Timitar Festival 2008

While celebrating its fifth edition, Timitar festival has become an eagerly anticipated
event in the Moroccan cultural landscape. Considered today as one of the biggest
festivals in the country, Timitar provides its audience with an event well rooted in and
actively working towards promoting Souss Massa Drâa culture.

This year, from the 1st to the 6th of July, Timitar festival will present the best of
traditional and contemporary repertoires from the five continents of the globe. Held at
three stages, located in different venues of Agadir city, the audience is invited to
structure their own experience of the diverse musical experience on offer.
Essential to the spirit of Timitar festival and its music programme is its position as a
platform for open dialogue between diverse cultures through music.
For this fifth edition, Timitar is highlighting Moroccan artists. This will make this
year s festival not only an ambitious program of established international artists, but a
testament to the richness and diversity of Moroccan music.

The events of each evening will commence with an Amazigh traditional group,
exhibiting the dynamic artistry of the Souss Massa Drâa Region.
Having established itself amongst the major world music festivals, Timitar will this
year invite outstanding artists in the field including, Youssou N Dour, Lamchaheb,
Idir, Marcel Khalife, Alpha Blondy, Izenzaren, Rokia Traoré, Najat Aatabou, Ziskakan,
Cheb Khaled, Takfarinas, Oulad el Bouazzaoui and Salif Keita.
The festival s line up is also distinguished by the new generation of world music
artists, including Maalesh and Etran Finatawa. .

The most awaited repertoire of Rways will be represented by great names such as
Fatima Tabaamrant, Outajajt, Lahoucine Amarakchi, My Ahmed Ihihi, Fatima Tihihit
and Haj Amentag.
The best of the Tamwayt repertoire will be interpreted by Cherifa and Ahouzar.
The audience will have also the opportunity to discover new groups working with
traditional music strongly present in Souss Massa Drâa Region; these include
Imghrane, Oudaden, Tarragt, Azenkd, Toudart, Lahoucine Aït Baamrane and Aït
Laati.

With their well formed ability to create a hybrid of cultures and sounds,
internationally based Moroccan or Maghrebian artists such as Chalaban,
Walid Mimoun, Yuba and Mehdi Haddab & the Speed Caravan will present their
unique music of diverse influences.

Timitar Festival 2008 Signs & Cultures - Agadir - 5
Urban and contemporary music is also commemorated in this edition on account of
the alternative artists who made a mark on the local Moroccan music scene, such as
Amarg Fusion, Darga, Fez City Clan, Rap 2 Bleb and international urban and
contemporary hip hop groups such as Didier Awadi and his band Presidents of Africa
and electronic music groups such as Zong and Nortec Collective.
And finally, the most awaiting rendezvous of live sounds and images with deejay and
veejay sets on Al Amal and Bijawane stages, featuring VJ Dennis Dezenn, Kiss Dub
and Rays; with Dj Big Buddha, Ishtar, Dj B*indi, Mps Pilot, Badr Eddine, Mixape, Dj
Key and Dj Saïf.

The diverse line up of the Timitar festival holds strong to spirit of plurality inherent in
world music and the Amazigh musical tradition.

Timitar Festival office
172 Hassan II Avenue - Fouzia Building
80 000 Agadir Morocco
Tel.: (+212) 28 82 03 38
Fax: (+212) 28 84 81 75
timitarinfo@gmail.com
www.festival-timitar.com