The Jewish community of Moroccan origin in Amsterdam celebrated on Monday the feast of the Mimouna with an evening during which the theater Meervaart vibrated to the rhythm of music and Andalusian songs interpreted by the maestro Mohamed Amine El Akrami and vocalist Zineb Afilal.
Mohamed Zineb El Akrami and Afilal, accompanied by a group of Andalusian musicians of Amsterdam, have brightened the assistance of Moroccans and Dutch with songs and music drawn in the Moroccan-Andalusian ancestral directory.
Several members of the Jewish Moroccan community have expressed their joy to celebrate for the 20th consecutive year the festival of Mimouna, which reminds them of their home country, Morocco.
The feast of the Mimouna, became a symbol of coexistence between Jews and Muslims, and was celebrated by Moroccan, with dishes, various cakes and tea with mint along with Ahouach music, in a festive atmosphere marking the end of Passover (Pesach).
According to the president of the Association of Moroccan Jews for the cultural heritage in the Netherlands, organizer of the initiative, Sami Akasbi, this festival reflects the harmony that has always marked the coexistence between Jews and Muslims, adding that Morocco was and remains a land of tolerance and living together for all communities.
This celebration also intended to promote interfaith dialogue and mutual respect and understanding of different identity components within the Dutch society, he said.
Photo info:
The Mimouna Festival, marking the end of Passover, is celebrated in a special tent in Jerusalem, April 16, 1990. (photo: Alpert Nathan/GPO)