Friendship Fest Closes with 220,000

|PIC1|An estimated 220,000 people gathered at the 2nd annual Friendship Fest in Marrakech, Morocco over the course of three days (May 5-7). This year’s festival follows the success of last year’s first Friendship Fest, which attracted a crowd of 85,000.

Grammy-winning group The Crabb Family, Dove-nominated artists George Huff and Joy Williams, and Dove-winning artists Jaci Velasquez, KJ-52 and downhere, joined the stage by a number of contemporary and traditional Moroccan music artists during the 18 hours of the music festival.

Music promoters Harry Thomas and Tim Landis (co-founders of Creation Festivals, Inc.) were once again invited by Marrakech Regional President Abdelali Doumou, with the full support of Wali (Governor).

Regional President Doumou hailed the festival, which is breaking new ground in the Arab world, as a resounding success. "We were delighted and honoured when my good friend Harry Thomas accepted our invitation to come to back Marrakech to join with us in celebration of our long-standing friendship with the people of the United States. Over the past three days, we have seen music unite our people and cultures in a way that is both gratifying and encouraging for future cultural and economic exchanges. From the size of the crowds, and their positive reaction, it was obvious to me that our people were very grateful to receive this gift of beautiful music."

Landis agreed, stating: "We were simply overwhelmed by the warmth of the reception we received from the Moroccan people. Each of the artists performing at the event had stories of new relationships that were developed as a result of Friendship Fest. Those in attendance truly encouraged us with their heartfelt and enthusiastic support."

|PIC2|Canadian rockers "downhere" appeared at the Festival on Friday and Sunday nights, performing songs from their upcoming new album Wide-eyed and Mystified. downhere's front man Marc Martel, a native French Canadian, spoke to the crowd in French (one of Morocco's two official languages) between songs.

Martel commented: "The Moroccan people seemed to have a real heart for music. Despite their lack of familiarity with our music, they were eager to dance and sing along. It was a privilege to perform for them. They rocked."

On Saturday night at the festival, a crowd of over 100,000 heard The Crabb Family open and close its performance with a song written especially for Friendship Fest. Sung entirely in Arabic, the tight harmonies of "May God's Peace Be With You" resonated throughout the crowd, and were echoed back to the stage by the crowd. Later in the set, Adam Crabb silenced the audience with his spellbinding, soulful rendition of "Amazing Grace" on harmonica.

"The only thing that was translated were the introductions of the performers", said Thomas. "The universal language of music translated itself."

The purpose of Friendship Fest according to festival organizers was to "use the universal language of music to bridge cultures and make friends - to show that people of different cultures and faith traditions can be friends and live in harmony with one another."

When asked for his view regarding whether or not these goals were achieved, Regional President Doumou responded: "The goals of Friendship Fest were most definitely achieved. We strengthened our relations with our American brothers and sisters and set the stage for ongoing discussions and future cultural exchanges between our countries. We truly believe that this event represents an historic opportunity for Americans and Moroccans to celebrate together, through music, in friendship and peace."