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A three-night festival intended to “use the universal language of music to bridge cultures and make friends,” will be making its way to Morocco this spring for the second year in a row. Friendship Fest 2006, free to the public and scheduled to be held May 5-7 in Marrekech, Morocco (a predominantly Islamic country), will bring a host of reputable Christian artists together with local musicians in an effort to “show that people of different cultures and faith traditions can be friends and live in harmony with one another,” according to the event’s organizers, Creation Fest co-founders Harry Thomas and Tim Landis.
Marrekech Regional President Abdelali Doumou called last year’s festival, which drew a crowd of around 85,000 people, a “historic opportunity for Americans and Moroccans to celebrate together, through music, in friendship and peace.”
At the festival’s close, Doumou extended an official invitation for Thomas to return to Morocco.
According to Christianity Today, Thomas, whose initial efforts to run Friendship Fest were opposed by some Moroccans who objected against the religious content of the music, was able to quell tensions by assuring officials that none of the musicians would be proselytizing during the event – something that didn’t seem to bother the artists at 2005’s festival.
“We’re not allowed to evangelize but we were allowed to make connections, make friends, and share Christ that way,” Friendship 2005 performer Joy Williams told Christianity Today.
Musical acts scheduled to perform at this year’s festival include award-winning southern gospel group The Crabb Family, pop princess Jaci Velasquez, rapper KJ-52, American Idol finalist George Huff, Canadian rock quartet downhere, and seasoned veterans Audio Adrenaline, who will make an appearance at Friendship as a part of their farewell tour.
For more information, go to www.friendshipfest.com. source : ChristianPost.com |
