Casablanca Bans Street Musicians from Place Maréchal

Casablanca’s local authorities banned street musicians from performing in Place Maréchal, after confiscating their instruments last week.

The wilaya of Casablanca issued a decision restricting street musicians from holding street performances in Place Maréchal in Casablanca, reported Al Massae in its Wednesday, March 15 edition.

The decision followed numerous noise complaints of local residents, according to Al Massae.

The group of musicians, who have spent proximately eight months performing in Place Maréchal, explained to Al Massae that the locals are actually supportive of the artistic scene in their neighborhoods.

They added that they are “only participating with their humble talent in nourishing the artistic sector in Morocco.”

Casablanca’s local authorities went as far as to confiscate the artists’ instruments.

The musicians affected by this ban were obliged to sign an agreement to no longer play music in Place Maréchal in order to retrieve their instruments.

The artists explained that “there is no valid reason to what the authorities did. The least they could have done was to inform us of the decision before taking away our instruments, and unexpectedly prohibiting us from playing music.”

Before performing in a public space, artists must now inform local authorities to obtain permission.

The Racines Association for Cultural Development in Morocco and Africa has launched a petition to negate the wilaya’s decision.

Source :Morocco World News