First Moroccan Bladi festival a great success: ‘Never let anyone tell you that you can only have one “bladi”!’
‘The idea for this festival came about a year ago. We had already organised similar festivals for the Turkish and Polish communities, but we also wanted to welcome the Moroccan community with open arms,’ says Jessica Dassen, head of the department shaping Muziekgebouw Eindhoven’s inclusivity policy. ‘We got in touch with a number of proud ambassadors from the Moroccan community in Eindhoven. They know this audience better than anyone, so we were keen to listen to their ideas. That’s how a festival emerged that was truly organised for and by the community.’ And those proud ambassadors? Najat Toub-Arssi, Loubna Bakra, Batoul Heijdenrijk, Meryem El Bakiouli and Naima El Jaouhari.
A warm welcome
Right from the moment you stepped inside, you could tell something special was about to happen. The entrance was colourfully decorated with carpets, flowers and ornaments such as distinctive Moorish arches and arabesques. Naturally, milk and dates were also there, the ultimate gesture of Moroccan hospitality. And that hospitality could be felt everywhere. The souk, the market where entrepreneurs could sell their products and where Moroccan culture could quite literally be tasted, was bustling with visitors.
It wasn’t just people with a Moroccan background, either. Many curious Dutch visitors also found their way to Bladi festival. ‘I’m going to Morocco for six months soon, so I really wanted to come here to discover a bit more about the culture,’ says Mireille from Flanders. ‘It’s just different from simply looking up information online.’ Her boyfriend Fender adds: ‘It’s lovely to see how relaxed the atmosphere is. Everyone is smiling and friendly. I might even join her on the trip!’
More than two hundred tickets were sold at the door. ‘Many people with a Moroccan background don’t tend to plan these things far in advance,’ the ambassadors had already warned, ‘so we expect quite a few tickets to be bought on the day itself.’ Ticket sales did indeed peak in the days leading up to the festival, with the festival day itself showing the highest spike. Jessica Dassen laughs: ‘We often see at our community festivals that tickets are bought last minute. I think the Dutch just aren’t that good at doing things spontaneously, they want to plan everything ahead.’
‘My country’
‘Morocco is a country almost twenty times the size of the Netherlands. You can imagine how many different cultures and languages there are,’ Najat explains. ‘For Bladi, we deliberately looked for a programme in which everyone could recognise themselves. From gnawa (Mehdi Nassouli) to rifia (Mounim Al Maghribi) and Soussia (Imdoukal), we made the line-up in the main hall intentionally diverse.’ The performances sparked plenty of singing and dancing. For those less into the music, comedians Omar Ahaddaf and Samir Fighil also took to the stage. Meanwhile, Mounir ‘Chef’ Toub hosted a panel session with writer Mohammed Benzakour and filmmaker Jalal Bouzamour.
Before Al Maghribi’s performance, mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem took to the stage: ‘Salam! I’ve been told that Bladi means “my country”. Never let anyone tell you that you can only have one “bladi”.’ The audience erupted in applause. ‘But,’ Dijsselbloem concluded, ‘there is only one city, and that’s Eindhoven!’ Jack Pisters, the new director of Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, also briefly addressed the visitors: ‘I couldn’t have chosen a better week to start here.’ He then joined Jessica in putting the ambassadors in the spotlight before the enthusiastic audience.
‘If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got,’ Najat tells ED. She greatly values the fact that Muziekgebouw Eindhoven dares to look beyond its usual paths. ‘What you saw today was connection and pride, both from the organisation and from the visitors.’ The intention is for Bladi festival to return, most likely in collaboration with percussion festival Tromp.
