from many Arab countries, and a program as rich as it is diverse.
The organization of this event is part of the celebration of the Night of Museums and Cultural Spaces at the national level, an opportunity to visit many museums and cultural spaces, she added.
For his part, the Secretary General of the Association “Cameleon of Plastic Arts”, Abdessalam Rihani, recalled that this festival, which brings together remarkable artistic paintings created by young artists and pioneers of the art of Arabic calligraphy, represents an opportunity to introduce Moroccan calligraphy and the art of decoration to the foreign participating delegations.
Emirati researcher Ahmed Hamdan Al Zeyoudi, for his part, praised the strong relations between Morocco and his country, highlighting the proximity and integration that exist between the “Al Badr” Festival in Fujairah – United Arab Emirates, and the Calligraphy Festival in Fez.
The program of this three-day festival includes practical and theoretical workshops aimed at highlighting the calligraphic and decorative heritage of Morocco and the “Al Badr” Prize, including workshops on the geometric rules of simplified Moroccan writing and the line system, supervised by specialists and researchers in the art of Arabic calligraphy.
