Les organisateurs et l'association Fes Sais

Organizing Committee

President : Mohamed Kabbaj

Director General : Faouzi Skali
Assistant : Abdélilah Mekaoui

Production Director : Ali Diouri
General Manager : Hamid Anbassi
Sound Engineer : Chris Ekers
Stage Manager : Rachid Belhasna
Transport Manager : Abdekader Ouazzani
Reception Manager : Nasser Benouahoud

Artistic Director : Chérif Khaznadar
Artistic Co-ordinator: James Serre

Marketing and Communication Director : Amina Fassi Fehri
Media Liaison : Laila Sebbane
Sponsors and Media Partnerships : Lamia Hejaj
Communications and Marketing : Ghizlane Kounda
Communications and Press : Laila Sebbane

Webmaster festival website : Hamid CHAHID

Commercial Director : Driss Faceh

Administrative Director : Agnès Amrani
Management Secretary : Claudine Idrissi
Arabic Secretariat : Khadija Filali

Computing : Fayçal Fassi-Fihri
Internet : Hamid Chahid

Festival in the City Director : Azzelarab Amrani
Artistic Director : Aziz El Achhab
Public Relations : Nabil Tahiri
Artistic Advisor : Nabil Jaï
Café litteraire : Rachid BENNANI
Site Manager : Khalid Malek

North America Director : Zeyba Rahman

USA Press Liaison : Cindy Byram

European Director : Nadia Benjelloun

British Representative : Mary Finnigan

Italian Representative "Spirit of Fes" : Fabrizio Guglielmini
Associazione Culturale Eclettica & Media

"Forum de Fes" Co-ordinator : Btissam Alaoui
"Forum de Fes" Reception & logistic manager, assistant Forum : Hassan Ismaili Alaoui

English translations : Helen Ranger

Arabic translations: Aziz Hakim

Fès-Saïss : Mohammed Moufid

Other collaborators:
Mary FINNIGAN
Lynn EVANS
Ferran MORILLAS
Giuliana CESARINI
Armondo RUHA
Judith STRAUB
Jeanneke DENBOER
Claire de CRAYENCOUR
Anne DEVILLARD

Supervisory Council

Ahmed Réda LAAMARTI
Amal JALAL
Mohamed LARAKI HOUSSEINI
Abdeslam BOUZOUBAA
Abdelmalek CHAMI
Kamal KANOUNI
Abdelfettah BOUZOUBAA
Abdallah LAHLOU
Abderrahmane CHAOUI ROQAI

Fès-Saïss : An Association Serving its City

The Fès-Saïss Association, a non-profit NGO, was declared of public utility on April 8th 1988. The Fès-Saïss Association has been a member of the ECOSOC (United Nations' Economic and Social Council) since 1997.

Its mission is to contribute to the cultural, economic and social development of the city and of its region. It also aims at preserving and promoting the medina of Fès, a medieval city that was designated a "World Heritage Site" by the UNESCO.

On the cultural side, the Fès-Saïss Association organizes a series of events each year one of which is the Fès Festival of World Sacred Music since October 1994. It also organizes the Festival of Culinary Arts, the Malhoun Festival and the Arab Poetry Festival.

Many investment projects were launched due to its encouragement and its support. A great number of conferences were organized, namely on the opportunities of job creation, and women's companies, of children living bad conditions, colloquia on water, health, development and on civil society.

In the social realm, the Association began Operation Daif Allah in 1990 to distribute meals to poor families during the holy month of Ramadan. In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the Association has organized health campaigns, which focus on specific diseases, for poorer segments of the society. It also carries out charitable activities for the disabled by providing eyeglasses, wheelchairs and orthopedic devices. Many other activities are scheduled in the context of the fight against illiteracy.

Finally, the Fès-Saïss Association has actively helped and supported the establishment of a "Sound and Light" show around and within the medina of Fès. This show enhances the historic and civilizational richness of this ancient city. Also, the Association was happy to undertake, with the help of many of its members, monuments safeguard projects such as the Nejjarine Museum, "The Wood Museum," with the Karim AMRANI Foundation and the Bouanania Médersa with the help of The Othmane BENJELLOUN Foundation. Other projects in collaboration with the Agency for Decreasing Population and the Fès Medina Rehabilitation (ADER Fès) were also initiated.

In recognition of all these activities and commitments, the United Nations designated the Fès-Saïss Association "Messenger of Peace" in September 1989 and in 2001 the Fès Festival of World Sacred Music as one of seven major events in the world that has contributed in a noteworthy way to the dialogue amongst civilizations.