A North African arts showcase in the unforgettable, magnetic city of Marrakech. Sufi music performances, Arabic literary events and poetry readings in riads. A large scale art exhibition at the Musee de Marrakech.
“If the task of any cultural shindig is to unlock new doors, then the inaugural Arts in Marrakech festival crossed more thresholds than most.”
- Boyd Tonkin, The Independent 7/10/2005
The 2005 Arts in Marrrakech Festival was directed by Pablo Ganguli and included many prestigious participants and guests including Hanif Kureishi, Esther Freud and Annie Lennox, as well as the debut exhibition of the Wonderful Fund Collection at the Museum of Marrackech. This included artists such us Sarah Lucas, Grayson Perry, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Tracey Emin and Gavin Turk.
Liberatum’s artistic director Pablo Ganguli helped create and set up the inaugural festival with Vanessa Branson and Abel Damoussi which was held in October 2005. Today it is run entirely by Vanessa Branson and called the Arts in Marrakech (AiM) International Biennale. It is the first major trilingual (English, Arabic & French) festival in North Africa focusing on cutting-edge contemporary art, literature and film.
Programme
Thursday 29 September 2005
11am Marrakech Theatre Royal
Festival Press Conference and Introduction
The Mayor of Marrakech
Friday 30 September 2005
3pm Dar Cherifa
Experiences of Growing Up in Contemporary Britain
Chair: Simon Prosser
Ekow Eshun, Hari Kunzru and Esther Freud
4pm Dar Cherifa
The Importance of Translation of Arabic Literature and Poetry
Touria Iqbal, Yassin Adnan, Hassan Lilmy, Mobarak Rabii, Ahmed El Madini,
Charbel Dagher and Mehdi Akhrif
Presented by Catherine Lockerbie
6:30pm Musee de Marrakech
Opening of the Wonderful Fund Collection
Saturday 1 October 2005
11am Bahia Palace
Opening of the Moroccan Art Exhibition
Contemporary Art Today in Morocco
By Mohammed Melehi, President of Association
Marocaine de Arts Plastiques
followed by AiM Music and Dance Celebration
4:30pm Special Exhibitions Tour of Marrakech
Matisse Art Gallery, Galerie Bleue, Galerie Tadghart and Galerie Atlassides
6:30pm Dar Cherifa
Poetry
Mehdi Akhrif, Malika Al Asimi, Mohammed Bennis, Charbel Dagher,
Abdelkarim Tabbal and Saadi Youssef
Sunday 2 October 2005
1pm Kasbah Agafay
Flamenco Performance
5:30pm Kssour Agafay
The Influence of Arab World Writers on Modern Literature
Ahmed El Madini, Mahi Binebine, Waciny Laredj, Hassan Hilmi, Susanna Nicklin,
Alexandra Pringle, Simon Prosser, Charbel Dagher, Sandra Hebron, Mobarak Rabii
and Samuel Shimon
7pm Kssour Agafay
Richard Brooks interviews Hanif Kureishi and Deborah Moggach
7:30pm Kssour Agafay
The Future of English and Arab Literature and How The Media
Can Play a Key Role in its Promotion
Jane Johnson, Hanif Kureishi, Mobarak Rabii, Catherine Lockerbie,
Deborah Moggach, Sandra Hebron, Danny Moynihan, Alexandra Pringle, Yassin Adnan and
Hassan Hilmi
8:45pm Kssour Agafay
Which City or Culture has most Inspired your Writing
Mahi Binbine, Esther Freud, Jane Johnson, Hanif Kureishi, Yassin Adnan,
Youssed Saadi, Mohammed Bennis, Mobarak Rabii, Samuel Shimon and Deborah Moggach
Other guests at AiM 2005 included Antony Gormley, Alan Yentob and Annie Lennox
Monday 3 October 2005
3:30pm Riad Maggie
Talk on Gavin Maxwell’s Travels in Morocco given by his Moroccan companion
Ahmed Tija
AiM Committee: Vanessa Branson, Abel Damoussi, Danny Moynihan, Pablo Ganguli and Mohammed Melehi.
