On the stages of Música Mercè and Barcelona Acció Musical, on the circus at Castell de Montjuïc, dancing urban dances at Parc de l’Estació del Nord, giving a concert at Palauet Albéniz or showing their talent for the visual arts at Parc de la Trinitat… In all these spaces you will find the artists who come from Casablanca, the guest city of La Mercè 2024.

The presence of Casablanca and the artists proposed by the Moroccan city will be a very good way of getting to know a culture that is very close to us geographically. What’s more, the Catalan capital is home to a large community from the neighbouring country.

That’s why, in this year’s Mercè programme, you’ll see artists from Morocco, but also many who live in Barcelona and who make their culture (from the most traditional to the most modern) available to the people of Barcelona. Circus, dance, street arts, music, visual and audiovisual arts are represented in the programme which, this year, goes much further than simply programming activities related to the guest city. In order to make effective the project of promoting new cultural creations born from the meeting of two ways of doing things, during this Mercè there will be two shows in Barcelona and Casablanca that will bring together the values and talents of both cities.

Do you want to know what Casablanca sounds like? Then come and experience traditional Gnawa music hybridised with flamenco by the ensembles of Maalem Hassan Boussou and Raúl Rodríguez (Cathedral; 21 September) or take a trip with Oum (Teatre Grec, 22nd) to the modern popular music of Morocco. Even more modern? Don’t miss Pinan 250 F, a phenomenon of urban music that has been shaking up the hip-hop scene for some time now, but also Barcelona reggae, with texts that combine Darija, Spanish and Catalan (Jardins del doctor Pla i Armengol; 20th). Check the programme to find out when and where Aïta mon amour, an artist who combines modernity and tradition in her songs, will be playing.

BAM also offers you the chance to immerse yourself in Moroccan sounds on Saturday 21, when you’ll find the urban music of Shobee et Madd, the sounds of the Barcelona-born Moroccan L’Beel and the proposals of the Zilzal collective of Arabic artists presenting gbw9 on the Rambla del Raval. On the same day, the Casablanca DJ Malika, resident in Barcelona, and Cheb Kerem will offer two sets for you to dance until the end of the night. 3ADNAN and the Salam Group complete the Moroccan programme at BAM.

The Colokolo Cirque, the Moroccan urban circus with its headquarters in Casablanca, is making an incursion into the Castell de Montjuïc (don’t miss it, they do circus in Morocco!), as well as musicians such as DJ Retro Cassetta and DJ Hajar La Granja El Kotri. This is one of the Mercè Arts de Carrer events involving artists from Casablanca. You will also find visual artists from Morocco filling the Parc de la Trinitat with their creations at Paisatges cúbics (commissioned by Salah Malouli), see urban dances (note that the programme includes the names of Kader Attou and Mourad Merzouki), performances by the Iron Skulls and dancers from Casablanca at the Parc de l’Estació del Nord. The Palauet Albéniz, with a concert by Imad Maestro & Ali Bamba, is also hosting activities by Casablanca, the invited city.

A few months ago, the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, and the Mayoress of a city of more than four million inhabitants, Nabila Rmili, met to discuss Casablanca’s participation in Barcelona’s main festival. Subsequently, the Councillor for Culture and Creative Industries, Xavier Marcé, and the Deputy Mayor for Cooperation and International Relations, Abderrahim Outass, worked together to select the city’s most outstanding artistic proposals for the festival.

In this edition of the Barcelona festival, you will discover a young Casablanca, with great vitality and a clear commitment to urban music, street arts and many other cultural displays.

If you want to know more about Casablanca’s participation in Barcelona’s main festival, check out the Mercè website.

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