'Gazzablanca': In Casablanca, Jazz music meets pro-Palestine protest

In Morocco, activists are turning a Jazz festival into what jazz music was meant for: a platform for protest.

Each July, "Jazzablanca" draws crowds to Casablanca, Morocco's largest city, to celebrate a genre long associated with improvisation and resistance.

The festival, founded in 2006 by the Moroccan events company Seven PM, features performers from across the globe, some well outside the traditional boundaries of jazz.

This year, amid Israel's ongoing war on Gaza, a coalition of pro-Palestinian groups is using the festival to amplify political statements against Israel's genocide and apartheid system.

In collaboration with the Palestinian Arts and Culture Solidarity Collective, three Moroccan organisations — including Arts Sale for Palestine, BDS Morocco, and the Moroccan Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (MACBI) — launched "Gazzablanca: In Solidarity with Palestine," a campaign urging artists to use their stage time to speak out.

"We're here to encourage the public and the artists to use these spaces to speak up about Palestine," Ilona Dip, co-founder of Arts Sale for Palestine, told The New Arab.

Organisers of the campaign say they have contacted all Moroccan and international performers scheduled to appear at Jazzablanca, asking them to express solidarity with Gaza —through a flag, a lyric, or even a brief message from the stage.

"Any form of peaceful protest is welcome," the groups said.

On 6 July, Moroccan-Tunisian group Aïta Mon Amour led a chant of "Free Palestine," joined by hundreds in the crowd.

The group, known for reviving the traditional Moroccan genre Aïta, a musical style rooted in anti-colonial resistance, was one of the few acts to respond to the campaign publicly.

Jazzablanca has faced criticism in the past for its programming choices, particularly in 2022, when the festival invited Israeli artist Asaf Avidan to perform.

"We're happy that the organising committee of Jazzablanca decided not to invite any Zionist artists this year," added the activist behind 'Gazzablanca'.

So far, the activists report no interference. They said they were able to enter the venue wearing keffiyehs and carrying pro-Palestinian signs without incident.

Several artists, including Moroccan singer Oum, Palestinian jazz pianist Faraj Suleiman, and Algerian rapper Tif, have also pledged to dedicate moments in their sets to Palestine later this week.

Still, organisers say "audience participation has been modest." But they hope that will change as more artists take public stances and festival goers spread the message across social media.

All eyes are now on American rapper Macklemore, the festival's most anticipated and final act on 12 July.

In 2024, he released "Hind's Hall," a protest anthem supporting pro-Palestine student encampments across US campuses. A follow-up track, "Hind's Hall 2," was announced shortly after.

Macklemore has pledged to donate all proceeds from the songs to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and has repeatedly condemned US support for Israel's war in Gaza.

"This is the first festival we're organising for this movement. But it won't be the last. We need more mobilisation in art spaces to push artists to speak up and take a clear stance on Palestine," added Dip in her interview with TNA.