This new episode in our Off the Map series takes you to Casablanca, behind the scenes of a musical theater company. Directed by Ghassan el Hakim, the film pays tribute to the sheikhats, popular singers of the past who practiced the Aita song.
A dozen men, in satin suits embellished with embroidery, make-up and jewels, are having a blast on stage. Dressed as women, but with the beards and mustaches they wear in everyday life, they pay tribute to an old Moroccan tradition, the aita - a poetic and popular song from the countryside that tells the story of Moroccan life. It was women who made it famous when the aita moved from the countryside to the cities of the kingdom, singing at weddings and other traditional celebrations, and for some, at the parties of large families. And it is this heritage that the kabareh sheikhat brings back to life.
Read more: pan-african-music.com/en/ghas...
PAM is proud to present episode 5/6 of #OfftheMap, a collection of mini-docs that bring you into the lives of emerging artists from Kinshasa to Paris, Casablanca and Johannesburg. Using images often unseen, the documentary series dives into the artistic condition to discover the sounds and scenes, facts and dreams of musicians in the uncensored realities of their city.
Written and directed by Jessy Notola
Produced by PAM
With support of CNC Talent