The Morocco Pavilion launched the ‘Mbokka Project’, a group of seven musicians from five African countries, who enthralled the onlookers with their rhythmic beats and peppy music.
The Morocco Pavilion through Mbokka Project, presented a blend of lively African music at the Sun Stage wherein musicians from Morocco, Mali, Senegal, Congo, and Ivory Coast, sang in Arabic, Wolof, Bombara and Baoulé.
Talking about the unique style of music at the Expo, Mariam Koné, Mbokka Projects’ vocalist and guitarist from Mali, shared, “Mbokka Project was the idea of the Moroccan NGO Africayna to bring together different strains of African music and package it for modern audiences. All musicians share the pleasure of playing the music of Africa. This is an African project by Africans. There is already a lot of music from other counties and continents going around. So, why not create and blend African rhythms to celebrate our unique style of music? Mbokka Project is doing just that.”
Not just the Mbokka Project, the Morocco Pavilion also hosted an event filled with ancient Moroccan stories that were transformed from the spoken word to pictures, during a live drawing show by illustrator and artist, Lamia Hmaiddout, on Friday. Bringing magical and fantastical elements, the stories were committed to memory by Moroccan ancestors and passed down through generations. Narrated by Mehdi Al Hammadi, the charming tales captured the minds of a group of children who gathered to watch. The stories were given a contemporary twist to appeal to the children of today while preserving their values, principles, and moral values.