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Moroccan city of Fez to host ‘Sacred Music’ festival in September

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The ancient Moroccan city of Fez will be agog in September when it hosts the 27th edition of the annual Festival of Sacred World Music.

The festival, which is aimed at promoting a spirit of interfaith dialogue through music, according to the organisers, will take place between September 15 and 23, and will be a meeting ground for uniting artistes, thinkers, and travellers from across the world to celebrate the rich culture, spirituality, and art that Fez embodies.

The festival’s organizers revealed in a statement that the event’s programme which will feature a wide range of religious music artistes, including British singer Sami Yusuf, Indian flutist Jayanth Ambedkar, Turkish Folk band Janet & Jak Esim, among others.

The event will also pay tribute to Moroccan Sufi music through various performances, including the Sufi Night, which will take place on September 16 at the Jnan Sbil Garden.

“The Festival of Sacred World Music, an event born out of the city’s scholarly, artistic, and spiritual traditions, has been growing in popularity since its inception in 1994,” the statement said.

“The Festival of Sacred World Music is recognised by the United Nations and presents different genres, representing the world’s five major beliefs, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

“Over the course of its 26 editions, the festival has consistently highlighted a diverse array of artistic expressions, ranging from prestigious performances to soul-stirring Sufi Nights showcasing the historic significance as a former political and intellectual capital of Morocco which has preserved its legacy as a melting pot of cultures and ideas.

“The performances will take place at Fez’s historic sites, including the grand Bab Makina Square, the riads of the medina, and the city’s synagogue, among others, portraying cultural spaces which are brought to life through approximately 60 concerts and shows, promising an immersive experience of Fez’s rich heritage”, it added.

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Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie fires shots at Davido, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Asake in new single ‘Brag’

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Ghanaian rapper, Michael Owusu Addo, popularly known as Sarkodie, has sparked a new round of storm after he fired shots at Nigerian Afrobeats singers, Davido, Wizkid, Burna Boy and Asake in his new single, “Brag.”

In the single which dropped on Friday, May 10, Sarkodie boasted about his 2016 sell-out performance at the O2 Arena, claiming he paved the way for the Nigerian acts.

The Ghanaian rapper said he laid the light for Nigerian Afrobeats top artistes and as such, they should be grateful to him and his pioneering role in projecting their careers.

The “Painkiller” hitmaker boasted about selling out the O2 in 2016, long before the Nigerian stars and created the platform they are now enjoying.

He went on to place himself in the same league as Grammy Award-winning Burna Boy and Ghanaian rapper, Black Sherif.

Sarkodie also stated that his main competitors in the music industry were American rappers Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, noting that he wasn’t on the same level as African rappers.

A line from the song goes:

“Wizkid came, I was already doing it, Davido started, I was improving it, then Odogwu came through Black Sherif & Asake.”

The release of “Brag” has however, elicited controversy and heated debates within the African music community, with fans weighing in on Sarkodie’s bold assertions and the perceived rivalry between him and the mentioned Nigerian artists.

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Kenyan officials arrest four Tiktokers for filming robbery prank video outside police station

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Kenyan Police authorities have arrested four young Tiktokers for filming a robbery prank outside a police station in the Kilifi North Sub-county.

Local media reports that the four young people who were aiming for social media fame, were arrested after filming and publishing on Tiktok a fake robbery outside the police station.

“The four young people, one of whom is 17 years old, made a video titled ‘wezi mbele ya police station’ (robbery outside a police station), and posted it on the popular video platform. However, police didn’t take it lightly,” one report wrote.

“In the video, a seemingly drunk man exits the Administration Police (AP) canteen and gets robbed by two others on a motorcycle.

“The 18-year-old cameraman was among those arrested. Police identified them through CCTV footage at the AP canteen. The youths were arrested at their homes in Kilifi, with the oldest being 27 years old,” another report said.

The Kilifi North Sub-county Police Commander, Kenneth Maina, who confirmed the incident and arrest of the suspects, said investigations are still ongoing, and the suspects will face charges, including cybercrimes.

“The viral video of a daylight robbery at the Kilifi Administration Police canteen in Kilifi was not real but a prank by a group of youths creating content for their TikTok account,” Maina said.

Maina said they were pursuing another suspect who was still at large, adding that the youths revealed they only wanted to attract followers to their TikTok account.

“There were five youths and we managed to arrest four of them and the other one we have a crucial lead that will lead us to an arrest,” the Police Commander said.

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