Bridging Cultures with Art: Welcome to Marrakech Biennale

02 Nov Bridging Cultures with Art: Welcome to Marrakech Biennale

Within the warm red sandstone walls of Marrakech lies a rich cultural legacy, one that has made the city home to one of Africa’s leading artistic scenes. But what exactly is Marrakech culture? Which of the city’s historic influences still contribute to its modern day creativity? And how does Marrakech fuse its traditional roots with contemporary culture and art? The answers to these questions (and more!) can be found in Marrakech Biennale.

This unique festival takes over the city of Marrakech for the month of March in 2014, during which a programme of visual arts, music, cinema, performing arts and literature events aim to unite the many cultural influences that inspire artists from Marrakech and Morocco. Held across nine principal venues – including some of Marrakech’s most iconic and historic buildings, like the Theatre Royal, Dar Si Said mansion house and the vast Palais Badii – staying in Marrakech during the Biennale festival is a unique opportunity to gain a special insight into not only the history of Marrakech culture, but also to get a glimpse of the fast-developing and exciting future of the city’s creative scene. There are also a number of fringe and partner projects with international collaborators taking place throughout the city from within the walls of the Medina to the modern streets of Gueliz, and you can absolutely expect the city’s cafes to keep the Moroccan sweet mint tea flowing for visitors seeking refreshment in between shows and exhibitions.

We also happen to think that March is one of the best times of year to visit Marrakech as temperatures have risen into the comfortable high 20s and the sun shines all day long, before dipping down at night when the stars take over, lighting up the dark sky. Furthermore, 2014 sees Marrakech Biennale celebrate a decade since the festival began so expect a celebratory mood that focuses on the theme “Where Are We Now?”, an exploration of Marrakech’s present and future state as a leading city of culture.