Inauguration of a Museum Dedicated to the Artistic Legacy of Abdessadek Cheqara

Tetouan – The Abdessadek Cheqara Museum was inaugurated on Saturday on the grounds of the Al Fadila Al Hourra school in Tetouan. Its aim is to preserve and promote the artistic and musical heritage of this icon of Andalusian tarab music in northern Morocco.

The creation of this cultural space, inaugurated in the presence of the Governor of the Tetouan Province, Abderzak El Manssouri, members of the Abdessadek Cheqara Association for the Preservation of Heritage, as well as several researchers and enthusiasts of Andalusian heritage, is part of the 7th edition of the Abdessadek Cheqara Festival, organized under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, under the theme “Cheqara, Icon of Heritage.”

The museum houses the personal effects of the artist Abdessadek Cheqara and traces his artistic journey and international renown. It also offers visitors a collection of photographs, documents, and musical instruments that belonged to this unique artist, while making his rich sound archive available to researchers, music lovers, and enthusiasts.

In his statement, Mohamed El Habib El Kharraz, a researcher in musical heritage in Tetouan, emphasized that the late artist Abdessadek Cheqara dedicated his life to Andalusian song and the popular music of Northern Tetouan, particularly the art of Zandani, thus contributing to the flourishing of Tetouan’s musical heritage and its promotion at both the national and international levels.

He noted that this museum, dedicated to the artistic legacy of the late Abdessadek Cheqara, is the first of its kind in Tetouan, providing a space to trace his artistic journey and his contributions to various musical, heritage, scientific, and literary events.

According to the researcher, the museum also highlights the artistic tours undertaken abroad by the deceased, which served to promote Tetouan’s Andalusian music and to showcase its place as one of Morocco’s major traditional musical schools. In this regard, he emphasized the artist’s significant role in revitalizing, promoting, and developing Andalusian music.

Mr. El Kharraz also emphasized that this museum is not limited to retracing the artist’s creative journey, but also constitutes an artistic and historical record documenting the history of the Tetouan Music Institute Orchestra, founded in 1958 under the direction of the renowned artist Mohamed Larbi Temsamani.

This initiative thus represents a significant step in preserving local musical heritage by documenting the artistic legacy of Abdessadek Cheqara and the members of the Tetouan Music Institute Orchestra through photographs, documents, and memorabilia that bear witness to a pivotal period in the history of musical creation in the city.

For his part, Mehdi Zouak, director of the National Institute of Fine Arts in Tetouan, stated that the creation of a museum dedicated to the artistic legacy of the late Abdessadek Cheqara is a unique initiative aimed at rehabilitating one of the great names in Moroccan music, particularly in the popular music of the North and Tetouan.

He emphasized that this initiative offers an opportunity to pay tribute to the Tetouan school of Andalusian music through the artistic and creative journey of the deceased, considered one of the leading innovators of traditional music and one of the artists who contributed to preserving authentic Andalusian music and transmitting it to successive generations.

Mr. Zouak also indicated that Abdessadek Cheqara’s contribution was not limited to preserving Andalusian musical heritage, but extended to research and innovation in the field of popular music, notably through the fusion of northern rhythms, particularly those of Zandani, with Andalusian flamenco music; a unique artistic experience, he said, which ranks among the most remarkable innovative approaches in the field of popular music.

The deceased’s artistic journey also encompassed classical music, thanks to his collaboration with the renowned British composer Michael Nyman, as well as mountain music, illustrating the richness and diversity of his influences and his contribution to enriching the Moroccan musical landscape.

It should be noted that the 7th edition of the Festival, which began on Thursday, offers a rich and varied program. In addition to the inauguration of the Abdessadek Cheqara Museum, the festival launched its activities with a broad awareness campaign aimed at young people.