- Opening hours: Mon. to Fri. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
In 1998, the Gnaoua World Music Festival began modestly with the watchwords: freedom, conviviality, universality, fraternity. In 2012, fifteen years later, Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, addressed a message to us at the opening of the 1st Citizen Forum of the festival, organised in partnership with the National Human Rights Council (CNDH). The message stated, among other things: "Music is a universal language. It is a vector for dialogue and rapprochement beyond borders. All peace-builders cherish the power of music and want to support the artists who bring it to life. The Gnaoua and World Music Festival of Essaouira has established itself as a major event on the international cultural scene for its contribution to the dissemination of all music, and that of Morocco in particular".
