Morocco: 30,000 fans charmed by Warda El Djazairia

The greatest singer in the Arab world today, Warda El Djazairia, 'Algerian Rose..., has received the homage of some 30,000 spectators on Saturday night in Rabat on the occasion of the 8th edition of the music festival ...Mawazine....

•     For two hours, the diva-dressed in a dark blue caftan with jewelry captivated audiences from all over Morocco, including Casablanca, Meknes and Fez.
  
      The assistance consisted almost predominantly of women, danced and sang for two hours at the rhythm of the best songs from Warda.
  
      Warda received the Alaouite cordon of the order of Commander, one of the most important distinctions of the kingdom, and was made honorary citizen of Rabat, receiving a symbolic key of the capital.
  
      “The music brings the Arab peoples together, especially between those of the Maghreb,” she said, making implicit reference to the tension that exists between Morocco and Algeria because of the Western Sahara.
  
      This woman of 69 years, born in Puteaux (near Paris) from an Algerian father and a Lebanese mother, began her career at the age of 15 in her father’s tavern in the Quartier Latin.
  
      She emphasized that she had also sung for the independence of Algeria, having left France for Lebanon, then Egypt.
  
      Warda El Djazairia is one of the few Arab performers who can transcend borders and musical language of the Arab world and symbolizes the complementarity between the two sides, the Maghreb and the Mashrek.
  
     Some 1700 Moroccan and foreign artists participating in the 2009 edition of Mawazine, which began Friday and ends May 23 with a concert by Stevie Wonder. One hundred concerts will be held in various sites in the Moroccan capital.
  
          
  Ennaharonline/ M. O.