Chaabi Habibi Festival 2024

Fatmas de Belgica

2024 11 News Chaabi Habibi Festival pic01

From November 24 to December 5, concerts, film screenings, and numerous other activities related to the musical heritage of chaabi took place at various locations. These included the polyphonic encounter Chœurs En Trance at Espace Magh, a workshop on music, dance, and transformation at MetX, and the festive finale Habibi Connection with Think of One, Laïla Amezian, B'net Chaabi, and Kabareh Cheikhats at KVS.

The festival was part of the Chaabi Habibi project, through which the non-profit organization HalfmOon has been promoting chaabi music played by women from the Moroccan diaspora in Belgium since 2019. From the outset, this project has developed around several axes: research, transmission, and artistic creation. All these aspects take different forms and are carried out in collaboration with various partners across language barriers.

Chaabi literally means “popular” and is an urban version of traditional Moroccan folk songs, performed at folk festivals and dedicated to dance. Chaabi Habibi is also a tribute to the Ghanayats and Shikhats, women musicians who spoke out for freedom in Morocco in the 19th century.

Chaabi Habibi Fest 61 A5599 Willem Mevis

Chaabi Habibi Fest 61 A6899 Willem Mevis

Chaabi Habibi Fest 61 A8222 Willem Mevis

program

During the Chaabi Habibi Festival, events included the polyphonic encounter Chœurs En Trance at Espace Magh, a workshop on music, dance, and transformation at MetX, and the festive closing event Habibi Connection at KVS. An overview of the program:

24/11 Chœurs En Trance @ Espace Magh

Polyphonic encounter between the choirs Fatmas de Belgica, Bab'Zouz, Le Chœur Essaouira Magador & Noujoum Souria.

25-27/11 Alala Yellali @ ULB

International symposium on “Women, musical genre and gender identities in chaabi music from Morocco to the diasporas”

27/11 B’net Chaabi Orkestra @ VK

Baraka Sounds go chaabi: concert & couscous

28/11 Kabareh to Cabaret @ Chez Maman

Musical spectacle

30/11-4/12 Cinema Habibi @ Cinemamed

Fiction & documentaries

30/11 Ateliers Nomades @ MetX

Music, dance & transformation with Kabareh Cheikhats & Soumaya MaRose.

30/11 Mehdiya Sultana @ Palace

Chaabi & Raï concert as part of Cinemamed

5/12 Chaabi Connection @ KVS

Collective concert as part of 60 years of Moroccan immigration with Think of One, Laïla Amezian, B'net Chaabi, and Kabareh Cheikhats

Chaabi Habibi Festival was organized by HalfmOon asbl & Darna in collaboration with MetX, Empact, w-Art, ULB, FNRS, Espace Magh, VK, Chez Maman, Cinemamed, Muziekpublique, AB & KVS. With the support of VGC Erfgoedcel, Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Equal and A nous l’Histoire.